Public input invited for new East Bay park

Information
20 June 2021 Elena Miramar Print Email
East Bay Parks outdoor recreation activities
Aerial footage of the former Roddy Ranch golf course: https://youtu.be/Uyi95T7XmMo

 

East Bay residents have an exciting opportunity to share their ideas and questions for the planning of a new park located at the former Roddy Ranch Golf Course in Antioch, CA.

The East Bay Regional Park District is developing a new park and is inviting the public to provide their input and get involved in the planning process through several public meetings. The park is expected to offer a diversity of outdoor recreational activities, including picnic areas, interpretive opportunities, as well as restrooms and other facilities.

Roddy Ranch Golf Course was a 230-acre, 18-hole course located off Deer Valley Road at the south end of Antioch, CA. The East Bay Regional Park District is developing a Habitat Restoration and Public Access Plan to restore native grassland habitat and include paths and facilities for passive public recreation, such as walking, jogging, and picnicking. The former golf course property will be a part of the larger 3,500-acre future Deer Valley Regional Park. The planning process to open the former golf course as a park is expected to take 18 months.

When rodeo legend Jack Roddy bought 2,300 acres of land in the late 1960s, he built what would become known as Roddy Ranch, stretching from Black Diamond Mines in the northwest to Deer Valley Road in the southeast. The Roddy Ranch Golf Course opened in 2001 and operated for the next 15 years, serving thousands of visitors and golf enthusiasts.

In 2009, the Park District, in partnership with the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy, began purchasing land that would become the future Deer Valley Regional Park. Jack Roddy sold his ranch to the Park District, including the now-closed golf course, in various transactions from 2014 to 2018. The 230-acre former golf course is expected to be the first part of the future Deer Valley Regional Park to open for public access.

Last March, the District held the first public meeting were attendees learnt about the existing conditions of Roddy Ranch. The second meeting will be on Thursday, July 1 and the public will have the opportunity to discuss the draft alternative park designs; these designs are maps showing proposed locations of trails, picnic areas, restrooms, and habitat restoration.

Hosted by the East Bay Regional Park District, the public meeting will be held online via Zoom on Thursday, July 1, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Topics will include:

• Learning about progress on habitat restoration, recreation, and public access planning
• Previewing and commenting on Draft Alternative Park Designs
• Asking questions and providing input to the design team

To join the meeting, please go here: Join meeting.

For more information, and to view a post-meeting recording, please visit the project website here.

The East Bay Regional Park District is a system of beautiful parklands and trails in Alameda and Contra Costa counties to the east of San Francisco. The system comprises nearly 125,000 acres in 73 parks, including more than 1,250 miles of trails and 55 miles of shoreline.