This story from today’s Bee is about the most exciting riverside park idea since the Parkway, and in the marriage with it at the confluence of our two great rivers, will create one of the nations truly great parks, forming the pendant of our own golden necklace of parks, greenways, and trails along the rivers, through the trees, and into the canyons.
A really wonderful and visionary plan, and you can see more of it at their website http://www.goldrushpark.org/
Here is an excerpt.
Park plan thinks big
Capital group sees a 'monumental' project, but it may be a hard sell
By M.S. Enkoji -- Bee Staff Writer Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Growing up in Sacramento alongside the plush greenery of William Land Park, Joe Genshlea often sought refuge in the sprawling expanse of his extended front yard.
Decades later, Genshlea is piloting a muscular vision for a Gold Rush Park along the America River that would rival the nation's great parks, like New York's Central Park, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and San Diego's Balboa Park.
In Genshlea's mind, it's only a moment away.
"The reason we are doing this is because it is monumental," says Genshlea, 68, a local trial attorney for four decades.
Unfurling maps colored with promise, Genshlea shows his charted dreams for nearly 1,000 acres along the south bank of the American River, roughly sandwiched between Capital City Freeway on the east and the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers on the west.
The plan includes novel concepts like canals and primarily calls for a 340-acre swath of nothing but green space between the American River and Richards Boulevard. Generally south of the park space would be a mixture of housing and retail and features like zoological gardens and museums. The east end is already parkland or planned park.
Genshlea and others, including former city Planning Commissioner Robert Waste, have hired Leon E. Younger, a nationally recognized park planning consultant, to pencil out the project.
The Gold Rush Park Foundation, headed by Genshlea, will present its plans to potential supporters on July 13. The first official step would be to approach the city about changing the way the property is zoned.
