The City Council voted to approve preliminary designs and an addendum to the 1997 Sacramento River Parkway environmental impact report to build about four miles of levee-top shared-use path through the Pocket/Greenhaven neighborhoods.

Project and staff presentation: Senior engineer Megan Johnson and Jennifer Donlen Wyant, division manager for Mobility and Sustainability, described the planning and outreach process, the project's connections to existing trails and the draft safety plan. The project will include accessible neighborhood ramps, pedestrian-safety enhancements at key crossings and levee-top trail construction where public access easements can be acquired. Staff said much of the corridor was planned decades ago; some newer parcels lack public-levee easements and the city will pursue recreation easements or right-of-way acquisitions where required.

Public comment split along two main themes: supporters stressed public access, recreation, climate and regional tourism benefits; opponents—mainly property owners directly adjacent to the levee—warned the project would bring privacy invasion, trespass and safety concerns, and called for stronger mitigations including locked gates, perimeter screening, and clearer enforcement and patrol resources. Specific claims included the presence of protected raptor nests (a commenter raised bald eagles) and that some private properties extend to the water and have historically lacked public access easements.

Staff response and mitigation: Staff said they prepared a draft safety plan that outlines roles and responsibilities for enforcement, rangers, and optional private-property screening measures; they also described intended right-of-way and easement purchases where needed. The environmental addendum concluded the project is consistent with the 1997 EIR and found no new significant impacts that would require a full supplemental EIR; staff proposed proceeding to final design, right-of-way acquisitions and permitting.

Council action and vote: Councilmember Jennings moved approval of the preliminary design and EIR addendum; Vice Mayor Talamantes seconded. The council approved the item in a roll-call vote with the mayor absent.

Ending: Staff said they will continue focused outreach with adjacent property owners as right-of-way work begins and will finalize the safety plan in coordination with flood-control and enforcement agencies. Several council members urged staff to address trespass mitigation, screening and enforcement as part of final design and right-of-way negotiations.