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Council to consider weekend closures at South Park Drive and Peterson Drive after park safety concerns
Summary
City staff told the Parks Commission that city council will consider closing sections of South Park Drive and Peterson Memorial Drive to vehicular traffic on weekends and national holidays while monitoring impacts during a six-month trial; public commenters urged faster action to remove encampments.
City staff told the Parks, Well and Playground Commission on March 3 that the City Council will consider a proposal at its March 4 meeting to close portions of South Park Drive and Peterson Memorial Drive to vehicular traffic on weekends and national holidays as part of a trial intended to reduce vehicle congestion and improve park user safety.
Shane Romain, Parks staff, explained that the idea grew from the Headway Transportation Circulation Report and earlier commission work on circulation and multimodal access. Council directed staff to bring back specific closure options; staff said they will present three alternatives on March 4: closing South Park Drive from after Caper Acres through Centennial, closing Peterson Memorial Drive on weekends and national holidays, or keeping South Park Drive open to the Cypress entrance through Caper Acres while engineering develops a design that would allow a permanent closure without triggering an environmental review.
Staff told commissioners the proposed closures would be limited to weekends and national holidays initially, and that council asked staff to return with a condition report after a six-month trial before any reconstruction of South Park Drive. "Council wants that before we start reconstruction of South Park Drive likely in July of this summer," staff said.
Public comment at the meeting emphasized safety concerns related to park encampments and urged faster action. Tom Van Overbeck, a Chico City Council member (District 6), told the commission that his priorities for the park include removing campers from the park and vegetation management to reduce fire risk. "We're not gonna be successful unless my 12 year old grandson can go ride his bike and I don't have to worry about him being accosted," Van Overbeck said, urging closer coordination between council and the commission.
Commissioner and public questions focused on practical access for park users, the locations of proposed access points for parking and egress, and the treatment of picnic sites. Staff said Peterson Memorial Drive currently provides access to more picnic sites and that engineering will analyze whether access points at Caper Acres and Sycamore Field should be reconfigured to align with roadway intersections and pedestrian crossings.
Several commissioners also raised concerns about access for older adults and people with disabilities if road closures reduce convenient vehicular access. Staff said that engineering's design work could include additional ADA-accessible parking and turnout pockets on adjacent streets.
No formal commission vote was taken; staff framed the item as information and said the council would act on March 4.
