The Abridged version:
- The Land Park Community Association is calling for road closures within the park’s panhandle.
- Neighbors describe dangerous behavior on the interior roads — including speeding and drinking on 12th Avenue — and say it’s putting children and families at risk.
- Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said a decision on the proposed closures is coming within weeks.
For generations, William Land Park has been where many Sacramento families gather to celebrate birthdays, play golf and step into nature.
It is the largest park in the city and home to the Sacramento Zoo, Fairytale Town and the William Land Golf Course. But a street that cuts through the panhandle of the park has become the center of a growing debate over safety.
Members of the Land Park Community Association say the peace they find in the park is under threat by speeding cars and other dangerous behavior on weekends.
In turn, those neighbors have called for the city to close a stretch of 12th Avenue between Riverside Boulevard and 13th Street, saying the roadway has become a popular cut-through for speeding drivers, street racing and illegal gatherings. Nearly 900 people have signed a petition supporting changes.
“The last thing we want to see is somebody who’s using the park the way it was intended getting hurt or killed by somebody who’s partying or driving through at excessive speeds,” said Jason Bryant, a member of the community group who lives near the park with his wife and young children.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty said Wednesday he hears the concerns raised by residents and that a decision is coming within weeks.
“William Land Park is a city-owned, regional amenity,” he said. “We must balance resident needs while preserving park access for the broader Sacramento community.”
‘The city’s crown jewel’
Bryant said residents have spent more than a year documenting speeding, burnouts, unpermitted car gatherings and other behavior they believe discourages families from using the park, especially on weekends.
“We’re not married to one solution,” Bryant said. “We just want to make that area more accessible and safer and more conducive to families and recreation. It is the city’s crown jewel.”
McCarty said the Sacramento city manager’s staff recently met with some of the concerned neighbors, and will have an answer for them soon.
“City Manager Maraskeshia Smith, Councilmember Rick Jennings and I are carefully evaluating the neighborhood’s proposal and considering broader impacts and citywide policies,” McCarty said.
The mayor cautions there is no imminent vote on the proposal, although Councilmembers Eric Guerra and Phil Pluckebaum support closing the roads, which Jennings proposed on behalf of the neighborhood.
Will aggrieved neighbors be happy with the city’s decision?
“Probably not everything they want,” McCarty said.
The mayor also said police and park officials have told him Land Park has some of the strongest safety statistics of any park in Sacramento in comparison to other parks.
‘We care deeply about this park’
For Bryant, the issue isn’t about limiting access to the park.
“We care deeply about this park,” he said. “We want it to be open and safe and accessible for families.”
The question now is whether city leaders believe changing traffic patterns is the best way to accomplish that goal.
“We’re trying to balance all of that in a fair way,” McCarty said.
Rob Stewart is a senior correspondent and host for Abridged by PBS KVIE.