{"id":431161,"date":"2026-09-10T00:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T00:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/431161\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T00:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T00:22:15","slug":"houstons-3-2-million-trail-project-moves-forward-eminent-domain-on-table-for-holdouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/431161\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston&#8217;s $3.2 million trail project moves forward, eminent domain on table for holdouts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">HOUSTON \u2013 A Houston trail project years in the making is now one step closer to becoming reality, and residents along the proposed route have mixed \u2014 but mostly optimistic \u2014 feelings about what\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">Arthur Storey Park already draws steady foot traffic on its existing trail. Soon, that path could connect to a new route stretching all the way to Dairy Ashford.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">City plans take shape<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">The city has been working on the trail project for years, setting aside hundreds of thousands of dollars to make it happen. The trail is designed to span a 2-mile radius and measure 10 feet wide with a concrete finish. Safety features will include access ramps, signage and markers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">In 2023, the city applied for $2.4 million in funding. By 2026, officials say the project is now one step closer to the construction phase. If negotiations with property owners stall, the city could use eminent domain to secure the necessary land.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">Construction is set to begin in fall 2028.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">Neighbors weigh in<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">For homeowners like Wilfredo Martinez, whose backyard sits along the proposed trail route, the project is welcome \u2014 with a few caveats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">\u201cWe got the ditch, I don\u2019t think it is about that long. It\u2019s about 3 miles,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">When asked whether the community could benefit from a trail like this, Martinez didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">\u201cPersonally, I need it. It\u2019s going to be nice, it\u2019s going to be sweet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">Martinez said he\u2019s open to working with the city if the project requires taking some of his property.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">\u201cHey, I\u2019m open to negotiate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">Martinez is also keeping an eye on what the project could mean for his property value \u2014 and his property tax bill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">\u201cYes, it\u2019s going to be nice. Hopefully the taxes didn\u2019t go up,\u201d Martinez said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">Ultimately, Martinez said he hopes the city handles the process with residents the right way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-dLMFU sc-fHjqPf jbiTJv kYFPaL article-text\">\u201cI think it will be nice if they call us to negotiate. That\u2019s the right way,\u201d Martinez said. <\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston &#8211; All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 A Houston trail project years in the making is now one step closer to becoming reality,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431162,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[41427,149858,149859,56,58,57,18369],"class_list":["post-431161","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-alief","tag-arthur-storey-park","tag-dairy-ashford","tag-houston","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-trail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=431161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}