What happened
Covey Planning and Landscape Architects, the design firm working on the project, presented a feasibility study at the Nov. 12 meeting, including possible routes for the trail and findings from their community engagement process.
When presented with three options at an Oct. 2 public engagement event, 60 of 115 participants voted for no trail at all, the design firm noted in their presentation.
Route No. 3, a 5.15-mile trail that would run along Hwy. 195 from Berry Springs until Shell Road and eventually connect to Westside Park, received the second most votes from participants. An extension to this route that would run through Berry Creek Country Club was rejected by participants, with 37 out of 41 voting against.
What they’re saying
District 5 council member Kevin Pitts said while the trail is “well-meaning,” it is essentially “just a sidewalk down a highway.” He suggested abandoning the trail project because of the overwhelming support against it.
“We're looking to try to do something that we feel is good, that people would want, but at this point, the majority of the folks who would likely receive the most benefit from this trail don't want the trail,” Pitts said at the Nov. 12 meeting.
He said trying to “retrofit” trails through existing neighborhoods like Berry Creek, which weren’t originally designed with a trail in mind, “makes it more difficult and creates angst.”
Council members unanimously agreed with Pitts’ sentiments, and Mayor Josh Schroeder said there is clear direction to end the trail project.
Something to note
Many residents attended the Nov. 12 workshop to speak against the Berry Creek Trail. Resident Ash Shoeibi said 177 people in the Berry Creek neighborhood signed a petition against the trail, and thanked the council for listening to community concerns.
The background
The city of Georgetown identified the Berry Creek Trail West as a high priority project in its 2022 Parks & Recreation Master Plan, a guiding document for future parks and trail development in the city.
Georgetown planned to use funds from the 2023 voter-approved Williamson County park bond, with a 50% city match, agreed upon in an interlocal agreement signed in June 2024.
What’s next
Pitts recommended designating the funds, totaling $5.8 million, toward a different project in the city’s capital improvement plan.
“This is something we want to do but where the neighborhood and residents don't want it,” Pitts said. “We have other needs, things that we need to do; let's ship funds over to where we need to spend them.”
