By ANTONIO ANDERSON

Journal Staff Writer

ISHPEMING — The Ishpeming Planning Commission discussed ways to protect multi-use trails in their jurisdiction during its Monday meeting.

One of the suggested topics involves adding an overlay district to the trail system, which would add regulations and alws to zoned areas within the district.

Attending the meeting was Ryan Soucy, senior planner at the Central Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Commission.

“An overlay district is another district on top of it, and overlays it,” said Soucy “It does not take superiority over it or anything. It keeps the base regulations from the district below it but then adds regulations on top of it.”

Commission chair Brooke Routhier said that trail preservation and protection has been a major topic for the commission for years due to the complex nature of protecting trails. Members of the commission say that making an overlay district work alongside private property can be tricky.

“This is why we’ve been talking about it for so long, it is complicated,” said Routhier. “This is something we want to protect most definitely, and in ten years we would have wanted to protect the trails.”

The City of Ishpeming Planning Commission will be continue to discuss methods of preserving multi-use trails in future meetings.

Antonio Anderson can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. His email address is aanderson@miningjournal.net