Connecticut/In the Region - Merritt Parkway Trail Faces Opposition A proposal to build a trail along the 37.5-mile Merritt Parkway has some Greenwich residents concerned about privacy, security and property values. Looking west from the Lake Avenue bridge in Greenwich, the path would be on the left. DRIVERS on Fairfield County's scenic Merritt Parkway are known to complain to the state Department of Transportation that too many houses are visible through the trees lining the highway's periphery. "When they look over and they can see through to the houses, they think it spoils the atmosphere of driving on the parkway," said William Britnell, a principal engineer for the department. People want us to put up rows of evergreens or some sort of visual barrier. Now, however, as state transportation officials begin exploring the possibility of converting land along the edge of the Merritt into a trail for hikers and bikers, they are fielding complaints from a new constituency: the people who live in those off-the-highway houses. The proposed trail would stretch 37.5 miles, the length of the Merritt, passing through eight communities from Stratford through Greenwich. But the 50 or so Greenwich residents who attended one of the first informational workshops on the concept last month were distinctly cool to the idea. Their biggest concerns, according to Mr. Britnell, were security and privacy, "even more so than cost, which surprised me." Representatives from two associations representing Greenwich neighborhoods that butt up against the Merritt say a busy trail would only detract from residents" quality of life and potentially harm property values in an area where people pay dearly for privacy. "When you have an artery connecting so many different towns, access is easy," said T. H. Walworth III, the president of the Northeast Greenwich Association, representing about 2,800 homeowners. That means more people, more usage. People bring problems. Not everybody behaves well. The idea of using the state-owned buffer along the southern side of the Merritt as an alternative transportation route has been debated for years, but never seriously pursued. As far back as 1994, the Regional Plan Association prepared a feasibility study supportive of the idea. The transportation department obtained a $1 million grant from the National Scenic Byways Program to conduct its own feasibility study. For the most part, the trail route would lie in the center of the 150-foot-wide right of way, leaving 80 feet between the trail and abutting properties. In some places, steep topography and wetlands would require use of local roads and bridge crossings, Mr. Britnell said. The earlier Regional Plan study found that informal pathways made by children, office workers, fishermen and horseback riders already existed along about 15 percent of the trail route. Those paths suggest "that a well-planned bicycle and pedestrian trail would, in fact, be both useful and an asset to the adjacent communities," the study concluded. Leslie Lee, the president of the Round Hill Association in Greenwich, does not share this sentiment, however. A paved trail, she says, would be intrusive to the environment and to neighboring residents. "The Merritt was built to be a parkway with wooded buffers to protect the quiet backcountry neighborhoods through which it passes," she said. Opinions expressed at a workshop in Stamford were more positive. Jerome Silber, a city resident and cyclist, was among the trail supporters. A founder of People Friendly Stamford, a group that aims to make the city's streets more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, Mr. Silber says a trail should be considered a valuable amenity. "Many peoples" initial reaction is that "it's going to decrease my property value," but experience has shown that just the opposite happens," he said. Mr. Silber points to research suggesting that multi-use trails actually enhance property values. One recent study conducted by University of Cincinnati researchers found that home prices along a 12-mile section of the Little Miami Scenic Trail, which runs through the Cincinnati area, increased for every foot closer to a trail entrance. On average, this translated into a $9,000 premium for properties closest to a trail entrance. Mr. Britnell, too, says that nearby trails are often considered a plus by homeowners. What the state is only beginning to explore is whether residents in expensive sections of Fairfield County will see it that way. "Let's face it," Mr. Britnell said, "if you're in Greenwich and you're living in some mansion, you really don't want to have people walking through your backyard." He emphasized that the state is in the very early stages of a study process that could last two years before a decision is made on whether to proceed. The Merritt's designation as a national scenic byway and its placement on the National Register of Historic Places add additional layers of complexity to the design process. The next trail workshop will be in Fairfield on Tuesday, April 10, at 6 p.m. in the Osborn Hill Elementary School. Mr. Walworth vows to fight a trail through Greenwich, saying his neighborhood sees no potential for enhanced property values. "I've got a good feeling this isn't going to go away," he added. The D.O.T. should know that we aren't going to go away.