Mixed reviews revealed on alley route for Emerald Trail
Plans for the Riverside link of the Emerald Trail have sparked some debate among area property owners.
Preliminary designs for the two-point-three-mile segment connecting Riverside and North Riverside were presented at a community meeting at the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters building on Thursday, Dec. 5. This segment would link Memorial Park to McCoy’s Creek.
Along the route, however, it would pass through an alleyway behind private residences between Gilmore and Ernest streets, bookended by Margaret and Stockton streets. It’s this portion of the Riverside link that has some residents concerned.
Privacy and safety
Michael Lee Coward lives at the corner of Osceola and Ernest streets in the same home his family has lived in since 1923. He said he supports the Emerald Trail as a whole, but he is worried about what the trail will mean in terms of privacy, safety and access for him and other homeowners abutting the alley, which is currently an unpaved, grassy path passing behind residences.
“It’s bad enough I got the street in front, but if I want privacy now, I don’t have a backyard,” Coward said. “Where’s my privacy? I’m a homeowner and I’m losing – I don’t know, the whole thing is crazy.”
Addressing privacy concerns, Groundwork Jacksonville CEO Kay Ehas said the organization will be working with all the property owners along the alley regarding elements like gates, fencing and lighting, which will be “unobtrusive” for residents.
“We are not sure right now if the lighting will be 24 hours a day, dusk to dawn or something else,” Ehas said. “This will be decided as we work with the residents on design.”
Ehas added added the trail will not eliminate or restrict homeowners’ access to the alley.
Coward also expressed safety concerns about the alley.
“I had problems with someone trying to break into my garage from the alley,” Coward said. “I have all sorts of concerns about it.”
Former City Councilmember Robin Lumb is also a alley-adjancent property owner and is a proponent of the alley pass-through. He believes the opposite to be true regarding crime and safety.
Lumb said an active, well-maintained neighborhood is one way to deter crime and an activated alley pass-through would send an even stronger signal to potential criminals along that vein.
“I think [the Emerald Trail link] sends another signal: It says people in this neighborhood are really, really paying attention,” he said. “This is a neighborhood where homeowners are aware and that’s a crime deterrent right there.”
Lumb is another long-time Riverside resident and has lived in his home since 1995.
“I like the idea and I support the trail moving down the alley between Gilmore and Ernest,” Lumb said. “I think that’s the best option and I think that it actually would boost property values and promote neighborhood safety.”
According to Ehas, a number of meetings have been held with the alley-adjacent property owners sharing these plans for the Emerald Trail and at the last meeting, had more owners speaking in favor of the alley than against. An alternate route down Gilmore Street, in lieu of the alley pass-through, was also presented during those early meetings, Ehas added, but it did not receive much community support.
Alley considerations
Early plans for the Riverside link initially involved utilizing an alleyway between College and Myra streets, but a closer look at it revealed issues surrounding drainage, utilities and the presence of commercial dumpsters down that alley that would require regular access by garbage trucks. That alleyway would also require the trail to go down Osceola Street to reach Gilmore and would involve the removal of existing apartment parking in the right-of-way.
“We didn’t change it just to change it,” Ehas said. “It was not a good route.”
Through a survey previously completed by Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP), Groundwork Jacksonville identified the alley between Gilmore and Ernest streets as a viable alternate.
“The alley we chose between Ernest and Gilmore is very lightly used by the abutting property owners in terms of access to their properties from the rear,” Ehas said. “It also is just a direct shot down Gilmore.”
“Just run it down Rosselle,” Coward suggested.
Rosselle Street had been considered as a possible route, but was ultimately ruled out for several reasons, including its highly industrial area and noise from nearby I-10.
“It also has a blind curve that is dangerous because drivers and trail users will not be able to see oncoming traffic,” Ehas added. “There is a choke point on the east end between commercial buildings and the I-10 wall that would require either a one-way street or a shared street. Neither option is ideal for trail user safety or the commercial traffic that uses the street.”
A route along Rosselle would still require two blocks, either of the alley or Gilmore Street, Ehas said, and could result in increased westbound traffic if Rosselle became a one-way road.
The Riverside link designs are currently 30% complete. In addition to the meetings specifically with the property owners along the alley, Ehas said other community meetings will be planned as designs progress to 60% complete.
“After 30% is when you start getting much more detailed about the design, so between 30 and 60%, there’s much more engagement and then once you’re at 60%, it’s pretty much set,” Ehas said.
Ehas anticipates it will be roughly another year for designs to be 100% complete and construction on this link to begin in 2026.
