Miami-Dade County came within six inches of creating a 26.5-mile-long urban trail for bicycles and pedestrians before a linkage of the Underline, Snapper Creek and planned Ludlam trails got snarled in commission parochialism that left a half-foot gap in the pathway last week. The inability to close the gap between two commission districts in public left other officials scratching their heads in wonder, though the six missing inches probably won’t stop the public from following the whole trail even if the whole Ludlam Trail can’t formally become part of the trip. The county’s Transportation Committee last month began the trail-making process as it recommended steps to create an urban pedestrian and bicycle path in Dadeland to connect the rapidly developing Underline with the long-planned Ludlam Trail. That action asked the county commission to amend Downtown Kendall Urban Center zoning district rules to create a Trail Connector subdistrict. That would allow dense residential development behind Dadeland and turn patches of a former railway corridor into an urban trail that would link to the proposed Snapper Creek Trail. The full commission passed that change last week. The land itself is remnants of Florida East Coast Railway land “that are extremely narrow and irregular in shape along the west side of Southwest 70th Avenue between 80th Street and the Snapper Creek Canal,” land use and zoning attorney Jeffrey Bercow told the Transportation Committee. “We’ve been working with county staff and the district commissioner’s office to facilitate development of these parcels and simultaneously allow for a multi-use path connecting the Ludlam Trail and the Underline,” he said. The district commissioner, Raquel Regalado, told commissioners last week that she had been working two-and-a-half years to cement a land swap of that area. “When I drafted it there was a legislative hold [by another commissioner] on the Ludlam Trail so I could not say that I am connecting the Underline to the Ludlam and Snapper Creek, so I had to stop half a foot from the Ludlam Trail in my district,” Mr. Regalado said in underlining the parochial control of commissioners in their own districts. Ms. Regalado then asked if Commission Natalie Milian Orbis, who has the hold, would allow her “to mention Ludlam so we can fully connect the Underline to the Ludlam. This creates a 26.5-mile trail when you put them all together. I’m happy to stay half a foot from the Ludlam, but I would like to connect all three trails if that’s OK with Commissioner Orbis, since she has the hold.” It was definitely not OK. “I think we should have met before this,” Ms. Orbis responded coolly to Ms. Regalado. “I would have appreciated that. Perhaps we can add it at some later time.” She suggested the two meet to discuss the item. “The item is moving forward,” Ms. Regalado said. “This is the part of the Ludlam Trail that is in my district. I would just like to connect. We’re adding a piece of the Underline that will connect the Ludlam to the Snapper Creek. It’s just half a foot… It will be built, with or without the half a foot.” Ms. Regalado added that there was no need to meet to discuss those six inches. “What just happened?” ask an incredulous Commissioner Oliver Gilbert III. “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” responded Chairman Anthony Rodriguez softly. “Don’t ask? OK, I withdraw my question,” Mr. Gilbert said. “It’s all good,” Ms. Regalado said. “It gets done either way.” The post County leaves 6-inch gap dividing 26.5-mile urban trail appeared first on Miami Today. ...read more read less