After nearly four years of construction, a new playground and public park in Arden Arcade has opened for children of all mobility levels.
Located at 1124 Bell St. on the corner of Irma Way, Empowerment Park is designed to be as accessible as possible. Play spaces — including the centerpiece play structure with two domed towers — are accessible to wheelchair users via ramp. The park features accessible play equipment like whirl spinners that are flush to the ground so wheelchair users can be spun around. The park also has inclusive swing seats and was built with very few stairs.
The park had its grand opening on Aug. 30 and officials say it has been popular with visitors since opening.
“I’ve never seen a park like this. (It’s) busy at 9:30 a.m. on a school day,” said Daniel Barton, district administrator at the Mission Oaks Recreation & Park District. “It is especially rewarding to see a space where children with different abilities can enjoy the same play environment together and have opportunities to explore, interact and have fun.”
Children play at the new Empowerment Park, a sensory-friendly playground on Bell Street in Arden Arcade, on Wednesday. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com
The park was full of young children and their caretakers early Monday afternoon, as the sounds of laughter interspersed with the occasional chime and drum beat from installed outdoor musical equipment.
“It’s wonderful. I think there is something to do for all different levels, kids-wise and for parents,” said Anni Payne, who drove her 2-year-old son Eli from Roseville for a play date. As she watched him play with a toy truck and run around the soft ground, Payne complimented the park’s open sight lines and closed-off nature from the road (the park is fenced off from the surrounding neighborhood, save one entrance near the parking lot).
“It’s easy to keep your eyes on them and get to them,” said Payne. “I can actually stand back a little bit and let him have some freedom, and know that he’s good, he’s safe.”
Basketball hoops with different angled backboards are ready for play at the new Empowerment Park, a sensory-friendly playground on Bell Street in Arden Arcade, on Wednesday. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com
Aside from the accessible play structures and equipment, Empowerment Park has group picnic and BBQ areas, community garden beds, accessible off-street and disabled parking, shade structures and self-cleaning restrooms. A Bankshot court, where players attempt to shoot balls into hoops off uniquely shaped backboards, is also available.
Rose Moya, who came with her 2-year-old granddaughter, visited after seeing a video on TikTok. She appreciated the park’s cleanliness and lack of bark, which she says gets in her granddaughter’s shoes.
“I babysit her three days a week, so we’ll probably come once or twice a week because she loves the park,” Moya said. “And this was just easy for me to just sit back and let her run around.”
Children play at the new Empowerment Park, a sensory-friendly playground on Bell Street in Arden Arcade, on Wednesday. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com
The park sits on a 1.43 acre parcel donated by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. Construction started in 2022 and was funded in part by Proposition 68, which authorized $4 billion in state general obligation bonds for state and local parks, environmental protection projects and water infrastructure.
The “Empowerment” name has a double meaning, representing both the accessibility of the space and as a nod to SMUD and the power lines which run overhead, according to Barton. In a corner of the park designed for 2 to 5-year-olds, colorful faux-houses named after units of electricity (volts, ohms, watts and amps) feature fake solar panels and buttons which activate sound effects and control small lights. Nearby, a control panel has icons representing nuclear, solar, coal and hydroelectric power.
The lessons on energy and power production are likely lost on the youngest of those enjoying the playground. But they seem to be having fun anyway.
“It’s the best park I’ve been to in the Sacramento area,” said Julie Vellucci, who was with her 6-year-old grandson Tony. “He doesn’t want to leave.”
Revan Jelks plays the xylophone at Empowerment Park, a socially inclusive and sensory-integrated playground on Bell Street in Arden Arcade, on Wednesday. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com 
Children play at the new Empowerment Park, a sensory-friendly playground on Bell Street in Arden Arcade, on Wednesday. JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com
This story was originally published September 4, 2026 at 10:30 AM.
The Sacramento Bee
Vince Basada is a 2026 summer reporting intern for The Sacramento Bee. He is a rising senior at UC Davis and works as a news editor at the school’s student paper, The California Aggie.