River Park is a proposed master planned mixed-use village that creates a desirable place to live, work, and recreate. Through its comprehensive design, the River Park village intends to achieve the following three key planning objectives:

1. Reestablish connections from the Southport area to the Sacramento River through development of a Marina, Community Park, and Community Center adjacent to the river.
2. Create a network of parks and open space areas that preserve the existing central oak grove and the irrigation canal that transects the project site.
3. Implement the Southport Framework Plan and Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Blueprint Project by providing a compact village structure, pedestrian-friendly mixed-use core, variety of housing options, and opportunities for alternative modes of transportation.

1. Reestablish the Southport/Sacramento River connections

The Sacramento River is one of Southport’s most prominent character-defining features, yet the existing planned developments in the Southport area remain largely isolated from this extraordinary resource.  The River Park plan, as its name suggests, is designed to restore Southport’s connection with its water-oriented heritage and to create a community gateway to the Sacramento River.  This vision of reconnection is achieved through a land plan that features:

• a Marina that will be developed on the site of the former Four Seasons Marina, providing direct access to the river and a community gathering place along the waterfront;
• a 40-acre Community Park designed to serve the entire Southport community, featuring a Community Center with outdoor aquatic facilities, active play fields, and other passive recreation uses; and
• direct and easy access to the City’s planned regional trail system along the Sacramento River.

2. Create a network of interconnected parks and open spaces

The River Park plan exemplifies parks and open space–oriented planning that emulates, on a smaller scale, notable examples such as the Emerald Necklace in Boston, and more locally, elements of the American River Parkway.  The integration of the natural and built environments, public and private spaces, and active and passive uses is the focal point of the River Park vision.  The River Park plan provides an outdoor “living room” for the community by creating an integrated parks and open space system that includes:

• a 1.5-mile-long, landscaped Central Parkway that transects the village, connecting the village core to the Community Park, Marina, and other river-related uses to the east and the Yolo “Rails to Trails” corridor to the west.  The parkway includes the 10-acre Oak Preserve Park, a permanent open-water/emergent-marsh habitat, bicycle/pedestrian trails, and other recreation areas;
• a series of parks including the 40-acre Community Park, 6.6-acre Neighborhood Park, and two 1-acre Pocket Parks;
• a Yolo “Rails to Trails” corridor and additional open space along the western edge of the village, which will connect to the regional equestrian/bicycle/pedestrian trail system; and
• open space buffers adjoining the existing rural residential homes along Davis Road and adjacent to the Sacramento River levee, featuring an equestrian trail system and a bicycle/pedestrian trail system, respectively.

3. Implement the Southport Framework Plan/SACOG Blueprint Project

The River Park plan includes and refines the community design principles delineated in the Southport Framework Plan.  In addition, it applies land use concepts advocated by the SACOG Blueprint Project to reflect current best planning practices.  These community design principles and land use concepts are as follows:

• The Village Concept

The River Park plan maintains the ”village” character as originally envisioned in the Southport Framework Plan, and incorporates the following design elements:

• a centrally located mixed-use village core, anchored by the Oak Preserve Park, that features a Neighborhood Commercial Center, a Transit Center, High Density Residential housing, an Elementary School and joint-use Neighborhood Park, and other community facilities;
• rural and low-density residential uses along the outer edges of the village, and increased densities toward the center;
• a system of equestrian/bicycle/pedestrian trail linkages from the residential neighborhoods to the regional and community parks and open space amenities; and
• a mix of densities and housing types, reflecting diversity of lifestyles, affordability, and preferences.
  
  

• The SACOG Blueprint Project

The Regional Blueprint Project, adopted by SACOG in 2004, seeks to encourage more compact residential development than originally envisioned in the Southport Framework Plan.  The River Park plan is a refinement of the Southport Framework Plan that supports higher residential densities consistent with the principles outlined in the SACOG Blueprint project.  In addition, the increased number of residential units will enable the River Park project to generate additional revenue for the City of West Sacramento, which can be used to jump-start long-delayed, critical capital improvement projects for Southport, such as construction of the South River Road Bridge and renovation of the Main Drain Pump Station.

• The River Park Backbone Infrastructure Program

The River Park plan provides off-site backbone infrastructure and public improvements that serve the entire Southport Framework Plan area.  Both existing and new developments will benefit from the improvements constructed as part of the River Park Backbone Infrastructure Program, such as the extension of Village Parkway and Stonegate Drive, improvements to key intersections along Jefferson Boulevard, and upgrading of Davis Road.

 

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