Trail ideas to heed concerns of residents

A study aimed at identifying ways to improve the Santa Ana River Trail was unveiled at City Hall on Wednesday, though not without conditions adopted to allay the concerns of neighboring residents.

The Santa Ana River Trail Vision Study, made possible by a $5,000 grant from The Wildlands Conservancy, provided recommendations for habitat restoration and passive recreational activities along the trail, including the installation of new pedestrian bridges, safer bike trails and additional light fixtures under the 405 Freeway.

While none of the study’s recommendations are set in stone, it provides a number of ideas that could serve as planning tools for future improvements to the river corridor, planners said.

Some residents living adjacent to the trail, concerned about an increase in noise and potential invasions of privacy, were able to convince the study’s authors to eschew some recommendations, including the extension of a separate pedestrian path to the Adams Avenue Bridge.

“People were generally concerned because of noise — it just reverberates along the channel; it’s almost like a canyon,” Public Services Director Peter Naghavi said. “There were also some aesthetic concerns.”

“I may not have agreed with them, but that’s what [the nearby residents] wanted, so that’s what we did,” he said.

The council will likely consider a formal adoption of the study during its April 21 meeting, Naghavi said.

Councilwoman Katrina Foley, who had taken an active role in the study and was present for its unveiling, said she thought it was very unlikely the council would vote against adopting the study.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at chris.caesar@latimes.com.