Ione council sends Train Depot basketball plan back to planning after neighbors, commissioners raise process and privacy concerns

The Ione City Council voted on June 3 to send a proposal for a half basketball court, perimeter fencing and related work at Train Depot Park back to the Planning Commission for site‑plan review and public outreach after residents and some commissioners raised procedural and privacy concerns.

Selena Mitchell, Parks and Recreation staff, told the council the funding opportunity came through ACRA and that roughly $50,000 had been allocated toward a park project whose approved footprint must be respected. The parks commission had earlier approved adding a basketball half court but asked staff to meet on‑site to resolve neighbors’ concerns about noise and privacy; the site meeting produced a proposal to move the court toward South Mill Street and use decorative perimeter fencing rather than a chain‑link enclosure. Mitchell told council the commission recommended perimeter fencing and further on‑site review to avoid removing trees or reworking drainage.

Neighbors and commissioners pushed back at the council meeting. Michael Bull, whose property borders the park, said he and other nearby homeowners were not given notice and opposed placing a court next to their yards. Parks and Recreation Commissioner Fern Day and other commission members said the commission had prioritized finishing the Depot Park as a higher objective and urged the council to support the volunteers who have been working on the project; commissioners also said the project would reduce turf maintenance in one area and provide a playable space closer to neighborhoods that currently lack nearby courts.

Planning Commission Chair Amber Hoiska reminded the council that the municipal code requires a site plan review permit for non‑residential construction, which includes new paved courts and fencing, and several commenters urged the city to run the proposal through the planning process so neighbors could be notified and the project reviewed for drainage and other technical issues.

Selena Mitchell and Parks and Recreation commissioners said volunteers have contributed labor on the project and that most initial costs would be materials; she estimated the proposed sound wall would cost about $20,000 and said the ACRA allocation of about $50,000 would not fully cover the most expensive options. Several council members and staff noted that the ACRA funds were time‑sensitive — county staff had allocated funds from residual county program money — and urged proceeding quickly but within required process.

Council action: A motion to send the Depot Park basketball/fencing addition to the Planning Commission for formal site‑plan review and neighborhood outreach passed (voice vote, majority). Council members who spoke said they wanted the project to proceed but asked staff to return with planning approval, cost estimates and a clear public‑notification plan before construction.

Why it matters: The Train Depot Park project has long been a community priority but also a flashpoint for dispute over process and scope. Neighbors’ objections and the Planning Commission’s site‑plan rules require the city to balance expedited use of grant funds against the public‑notice and site‑engineering work that minimizes later complaints, legal risk and construction rework.

What’s next: Staff will prepare the formal site‑plan submittal, provide cost estimates for options (decorative fencing vs. sound wall), run the required public outreach and return to the Planning Commission and council with an action item for final authorization and contract awards.