GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich. (WPBN/WGTU) -- A popular destination for hiking, biking, and cross country skiing in Grand Traverse County will be getting some upgrades.
Behind the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, the redevelopment of the old State Hospital off of 11th St. in Traverse City, lies a 180-acre park with miles of unpaved trails.
Garfield Township has owned the area since the 1990s, but it's never been designated as an actual park, but that could change.
"You can just do even a five to ten-minute walk or bike across town, and boom, you're in a really beautiful forest like we have here. It's unique," Traverse City resident Kim White said.
The unique Grand Traverse Commons Natural Area is in need of some upgrades.
"These trails have been in place for decades," Garfield Township Planning Director John Sych said. "These aren't necessarily designed as formal trails. It's stuff that people created; in some cases, these are old two tracks drives from when it was the old State Hospital."
That isn't the only issue with these trails.
"We have a lot of areas that we have a lot of erosion occurring, and it's really disruptive," Sych said.
"Right now, it's a little bit of a free for all," Traverse City resident Andrew Kidwell-Brix said. "So a little more organization and a little more wayfinding."
"They're not labeled very well," White said. "There's not a lot of signage out there."
Garfield Township is looking to solve these issues in a new formal master plan for the park.
"There's never been a formal plan," Sych said. "These trails have been here for a long time, and they've never really been formally designed, so we're actually trying to correct that."
The township held an open house on Wednesday to get feedback from the community on the concept ideas.
"Some folks would like to see hikers and bikers have kind of their own spaces, so I'm all for that," Kidwell-Brix said.
"It's not ideal to bike where people are hiking," White said.
"Some would like to see more hiking and less biking; some are concerned about the land and the habitat areas where we have meadows and wetlands areas; you want to make sure that those are preserved," Sych said.
The township board members say they are aware of the different ways people want to use the trails and are keeping that in mind.
"Right now, it's kind of a mix," Sych said. "Everyone out here biking and hiking on the same trails. We might have some that are solely dedicated to hikers and some are solely dedicated to bikers."
Sych said these improvements aim to create a better experience for the trail users while protecting the land they're on.
"It's a really special location, and the more we can do with it, maintaining both the natural area aspect of it but also the ability to use it, enjoy it for us, is fantastic," Kidwell-Brix said.
The next step for the township is to assess the feedback and develop a formal plan.
Once they do that, they will have another open house to make sure they are on the same page as the community.
Sych said it would probably take five to six years to complete the entire project.
Since this project is still in the design phase, the township doesn't know how much the project will cost yet.
They are looking into different funding options, including grants and donations.