Chico council approves six-month weekend closures of interior park roads; accessibility concerns remain

The Chico City Council voted 5-2 on March 4 to close sections of South Park Drive and Peterson Memorial Drive to vehicular traffic on weekends and national holidays for a six-month trial, beginning Saturday, March 8. The measure keeps vehicular access from the Cypress entrance to Caper Acres, while closing South Park Drive from Caper Acres to Centennial; Peterson Memorial Drive will be closed from the Veil Ambrosia entrance to the north side of the one-mile parking lot.

Council members cited public safety, crowding and recreation concerns as reasons to test the closures. Eric Gustafson, public works director, told the council the closures could begin immediately with existing gates and signage and that staff would return to council later this spring with design alternatives for longer-term decisions.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment from area residents, recreation groups and users. Whitney Garcia, co-manager of Chicovelo, a local bicycle advocacy nonprofit, said the closures would make park use safer: "These times tend to be the most frequented by families with children ... The presence of cars in the park causes crowding and unsafe passing between the scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians." Catherine Caudle, who said she uses the park by vehicle because of mobility limitations, urged the council not to close both roads to vehicles and asked for retained access for people with disabilities.

Council members offered mixed responses on accessibility. Vice Mayor Bennett and Mayor Reynolds said they would not support closing Peterson Memorial Drive, citing access concerns; both voted no. Several council members and members of the public urged the city to incorporate solutions such as on-demand shuttle service, pedicabs, or reserved access for people with disabilities. Councilmember Tom Van Overbeck and Councilmember Jason O'Brien both raised the need to ensure special accommodations for people with mobility issues.

Councilmember Goldstein successfully offered the motion to adopt staff recommendations; the motion included a friendly amendment to direct staff to study options to improve accessibility for people with mobility impairments without delaying the closure schedule. Gustafson said the staff would present design alternatives for reconstruction and access later in spring or early summer and that the Peterson rehabilitation project anticipated in late July would be coordinated with the closure schedule.

The council resolution is explicitly a six-month trial; staff will reevaluate and report back to council. The closures are intended to be temporary and reversible depending on data and community input. Council voted as follows: Goldstein—Aye; Hawley—Yes; O'Brien—Yes; Van Overbeck—Yes; Winslow—Yes; Vice Mayor Bennett—No; Mayor Reynolds—No. Outcome: approved, 5-2.

The council directed staff to install signage and implement the closures with existing gate systems as early as the coming weekend, and to return with engineering options that could alter long-term roadway design depending on whether the council chooses to maintain closures.

Details on reservation accommodations: staff said existing reservations already scheduled (for example, a wedding in April) would be honored and staff will make accommodations for those preexisting reservations, but routine weekend reservations that require vehicular access are unlikely to be approved moving forward because of staffing constraints.

The council also discussed the potential disruptions during Peterson Memorial Drive rehabilitation and asked staff to return with a plan for pedestrian and bicycle impacts during construction.

The decision is a trial; council asked staff to report back with data and community feedback at the conclusion of the six-month period or sooner if engineering timelines require.