The newest neighborhood park planned for the growing Folsom Ranch area now has an official name.
During Tuesday night’s meeting, the Folsom City Council approved a resolution formally naming the future Neighborhood Park #1 in the Folsom Plan Area “Jackrabbit Hill Park,” following months of community input, staff review and recommendations from the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission.
The nearly 12-acre park site is located at the corner of Empire Ranch Road and Mangini Parkway and is intended to serve nearby residential neighborhoods as development continues south of Highway 50.
City leaders approved the resolution adopting the name recommended by the Parks and Recreation Commission after reviewing dozens of community-submitted suggestions and applying the city’s park naming policy.
According to the city’s staff report, the naming effort followed procedures outlined in Folsom’s Park and Facility Naming Policy adopted by the council in 2021, which established clearer guidelines for naming parks and public facilities.
Under the policy, neighborhood parks — typically between seven and ten acres in size — may be named after individuals who donated land or made significant financial contributions, or through site-specific names reflecting geography, native plants or wildlife, natural features or historical significance tied to the location.
The naming process began last year as the city advanced planning for the park’s design and development. Community members were invited to submit ideas for the park name during a public call that generated 131 suggestions from residents.
“After the call for names was closed, staff reviewed all of the names and divided them up into different categories. First, we went through and took out the 60 names that were ineligible,” said Kate Cannon Nguyen, Park Planner II for the City of Folsom during the council presentation.
Following staff review, the Parks and Recreation Commission Planning and Development Subcommittee met twice to evaluate the suggestions and narrow the options.
Four finalist names ultimately advanced for consideration: Jackrabbit Hill Park, Golden Vista Park, Hawk Ridge Park and Sanjivini Park. Each reflected different elements of the region’s landscape and community identity.
Staff explained that Jackrabbit Hill Park highlights the presence of black-tailed jackrabbits frequently seen around the site and across the surrounding open spaces of the Folsom Ranch area.
“Jackrabbits are native to the Folsom area, and they play an important part of the ecosystem,” Nguyen said. “This ties into the local native wildlife and a connection to nature. The hill relates to the topography of the site.”
Nguyen said the theme also emerged naturally from the community’s submissions.
“In our initial review of the 131 name suggestions, we received 10 that were either containing the word Jackrabbit or were other rabbit-related names,” she said. “So right from the top, it came across as a common theme that people were connecting with this park site.”
Golden Vista Park was proposed to reflect the scenic sunset views and golden landscape visible from the area’s rolling hills. Hawk Ridge Park referenced the birds of prey commonly seen in the region, including red-tailed and Swainson’s hawks. Sanjivini Park, derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “life-giving” or “reviving,” was submitted to reflect themes of health, nature and cultural heritage.
After reviewing the options, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously in December 2025 to recommend Jackrabbit Hill Park to the City Council as the preferred name.
During Tuesday’s council discussion, members briefly debated whether to conduct an additional public vote between the final four names.
“The public already did have public input. I mean, 131 names submitted is really good input,” Vice Mayor Anna Rohrbough said. “To me, it seems like there’s a lot of public input on this, and I feel like that will just delay the process.”
Councilmember Mike Aquino added a light moment to the discussion while referencing the long list of suggestions.
“So one of the ineligible names on the list was Aquino Family Park,” Aquino joked. “I did not submit that. I promise you.”
City staff also noted that establishing the park’s name early in the planning process allows the design team to incorporate the theme and identity of the name into signage, wayfinding and other park features as the project moves forward.
Jack Rabbit Hill Park will cover approximately 11.98 acres and is located adjacent to a planned future elementary school site in the Folsom Ranch community, positioning it as a central recreational gathering space for families in the area.
With the council’s approval Tuesday night, the park will now proceed through the design phase under its official name — Jackrabbit Hill Park — as the city continues expanding is recreational amenities across the Folsom Plan Area.
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