Walkable, livable communities need good public transportation, and while Sacramento
has a good light rail system in place, it’s underutilized. Part of the problem is that there aren’t enough houses, jobs, stores, and other things that people need for daily life in the areas around the light rail stations. That’s why the County of Sacramento, SACOG, and the City of Rancho Cordova are asking residents to help plan for transit station areas that are more livable and walkable.
WALKSacramento is aiding this effort by helping host three community workshops serving five light rail stations on the Gold Line—Watt/Manlove, Butterfield, Mather Field-Mills, Cordova Towne Center, and Hazel. These stations are the focus of an outreach effort to get resident input on what community destinations are located near the stations, what should be located near the stations, and how to improve transportation options to more easily get there.
The first of the three workshops was held May 23 and 24 at La Bou across Folsom Blvd
from the Watt/Manlove station. Over 50 people attended or completed online surveys to provide suggestions on how to improve the land uses and transportation connections around the Watt/Manlove and Butterfield stations. The workshop also included a presentation by students from nearby George Washington Carver High School. Prior to the workshop, WALKSacramento worked with the students to identify barriers to pedestrian access to and from Gold Line stations and to using the transit system. The youth presented their findings and recommendations at the workshop, not only to residents, but to Sacramento County and Sacramento Regional Transit representatives.
If you live or work near the Gold Line, or have an interest in improving transit and walkable communities in Sacramento, please join us at the next workshop which will focus on the two stations in the City of Rancho Cordova—Mather Field-Mills and Cordova Towne Center. The workshop will begin at 4:30 pm June 13 and 14 at the historic Mather-Mills station building. If you can’t attend a workshop, please follow the link below to provide your input through an online survey.
For more information on this project, visit www.planfolsomblvd.org.