SAN ANTONIO – There’s a petition underway to stop the City of San Antonio from paving a trail in McAllister Park’s all-natural Mud Creek Loop portion.
People who oppose the paved trail said they want to preserve one of the last remaining all-natural trails in the city.
“I’m not saying don’t do the greenway at all. I’m asking please route it in an area that doesn’t have so much impact on the natural environment,” said Marjesca Brown, who created the petition.
Marjesca Brown said on top of trying to protect the environment, the all-natural trail is an escape for many who want to connect with nature. She said a paved trail would ruin the undeveloped portion of the park.
We reached out to the city and the Parks and Recreation Department, who later sent us this statement:
“The proposed Mud Creek Greenway is 4+ miles of ADA accessible trail that will provide connectivity northward along Mud Creek, beyond Thousand Oaks. 1.65 miles are currently in design. Potential routes were discussed with stakeholders during early project discussions and this path was identified as the shortest and clearest route, minimizing impacts to trees and other natural resources. A meeting is planned to share the project vision and receive feedback to inform project development. Meeting details will be shared once finalized. No construction funding has been allocated to date.”
Brown believes the city needs to get more community feedback before moving forward. As the issued statement reads, they plan to do so, but no meeting date has been set yet.
She shared these colored-coded images of the city’s proposed route in red, and the alternative route she’s offered in light purple. Brown said she doesn’t agree with the city’s statement that their route would have the least amount of impact on trees and natural resources.
So far, the petition has just under 1,800 signatures.
