HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville is progressing with plans to bridge the gaps in greenway connections throughout the city center.

City Council authorized Mayor Tommy Battle to enter into an agreement with Lord Aeck Sargent Inc. to develop a master plan for the North Huntsville Beltline. The end result will be a plan for greenway connections from Holmes Avenue to Sparkman Drive, city officials said.

“We’ve done an example of this at Lantana, creating a simple pocket park out of an urban eyesore,” said District 1 City Council Member Devyn Keith. “This is how you connect a community from one that has felt disconnected from the downtown core.”

Dennis Madsen, Huntsville’s manager of Urban & Long-Range Planning, said the project seeks to narrow the gap between the pedestrian access and redevelopment corridor near downtown and the Meek Greenway near Alabama A&M.

“The Lord Aeck Sargent team has worked on similar projects in other communities, and most notably on the Atlanta BeltLine,” Madsen said. “The unique opportunity for this new connection is to think of it not only as a bike and pedestrian path, but also as an engine for economic development and placemaking.”