Southwest Anchorage homeowners who feared their corner of paradise would be overrun by hordes of undesirables daring to walk, bike or ski near their prime properties can rest easy.
The Coastal Trail extension is dead.
And those who worship the sanctity of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, who think it can't tolerate a nearby trail that doesn't even penetrate the boundary of its sacred ground, well, they can rest easy, too.
The Coastal Trail extension is dead.
And the partisans who automatically oppose anything Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich supports, who feared a Coastal Trail success might have boosted his statewide political ambitions, well, pat yourselves on the back.
The Coastal Trail extension is dead.
Let's leave the trail's opponents to their triumph. Let's stop worrying about what their steadfast opposition won't permit. Let's focus on what can be done to link the residents of Anchorage with the splendors of the city's southern coast.
The answer is "a lot."
An uncontroversial portion of the Coastal Trail extension goes through Kincaid Park, from the ski chalet to West Dimond Boulevard. The public owns the land. There are no private property owners to be bothered. Let's build it.
When West Dimond Boulevard is upgraded, the project can include a bike trail safely set back from the road, within existing right of way. This segment of the Coastal Trail extension wasn't terribly controversial, either.
At Potter Marsh, the state's long-term plans for the Seward Highway offer another opportunity. If the road is widened, it too can include a bike trail. If the road is relocated, the old road can become a trail.
It's ironic the Federal Highway Administration rejected the Coastal Trail the same day that Utah trails advocate Troy Duffin spoke to the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Duffin is a lawyer-turned-contractor from Park City, Utah. It's a booming area where multimillion-dollar homes are as common as site condos in Anchorage.
Mr. Duffin's message to the business crowd was simple. Trails are good for business. In his area, they are a real estate asset, not a liability. They make properties more valuable. They make new housing developments more attractive, even the gated enclaves with the multimillion-dollar homes. The network of trails makes the entire area more appealing to visitors, home buyers and businesses.
Anchorage used to embrace the message Mr. Duffin delivered. A generation of visionary civic leaders helped the city establish today's excellent trail system, with more than 100 miles of paved trails and several regional parks full of winding, wooded routes for bikers, skiers and walkers. They started long before Alaska started rolling in easy oil money.
Yet today's Anchorage Assembly and state Legislature are dominated by those who would turn back the clock. Somehow trails are perceived as costly frills, or worse -- annoyances to be avoided, obstacles to spending the maximum amount possible on roads, roads and more roads.
After Mr. Duffin's speech to the chamber, Mayor Begich invited a number of real estate developers over to city hall to talk with the visiting expert. Here's hoping the session helps them understand the payoff to more and better trails -- even if those running the Assembly and the Legislature don't.
BOTTOM LINE: The Coastal Trail extension deserved a better fate. There's still hope for some noncontroversial pieces of it.