Chico council directs staff to plan weekend closures in Lower Bidwell Park; trial and design follow-ups ordered

The Chico City Council on Tuesday directed city staff to return with a detailed plan for closing vehicle traffic on sections of Lower Bidwell Park on weekends and national holidays and approved a related follow-up to study access and design alternatives.

By a 6-1 vote, the council approved a motion directing staff to return at the March 18 council meeting with a plan to implement closures of South Park Drive and Peterson Memorial Drive on weekends and holidays until construction on the roads begins; Mayor Reynolds cast the lone dissent. Council members Goldstein, Holly, O’Brien, Van Overbeck, Winslow and Vice Mayor Bennett voted in favor. The motion instructed staff to present how closures would be carried out and how the council would review results after an implementation period.

Separately, the council later voted 5-2 to ask staff to return with options to close South Park Drive to vehicular traffic while preserving access to key parking lots and other access needs; that motion passed with Goldstein, Holly, Van Overbeck, Winslow and Mayor Reynolds voting yes and Councilmember O’Brien and Vice Mayor Bennett voting no.

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