CAGA President Doug Hill spoke before City Council on Tuesday.
A portion of Harrisburg’s Greenbelt trail will likely be permanently rerouted due to new housing slated for a portion of the city’s riverfront.
At a City Council meeting on Tuesday, the Capital Area Greenbelt Association (CAGA) expressed support for the proposed housing development that was up for discussion at council, but shared that it would impact the Greenbelt’s future in south Harrisburg.
New York-based Tunnel to Towers has proposed building a 64-unit apartment building and 20 small “comfort homes” for veterans along the Susquehanna River, near the PennDOT building. Last week, council approved a lot subdivision for the project, and, at a work session on Tuesday, discussed the land development plan, which they may vote on next week.
According to CAGA President Doug Hill, the group is considering rerouting the Greenbelt to turn onto Sycamore Street from S. Front Street, just before the PennDOT building. The trail would follow Sycamore over the railroad tracks and veer right through one of two privately owned lots, before Cameron Street, and then connect with the current trail near Shanois Street. CAGA has not yet received land easements from the private property owners and is still in discussion with them.
“We think this will work,” Hill told TheBurg. “We think we can make it safe and attractive.”
Hill said that the re-route could include widening sidewalks on Sycamore Street to make it safer, as well. CAGA is working with an engineering firm to create a plan. Hill expects that the project to move the portion of the Greenbelt would take around three years and $3 million, which they hope grants will cover.
Historically, the trail continued straight on Front Street, behind PennDOT, cut through the proposed site of Tunnel to Towers, and traversed a small bridge over the railroad. Much of the Greenbelt’s path in the area, including the proposed project site, is on privately owned land. CAGA said that it never had formal easements from landowners to use the property, but had permission from them.
The future of this part of the Greenbelt has been uncertain since last year, when Veteran’s Outreach of Pennsylvania (VOPA) began its veteran’s tiny house project on a neighboring plot of land, closing off Greenbelt access in the area while construction took place. At the time, CAGA and the city set up a trail detour that remains in place. The detour takes trail users from Front to Sycamore to Cameron streets before reconnecting near Shanois Street.
At a Harrisburg Planning Commission meeting last month, commission members retained a city Planning Bureau condition that Tunnel to Towers allow the Greenbelt to remain on the southern border of the project site. The commission made its decision despite Hill stating that CAGA was not looking to route the path through the site anymore. CAGA, he said, was unable to reach an agreement with Tunnel to Towers, so was exploring alternate routes.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, Tunnel to Towers representatives requested that council remove that condition, as CAGA has proposed the alternate route. Council can propose amendments to the resolution at its next legislative session.
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