The recently formed Folsom River District Advisory Committee will be holding its first meeting this Thursday evening, Aug. 31. The meeting is open to the public and will take place in the Folsom Public Library meeting room at 6 p.m.
The City of Folsom General Plan calls for the preparation of a River District Master Plan, with the goal of activating Folsom’s expansive waterfront for improved access, recreation, and economic development. As part of the preparation efforts, Folsom City Council established at
River District Master Plan Citizens Advisory Committee.
Thursday marks the first formal meeting of the committee. According to the City of Folsom’s released agenda for the meeting, the newly formed committee consists of 24 citizens who applied for a position. Those named as members of the committee are as follows:Lynne Bailey; Jennifer Cabrera; Bruce Cline; Claudia Cummings; Brian Dulgar;Pat Flynn;Joe Gagliardi; Deborah Grassl; Rita Mukerjee Hoffstadt; Karen Holmes; Lisa Horton; Will Kempton; Jennifer Lane; John Lane; Barbara Leary; Jim Lofgren; Krystal Moren; Scott Muldavin; Brian Murch; Mike Reynolds; Edward Roza; Devin Swartwood; Crystal Tobias; Srinivas Yanaparti
Thursday’s meeting will follow a standard public meeting format, beginning with business from the floor. During this time members of the public are entitled to address the Committee concerning any item within the Committee’s subject matter jurisdiction. According to the official meeting agenda, public comments are limited to no more than three minutes. Except for certain specific exceptions, the Committee is prohibited from discussing or taking action on any item not appearing on the posted agenda.
Following the public comment portion of Thursday’s business, discussion items will include welcome and introductions by committee members. The purpose, scope and ground rules of the committee and the process will then be discussed along with a Brown Act Overview. The committee will then discuss and review the election of the chair and vice chair positions for the committee and set its future meeting schedule and times moving ahead.
Following a video presentation to that will introduce committee members and the public to the River District, business will move to committee member perspectives. At this time, committee members will share and discuss their perspectives based on four components which are as follows:
1)What does success look like, fast forward to 10 or 20 years in the future? 2) What are the collective goals of the committee? 3)What are they excited about? 4) What are they most concerned about.
The perspectives discussion of the meeting will be followed by the issuing of informational items and confirmation of the next meeting date prior to adjourning for the night.
The Folsom Public Library is located at 411 Stafford Street. The entire agenda can be viewed on the City of Folsom website or by simply CLICKING HERE.
About the River District
The City of Folsom is home to more than six miles of frontage on the American River and Lake Natoma—some of the city’s greatest natural resources. Folsom grew around the river, and in many cases, pushed the river into backyard areas of the community. The city’s beloved Historic District looks inward instead of looking out to the natural beauty of the river and lake. Our waterfront areas are underutilized, and access is limited and poorly identified. But this can change.
The Folsom 2035 General Plan process identified this shortcoming and recommended the city complete a River District Master Plan. The plan would serve as a more detailed vision of future opportunities and improvements that can be implemented over time.
River District Master Plan Key Objectives:
Increase public access to the river and lake.
Increase recreation opportunities.
Increase economic development opportunities.
Commit to high-quality design.
Enhance Folsom’s heritage.
Celebrate and protect our environmental, cultural, and historical resources.
Recognize city gateway opportunities.
Integrate old and new areas of the city.
Advisory Committee
On January 24, 2023, the City Council directed the creation of an advisory committee. The committee is comprised of stakeholder organizations and businesses within the district, residents, land managers, and resource representatives.
The committee is will exist for up to one year and will provide a sounding board for a selected planning consultant to test ideas, challenge assumptions and ultimately make recommendations to the City Council.
On April 12, 2022, the City Council approved using American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds to create a River District Master Plan. The master plan process will address substantial community interest in the following:
Improving access to Lake Natoma (American River) and elevating its place in the community related to tourism, recreation, business and commerce.
Protecting and celebrating historically and culturally significant sites.
Preserving significant habitat and environmental resource areas.
Property Within the River District
Federal and state properties comprise more than 75% of the land within the River District. The city must work closely with California State Parks and the Bureau of Reclamation while following the framework of their planning documents.
The remaining riverfront areas owned by the city and private property owners present unique and exciting opportunities.
