Fresno needs new access to the San Joaquin River. Riverview Drive does that and more

When it comes to the opportunity for Fresno, Clovis and Madera County residents to enjoy the San Joaquin River, more access is better. That’s why when the San Joaquin River Conservancy board meets on Wednesday to discuss the subject, it should favor an access point at Riverview Drive in north Fresno.

By so doing, the board would trigger another access point off Palm and Nees behind the Park Place Shopping Center, thus doubling the entryways for people to get to the river.

Before explaining further, a bit of history: Fresno developed south of the San Joaquin because that is where the railroad wanted the town to be in the late 1800s. Over time, the city has grown toward the river. But public access to the San Joaquin has been nonexistent.

Fast forward to today: Cities with vibrancy often have water features that residents can enjoy for recreation and beauty. San Francisco has its bay. The Northwest’s major cities, Portland and Seattle, have rivers and, in Seattle’s case, Puget Sound. New York has the Atlantic, while Los Angeles sprawls out toward the Pacific.

Why are backyard pools and front-yard fountains so popular in the Valley? Because nothing beats the sound of bubbling, splashing water that is a cool oasis in the hot summer.

So any chance Fresno has to gain access to the river is something the conservancy board should jump at. When Fresno can get two access points by approving one, that’s a good thing, especially for the recreation opportunities it offers to residents to get active and healthy.

By approving Riverview, the conservancy would trigger the right for the public to use the road behind Park Place, per the terms of the easement held by shopping center owner Cliff Tutelian.

It is hardly a done deal, however. Mayor Lee Brand and a good portion of the conservancy board favor building a new road off the parking area at Spano Park, just north of Park Place. That road would have to wind down to the river, curving around a flood control basin.

Part of the mayor’s reasoning is to limit traffic and parking impacts to the Riverview neighborhood, an understandable goal. The mayor steadfastly says he supports river access for Fresnans. And city officials have put in a lot of time and work into figuring out their roadway concept, officially known as 5B in the conservancy’s list of options.

But the 5B road would be a new, man-made feature along that stretch of the river. The poor San Joaquin already has many human-inflicted wounds in that area — from a former gravel-mining operation to an abandoned landfill, from the flood control structure to homes along the bluffs. Routing the road would require engineers to remove a stand of tall, mature trees used by birds for nesting. And 5B would require cutting into the bluff and filling with a lot of dirt.

The city has estimated that the 5B project will cost $3.2 million. By contrast, the city says $2.4 million would be needed to make Riverview happen. Given the major cut-and-fill work required to build the 5B road, that estimate seems low.

Riverview Drive extends into the river bottom as an existing road to the Spano family property. The roadway behind Park Place is paved.

Brand points out that the city’s general plan includes 5B. To use Riverview will require an amendment. But the mayor well understands how to navigate the city’s process to make that happen.

The impact on the Riverview neighborhood is not to be taken lightly. Traffic in that part of town, along Audubon Drive, is heavy at times. Whether the access point itself would generate a rush of new visitors remains to be seen. Currently a gate on Riverview keeps visitors from driving to the river. But there is a walking path alongside the gate, and people park in the neighborhood to hike down to the San Joaquin. The access point behind Park Place should become popular because it allows users to get closer to the river, making it easier to carry canoes and kayaks to the water.

The area under scrutiny for access is known as River West, a 508-acre property purchased for $10 million in 2003 and intended for public use. It is part of the 22-mile-long greenbelt concept called the San Joaquin River Parkway that stretches from Friant Dam to Highway 99. All involved in the current debate agree it has taken too long to figure out public access.

New entry points to the river certainly will not make the San Joaquin run wild, and given all the dams upstream, it will never flow free. But using existing roads would be in keeping with the conservation aspect of the conservancy’s mission. And increasing access to the region’s greatest natural asset should be a continual goal of city leaders who get elected, in part, to improve the quality of life for all Fresnans.

If you go

What: San Joaquin River Conservancy board meeting

Where: Fresno City Hall, 2600 Fresno St.

When: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27

Online: cmac.tv/gov is the location where you can watch the hearing online. It will also be live streamed on CMAC 3 (government channel), Comcast 96, AT&T 99.

This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 12:07 PM.