Miccosukee Greenway supporters unhappy with 'compromise' struck by Leon County Commission

Supporters of the Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway who have been pushing to minimize the impact of road construction through the linear park did not leave Leon County Commission chambers happy on Tuesday night.

County commissioners rejected calls by Friends of the Miccosukee Canopy Road Greenway and other park advocates to create a new protective overlay for the greenway as well as a new working group to give citizens more input in the process.

Instead, commissioners approved several safety related changes to the planned Dempsey Mayo Road extension, which runs along one of four longstanding easements through the greenway. Construction of the road extension, including a roundabout at Miccosukee Road, could begin later this year.

The changes include reducing the width of two 11-foot lanes to 10 feet each, lowering the speed limit from 30 to 25 mph and installing push buttons for equestrians and pedestrians to stop traffic at intersections with a red light. The buttons would be similar to those on North Meridian Road at Forestmeadows Park.

'We lost the ... Greenway tonight'

Commissioner Brian Welch, who made the motion, called it a “reasonable balance” between the wishes of greenway users and other interests, including state road standards. Commissioners approved it 6-1, with Commissioner Bill Proctor casting the only no vote.

“We still have three other roads that we know are entitled to be built in the future,” Welch said. “This kind of sets a precedent for the expectation of what we want there.”

Most of Welch’s colleagues applauded his proposal, calling it a fair compromise. But longtime greenway users blasted it.

“We lost the Miccosukee Road Greenway tonight,” Ruth Chase, a retired restaurateur and landscaper who lives near the park, said in a Facebook post. “The commission congratulated itself.”

Greenway stretches along Miccosukee Road

The greenway, one of the county’s most cherished parks, stretches more than six miles along Miccosukee Road, itself a protected canopy road. A mix of thick woods and open pastures, it features a multi-use trail system that’s heavily used by hikers, bikers, equestrians and nature lovers.

But fears about its future have been mounting with construction of Canopy at Welaunee and the coming arrival of other major development nearby. Residents have expressed concerns about a dramatic thinning of the vegetative buffer around the greenway and persistent flooding in places like Pedrick Road.

“This is an obvious cause and effect of overbuilding.” said Dana Stetson, a marathon runner who routinely uses the greenway.

Citizens ask county to go back to drawing board

More than a dozen concerned citizens, some holding “Save Our Greenway" signs, attended the meeting. Many spoke out during a status report on the greenway and the Dempsey Mayo Road project.

The greenway, which is owned by the state and managed by the county, includes four easements in the deed allowing ingress and egress at Dempsey Mayo, Arendell Way, Edenfield Road and the Shamrock South extension. The easements predate creation of the greenway, said Artie White, director of city/county planning, during a lengthy presentation.

The county has said that besides Dempsey Mayo, there are no current plans to build roads along the other easements. But city and county officials acknowledge they are coming one day.

“Those four easements are entitlements,” Commissioner Rick Minor said. “We can’t get around that. This amazing community treasure that we’ve enjoyed, that my family’s enjoyed, of just one linear greenway uninterrupted is not going to stay that way.”

Eric Draper, former director of the Florida Park Service and a member of Capital City Cyclists, told commissioners that the road was too wide and the speed limit too high — concerns that Welch incorporated into his motion. He also questioned the county’s conclusion that the park has to be crossed by major collector roads.

“You need to think about that ... because there’s nothing in those easements that said it had to be a major collector road,” said Draper, who also serves on the county citizens committee that’s drafting a new greenway management plan. “You could have built a farm road through there and complied with the easement.”

'There's nothing we can do'

Sue Noyes of the Southern Trailriders Association told commissioners noted that the road extensions cut through state owned conservation land and require attention.

“To honor the canopy road and this conservation land, which is set aside for people and wildlife, different road designs or alternatives are needed rather than the procedures used for regular road extensions,” said Noyes, who also sits on the citizens committee.

Several commissioners vocally supported Welch’s proposal, including Commissioner Nick Maddox, who called it “masterful,” and Commissioner David O’Keefe, the commission's representative on the citizens committee.

“I would love nothing more than to prevent these four road easements from going through,” O’Keefe said. “As deep as I’ve looked, they’re solid. They’re rock solid ... there’s nothing we can do.”

Greenway supporters were unconvinced. After the meeting, Ann Bidlingmaier, an environmental activist who also serves on the citizens committee, said the county’s move didn't "reflect the concerns of the community.”

Rob Lombardo, a longtime member and president of the Friends group, told commissioners that "massive development" was taking a toll on the greenway.

"We have hydrology problems that have never been fixed," he said. "The citizens keep complaining. We keep being told it's being taken care of and it's not."

After commissioners voted, Lombardo told the Democrat that greenway advocates had been "thrown under the bus." But he said he was hopeful advocates could still work with the county to influence the design of the roads and protect the character of the area.

“We need to spend more time engaging with staff,” he said. “If they’re willing to do that, we have an opportunity to discuss things that they may agree are acceptable to them.”

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Miccosukee Greenway supporters unhappy with 'compromise' struck by Leon County Commission