Family & Home
Zoning for bluff access approved by city council
A La Crosse city council vote leads to more frustration for homeowners, who oppose new trail development around Grandad Bluff.
The council voted 9-3 on Thursday night to rezone two vacant lots at the foot of the bluff, to allow hikers and bikers to use the proposed trail.
That was the minimum number of votes needed to approve the rezoning.
The bluff neighbors fear that the trail will lead to more erosion and an increase in local traffic. They also they claim the city is giving an outdoors group, which favors the trail, whatever it wants.
After the vote, trail opponent Christine Clair said city leaders are not interested in negotiating.
For the last month, people living near Grandad Bluff have been asking La Crosse city committees and the park board not to support efforts to develop a new trail being called Grandma’s Gateway.
Steve Fisher
February 15, 2020 at 10:08 am
Popular to open up new trails for aggressive use like bikers or youthhful hikers, but lower Hixon’s original trail is being closed apparently because volunteers say too much work to keep open an approx 300 foot segment that would preserve a 20-30 minute loop trail that goes from parking lot and then would link to the gravel road that runs parallel to the golf course. This is consistent with the unwillingness to negotiate cited above in the story. Why would not ELF recommend to keep open this 20-30 minute nature walk? They talk sustainable trail and rogue trail; and that volunteers do most of the work. All it would take to keep that loop open is a cutting back of the grass encroaching on it now and leveling and improving where it intersects at its end where it meets the gravel road. I would not say group think on this, but this is taking away of a great outdoor walk. You should call Parks and Rec and Forestry, and tell them to keep that open. Help the volunteer!