The Abridged version:
The long-awaited redevelopment of Bryte Park is moving toward reality after more than 13 years of plans.
The West Sacramento City Council awarded a construction contract, accepted a federal grant to help fund the project and entered into a purchase and sale agreement with Washington Unified School District for the land.
When the park reopens in the summer of 2029, it will have an outdoor amphitheater, splash pads, small and large dog parks, a community pool and more, the parks director said.
More than 13 years after Bryte Park’s redevelopment plans were initially drafted, West Sacramento’s largest park could finally be getting tens of millions of dollars’ worth of improvements starting this summer.
Last week, the West Sacramento City Council approved a $48 million construction contract with Robert A. Bothman Construction and accepted a $15 million federal grant to be used for the park project. The following evening, the Washington Unified School District, which owned Bryte Park, greenlit a purchase and sale agreement with the city, clearing the way for construction to begin as early as June.
“There has been multiple councils and multiple city managers and staff that have been working towards this renovation that we are really excited to start here shortly,” said West Sacramento Parks and Recreation Director Kate Smith.
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What’s planned for Bryte Park
The project, which will close the park for up to three years once construction begins, is a full revamp of existing facilities and expansion of amenities.
Smith said that when the park reopens in the summer of 2029, it will have an outdoor amphitheater, splash pads, small and large dog parks, a community pool with a facility to rent out, three multi-use softball fields with portable mounds for baseball, a synthetic turf soccer field, multiple natural turf soccer fields, fitness stations, a basketball court, a handball area, renovated tennis courts at Riverbank Elementary School and an outdoor classroom for the teen center.
At first, the city planned to build out these improvements in phases, in part because of the cost of construction.
But years of input from the community, as well as the $15 million federal grant that enabled the purchase of the land, changed the city’s calculation.
Mayor Martha Guerrero said that city leaders concluded it would make more sense to do everything together.
“As it turned out, if we waited too long, the cost … would be just significantly higher in the long run in a phased-in approach, versus doing it all at once,” she said. “The council took a good look at that and said, ‘why don’t we just get it all taken care of all at once?’”
That will mean that once construction begins, the park that hosts most of the city’s playfields for soccer, baseball and softball with be offline for years.
“We’re working with local stakeholders to relocate all of our programs,” Smith said. “Our goal is not to have to cancel any programs.”
Bryte Park in West Sacramento on March 20, 2026. (Cameron Clark)
Bryte Park has long been a focal point of West Sacramento’s north end, and its redevelopment has been pushed for years by members of the surrounding community.
“It’s been a long time coming when it comes to Bryte Park being addressed,” said Alfred Melbourne, director of Three Sisters Gardens and member of the Broderick and Bryte Neighborhood Association.
Melbourne said that, for years, he and his neighbors advocated for improvements at the park that fit community needs.
“This is going to be a huge investment for our community, and if it’s going to be like a regional park, you know, something to highlight, then it should have everything we need for the next 20, 30 years,” he said.
One of those things is a community pool, which wasn’t in the original plans, but was included after residents identified it as a priority.
“You have to keep in mind that we’re surrounded by water here in West Sacramento,” Melbourne said. Without a pool, “Where is the north area supposed to go to teach the next generation how to swim?”
Melbourne said that the Bryte Park project is a step in the right direction in a neighborhood that has awaited investment.
“Finally, it seems like we’re getting some type of representation, but it’s been long overdue when it comes to investment in this side of town,” he said.
But Melbourne would still like to see some changes to the plan, including a larger pool. He said Bryte Park has the potential to change the spirit of things in the north end of West Sacramento, as long as the community remains involved in the process.
“When it comes to this whole park, this should be the highlight of not just the north area, but all of West Sacramento,” he said.
Daniel Hennessy joins Abridged from the California Local News Fellowship. He’s a reporter covering Yolo County.