Pedestrians who use the Shadow Creek and Clear Creek trails will soon be able to travel between the two trail systems by way of a connecting path.

The gist

On Feb. 26, Pearland City Council voted to fund the construction of a trail connecting the Shadow Creek and Clear Creek trail systems.

In 2007, the city outlined plans to create a 21-mile recreational trail connecting the city’s east and western limits, which became Clear Creek Trail. Those plans also called for a secondary trail to connect the existing internal Shadow Creek Ranch trail system with the Clear Creek Trail, according to agenda documents.

A 2020 master plan notes that officials want the trails to help increase overall connectivity within the community and encourage physical activity.

The connecting trail will be 10 feet wide and include a pedestrian bridge, City Manager Trent Epperson said at the meeting.

The cost

The construction, which is estimated to wrap up in March 2025 and cost $1.8 million, will be reimbursed by the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, No. 2 in Shadow Creek Ranch, according to agenda documents. The city will be responsible for the maintenance of the trail after completion.

A TIRZ is a financial mechanism used to fund developments in a specific area. This is done by freezing property values within the area at a certain level, and putting any new value created in the years after toward development, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office.