The long-anticipated multi-use path would extend from Clippership Drive to Riverbend Park.

No longer just a wish-list item for walking and cycling enthusiasts, the Clippership Connector is now in the design stage of development.

The anticipated half-mile, multi-use path would provide the missing link in a 10-mile network of trails along the Mystic River. It would extend roughly from Clippership Drive in Medford Square to Riverbend Park behind the Andrews and McGlynn middle schools.

The path would be partly funded by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), as most of it sits on state-owned land. The DCR announced on Jan. 14 that it would contribute $70,000 for the project.

“The Clippership Connector project aligns with the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s mission to protect, promote and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources for the well-being of all,” said Olivia Dorrance, a spokesperson for the DCR.

Two private organizations, the Cummings Foundation and the Solomon Foundation, the latter of which supports parks and green space in the Boston area, have also committed to chipping in for the path. Funds from those organizations will be crucial for the construction of an approximately 500-square foot portion of the path that is on city-owned land.

“If the state doesn’t own it, they’re not allowed to spend state money on it,” said Alicia Hunt, director of Energy and Environment for the city.

At this time, the DCR is working on preliminary planning and permitting for the state-owned portion of the trail, which extends “from 99 Riverside Ave. to the downstream boundary of the DCR property that is leased to the Riverside Yacht Club,” Dorrance said.

Although the project is moving along, it will need approval from the Conservation Commission. The DCR plans to submit a Notice of Intent to the commission later this year, Dorrance said. The agency will host a public meeting once the design phase is 75 percent complete.

The most recent meeting between residents and the DCR took place in June, when the state agency met with abutters of the proposed path, some of whom have concerns about its proximity to their homes. One abutter, who lives in the condominiums at 64 Ship Ave., reiterated the concerns of himself and some of his neighbors at the Jan. 15 City Council meeting.

He emphasized that he would prefer that the path be constructed in front of his property, rather than behind it along the river.

“The back yard route is really close to our back door,” he said.

Hunt told the Transcript that the alternative route in front of the condominiums and farther from the river is no longer being seriously considered because the state doesn’t own that land.

“The state objects to that because they would have to cut down trees, take parking. They would need an easement from the city ... and it would result in the multi-use path being about one foot from the front door of these homes,” Hunt said.

Despite the concerns of some abutters, many in Medford have expressed support for the Clippership Connector, over the years and again at the City Council meeting last week. As some residents have pointed out, the path would provide a safe walkway and bikeway for students traveling to the Andrews and McGlynn middle schools.

“I really believe in the Clippership Connector because it would literally connect Clippership Drive to Riverbend Park and provide a great service to this beautiful city, and I’m going to continue to believe that for a really long time,” resident Ann Frenning Kossuth said the council meeting.

After hearing from a few other residents, the City Council requested that the city and the DCR provide the councilors and the public with updates on the status of the path. Those updates will be shared at the council meeting on Jan. 29, according to Hunt.