Folsom River District Update

Photo Credit: City of Folsom

Photo Credit: City of Folsom

Photo Credit: City of Folsom

Photo Credit: City of Folsom

Photo Credit: City of Folsom

Photo Credit: City of Folsom

Photo Credit: City of Folsom

Photo Credit: City of Folsom

A slide depicts the long term vision for Folsom’s River District

Dynamic visions of Folsom’s potential future come to life in Choose Folsom event

The exciting visions and dreams for Folsom’s future were brought to life in a series of dynamic pictures during an event hosted by Choose Folsom.

City officials and other community leaders and residents attended the event held at Folsom’s Bayside Church on Wednesday February 19, to discuss the latest insights into ambitious development projects in Folsom: the River District and the Central Business District.

The concepts and visions for both of these projects have been discussed for years, but to see the city’s potential long term future in a series of slides, which were displayed during the event, transformed ideas into tangible images that the public can more easily understand and perhaps get excited about.

The Folsom City Council adopted both vision plans in November 2024, with the overall goal of optimizing community assets, enhancing existing resources, attracting tourists, improving access to recreation areas such as Lake Natoma, all while preserving the natural beauty, history and nature of the area.

Folsom’s Central Business District consists of the commercial and retail corridor along East Bidwell Street from Riley to Blue Ravine.

The River District includes six miles of shoreline along the American River and Lake Natoma through the city. The district includes federal, state, city and private lands between the river and Folsom-Auburn Road and Greenback Lane on the north side, and Folsom Boulevard on the south side.

For both projects, the city council assembled citizen advisory committees which consisted of a range of people, from business owners, residents, resource representatives and more, who helped provide input and conduct community outreach to gather as many opinions and ideas as possible as the plans were being developed.

Will Kempton has been serving on the Choose Folsom’s River District Organizing Committee for years, and said as the committee began working on the vision plan, the untapped potential was clear from the start.

“We recognized that the river district offered a tremendous opportunity for attracting tourism, for attracting more residents, and providing more activities for residents,” said Kempton.

During Wednesday’s event, a slide was shown of the current river district, and then was followed by another slide, which revealed an imagined future river district; the envisioned transformation is dramatic (pictures of slides are included in this story). The same juxtaposition was shown in slides of the current Central Business District with the imagined Central Business District of the distant future.

Folsom River District:

There are five key areas that the River District Vision Plan aims to optimize:

*Canal Trail and bridge – the project would connect the trail around Lake Natoma up to the prison on one side, and back down on the other, and build a new connector bridge for pedestrians and bikes.

*Corporation Yard – The project provides opportunities to enhance connection to the water, and offer space for other amenities.

*River Promenade – A promenade near the heavy traffic area of Riley Street down to the Truss bridge, which is a key spot for pedestrians and cyclists.

*Rodeo Park – Suggested ways to optimize use of the park with a more dynamic recreation and park space for families.

*Traders Lane – A site for a new, picturesque hotel is proposed with additional parking.

Folsom city officials said federal and state properties comprise more than 75% of the land within the River District, thus the city will collaborate closely with State Parks. Some of those collaboration efforts would include expanding access to Willow Creek and Black Miners Bar, and habitat restoration.

Folsom Central Business District

The vision is to create a unique business district identity, with more mixed use areas that offer opportunities for the public to gather, and more options to stroll, socialize and circulate through the community with larger spaces to walk and roundabouts to ease traffic congestion.

Lembi Park: Pictures at today’s event demonstrated how the park can be greatly expanded with more fields, recreational and sports opportunities and gathering spots.

Slides of the Central Business District vision reveal an eclectic space with a variety of shops and eateries, places to walk, sit, and vibrant public art, beautiful lighting and landscaping, and other amenities.

While there are no specific development proposals at this time according to the city, the Central Business Plan is considered a long term vision, 10-20 years in the future, which will help guide development moving forward.

Funding for both projects will require creativity, strategic partnerships, pursuit of grants and the development of more detailed plans and feasibility studies to make the visions become reality, according to city officials.

A new 3D interactive model of the River District Vision Plan will soon be located at the Folsom History Museum, where the public can check it out and learn more about the project; it now has interactive buttons which introduce viewers to the history of the project and other information.

Kempton said he expects the River District Plan to come together incrementally over time, but after many years of talking, information gathering and dreaming, there is a clear excitement over what the future may hold.

“It’s not something that will happen overnight; it will take time to accomplish all that needs to be done,” said Kempton. “But the ability to start moving, having the city sit down with State Parks and Recreation and start talking about what projects can be done together…we’ve come a long way and we’re at a point now where we’re ready to start with the implementation.”