A crowd of more than 200 people gathered in the Richmond Police Training Academy on Wednesday night, to weigh in on a hotly-debated section of the Fall Line Trail planned through Bryan Park.

Bells echoed throughout Richmond’s North Side before the meeting as many participants arrived on bikes, locking them away on temporary racks outside the Academy. TThe number of people at the meeting exceeded the room’s capacity, leaving some to watch from the hallway and open doorways.

The mood before the meeting was warm, but the size of the crowd underscored just how invested the community is in the Bryan Park segment's development. City officials emphasized that interest throughout the evening.

“My goal tonight is for people to have a voice,” said 3rd District Council member Kenya Gibson, whose district includes Bryan Park and who was among the officials at the meeting. “The city will be sharing some thoughts, but by and large, I want this time to be an opportunity for us to hear from each other.”

The segment through Bryan Park is set to be part of a 43 mile, $400 million multi-use trail from Ashland to Petersburg. The Richmond segments are still in progress, and the meeting marked the first time analysis behind the trail options for Bryan Park was provided to the public, according to officials.

Of the options showcased, most public support was focused on one from Bellevue Avenue to Heritage Avenue. Safety, accessibility and the project’s economic impact were frequent benefits cited before and during the meeting.

“This is the best way to get people into nature, into the park,” said Brantley Tyndall, Director of Bike Walk RVA at Sports Backers, who have been a major part of the project. “It’s going to make the whole park much more accessible to people that really can’t access the park today or don’t feel safe doing so.”

Not everyone present supported the plans shared. Members of Citizens for a Responsible Fall Line Trail and other participants voiced concerns over the environmental and financial costs, as well as park visitor safety and the Trail’s impact on parking, nearby traffic and the park itself.

Members of the group, who have objected to Trail proposals and how public discussions have been handled in the past, stressed that people can support it and the park, but their questions still led to pushback from others in the crowd.

While Tyndall believes consensus and compromise on the Trail is possible, some trail critics left the meeting dissatisfied.

“It was a charade, a dog and pony show,” Citizens for a Responsible Fall Line Trail co-founder Chuck Epes said. “Frankly, our experience with Sports Backers and now unfortunately city officials should be a real warning to the rest of this city.”

Epes said the group now plans to take their concerns to Richmond City Council in the hopes of a pause and reexamination of the project, including planned routes through neighborhoods across Richmond.