Residents urge Riverbank to reserve Jackson Avenue site for neighborhood park, criticize proposed tiny-home allocation

Residents at the April 9 Riverbank council meeting urged the city to preserve park acreage at a Jackson Avenue site that has been discussed for a neighborhood park and for small housing development.

Former council member Cal Campbell (Speaker 9) said the District 3 neighborhood that includes the proposed site lacks a neighborhood park and described prior council discussion to acquire the two-acre parcel. Campbell said council previously voted 5–0 to repurchase the land and objected to proposals that would allocate most of the parcel to tiny homes. “Why not put just 9 tiny houses on it,” Campbell said, “and have the acreage there for a park.”

Rich Homer (Speaker 10) backed that view and invoked a park-equity standard that, in his account, historically required roughly one acre per 1,000 people; he said a developer proposal to dedicate 1/12 of an acre for a park would be “ridiculous” and urged at least a half-acre be devoted to park space.

Others who commented during public comment reiterated the need for neighborhood open space in District 3 and asked the council to reconsider the balance between tiny-home development and public-recreation space. Council members acknowledged the comments and indicated the item would be part of ongoing land-use and housing element conversations, with additional workshops and stakeholder meetings planned.

No formal action on the Jackson Avenue site was taken at the meeting; public comments were heard under the comment rules and the council proceeded to the consent calendar and later to the housing element item.