Ottawa County buys land vital to creation of future Macatawa Greenway trail

The Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Commission’s purchase of a triangle-shaped property in Holland Township is pivotal to long-term plans for the Macatawa Greenway. 

The 5.5-acre parcel on Black River Court sits adjacent to Holland Township’s Hawthorn Pond Park as well as other Macatawa Greenway property that connects along the Macatawa River to 96th Avenue. The property includes nearly 500 feet of river frontage and about 2.5 acres of flood plain — including some wooded area.

"Though not a large property, this parcel is a critical and exciting addition for the long-term Macatawa Greenway project," says Kelly Rice, Ottawa County Parks and Recreation Commission president. "It provides the final connection needed from Hawthorn Pond to 96th Avenue, making any future trail connection much more feasible."

The land was bought for $125,000 from E&B Development, according to the county. 

Decades of work

A group of partners — including Ottawa County Parks & Recreation, Holland Charter Township, ODC Network, and other local municipalities — has been working for several decades to protect and connect land along the Macatawa River to create the Macatawa Greenway. 

Map shows the land acquired for a Macatawa Greenway trail.

In 2019, a signed pedestrian/bicycle route the Macatawa Greenway Trail 1.0 was established, which stretches from Zeeland Township to Lake Michigan (with routes on the north and south side of Lake Macatawa). The route features several Ottawa County Parks properties, including the Historic Ottawa Beach Parks, Paw Paw Park, and the scenic 2-mile route from the north to the south end of the Upper Macatawa Natural Area, and connection to Kent County via the Fred Meijer Kenowa Trail. 

“We were able to identify connections for the initial route along existing multi-use pathways and sidewalks, but our long-term goal is to provide trail connectivity along as much of the Macatawa River as possible,” says Travis Williams, CEO of ODC Network. “This purchase locks up the land needed for the Greenway east of Interstate 196 and provides important connectivity to our Middle Macatawa and Poppen Woods properties.”

Options for access

Now that the core land acquisitions for this section of the Greenway are completed, the collaborative team is reviewing the best options for providing public access for this section, but some obstacles remain. 

“While we would like to construct a paved route from Upper Macatawa to Hawthorn Pond right away, that will take more time and resources,” says Ottawa County Parks & Recreation Director Jason Shamblin. “We are examining if there is a way to open access through this area in phases.”

The first phase could be a mostly natural-surface pathway from Poppen Woods to Hawthorn Pond, though expensive infrastructure is still needed to make this a reality, including a bridge crossing over the Macatawa River. Once the acquisition of the Black River Court property is completed, additional planning will be initiated to determine the most suitable plan for the new property and the greenway as a whole.

The new purchase may also offer new opportunities for Hawthorn Pond, adds Holland Township Supervisor Terry Nienhuis.

“This property provides expanded access along Black River Court from Hawthorn Pond and usable upland acreage,” says Nienhuis. “This may allow for locating park amenities that would otherwise be challenging to construct in the flood plain. We will be analyzing next steps, but this is an important acquisition for Holland Township and for the Macatawa Greenway.”