The Abridged version:
- City officials have not clarified the timeline for deciding on a citizen-backed proposal to close a road that cuts through a section of William Land Park.
- Residents living near the panhandle of the park say that a section of 12th Avenue cutting through the park attracts speeding drivers and illegal gatherings.
- Land Park has strong safety statistics relative to other Sacramento parks, according to city officials, who are balancing the concerns from residents with broader park access.
Neighbors living near the panhandle of William Land Park have lobbied for months to shut down sections of road that cut through a corner of the historic Sacramento park.
Weeks after Mayor Kevin McCarty told Abridged by PBS KVIE the city would soon decide on that proposal, the timing and what to expect from the city remain unclear.
“No updates,” McCarty said in a text message.
The proposal calls for a safety review of the park, with the key ask being a two-year closure of 12th Avenue between Riverside Boulevard and 13th Street, and a couple of connected sections of road in the panhandle, ridding that section of the park of vehicular traffic.
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Sacramento City Councilmember Rick Jennings introduced the plan in January with support from Councilmembers Eric Guerra and Phil Pluckebaum. More than 900 people have signed a petition supporting the changes at Land Park.
Members of the Land Park Community Association have advocated for the proposal and vocalized their concerns, claiming that speeding drivers and unpermitted gatherings have raised safety concerns for children and kept families from the park.
“Land Park needs an overall look at what can we do to make it safer than it is, a park focused on park activities instead of pass-through activities,” Dennis Rogers, chief of staff for Jennings, said Monday.
City officials have said they are weighing the neighborhood proposal while keeping the park accessible to the public at large.
A safety review
Rogers said city police and park officials are close to completing a comprehensive safety study of the entire park, which could inform how city officials act on the proposal.
“There is much more that must be done first,” Rogers said.
The findings will help guide efforts to enhance safety, which could include less access for cars inside the park, more emphasis on bike and pedestrian safety and considering similar changes within the park’s interior loop.
The issue is not on Tuesday’s City Council agenda, but Jennings and the mayor are expected to talk “later this week,” Rogers said.
Beyond the scope of the proposal, Rogers said some safety measures are taking place, such as new safety signage appearing in the park.
