The sign may say, "Welcome to Sutter's Landing Regional Park," but this spot near midtown doesn't exactly have its arms open to visitors.

"The first thing you see is all this asphalt," said Sacramento City Councilman Steve Cohn, whose district includes the midtown neighborhood.

The city is launching an innovative plan to plant trees and native grasses on top of the blacktop-capped former landfill at the north end of 28th Street. The result will be new places for recreation and access to the American River.

Last week, the Sacramento City Council approved $1.2 million in bond funds for the project's first phase, which will include a 4-acre landscaped dog park, basketball, handball and bocce ball courts, and improved river access points.

Constructing a landscaped park atop a landfill is a complex proposition, and Sutter's Landing will be the first of its kind in the region, Cohn said.

"It will be green and there will be shade; it will be nicer than anyone thought possible," Cohn said.

The park has been open since 2001, in an industrial-looking setting. To the west are acres of asphalt, to the northwest an aggregate recycling facility. On the east side is a fenced hilly area, where methane gas – which accumulates in landfills – is collected and sold.

A bike trail to River Park winds along the perimeter of the methane field. Along the main roadway, the city has planted small crepe myrtle trees in large planters in an attempt to brighten up the area, but many are dying or look bedraggled.

A bit farther north, though, possibilities for the site emerge. Cohn walks past scampering jack rabbits and squirrels, down a short wooded path, and stops at a stretch of beach along the river.

"This is as beautiful as any place you'll see along the American River," Cohn said, pointing at the graceful curve of the waterway and an egret floating across the banks.

Cohn heads back, past a large covered skateboard park already in use, then back onto the sea of asphalt. He gestures toward the expansive view of Sacramento's downtown skyline that will greet visitors as they arrive to use the dog park and other future recreation areas.

Because of the methane and other toxics in the landfill, the blacktop cap must remain intact. Consultants have devised a plan to lay a permeable drain with a rock base, covered with decomposed granite.

Then comes dirt – lots of it, in some places as much as 4 feet, said Roy Tatman, an associate landscape architect with the city's Parks and Recreation Department.

Mounds will be created on the dog park. Natural grasses, shrubs and shallow rooted trees such as blue oak, western red bud and river-she-oak will be planted and watered with a drip system.

Add fencing, benches, a bike trail, and a restroom, and the total cost of the project, including design, is $2 million for the 10-acre first phase, Tatman said.

In 1995 the city drew up a master plan for Sutter's Landing. As money allows, officials hope to eventually improve more of the 190-acre site. Changes could include moving the Sacramento Zoo from Land Park to expanded digs at Sutter's Landing.

Cohn said several community meetings were held to brainstorm about the park and types of desired recreation areas. Soccer fields, with artificial turf, were rejected in favor of handball, basketball and the oyster-shell lined bocce ball court.

Colleen Winter, a Curtis Park resident, who brought her dog and family on an outing to the river, said she has mixed feelings about the project. She sees the site as her little secret, where Arrow, her Labrador, can run and swim (dogs officially aren't allowed off-leash at the river).

Still, she can see the benefits of a landscaped dog park and recreation area. Said Winter: "There's no doubt about it – this is a hugely wasted space in the middle of the city."

Call The Bee's Terri Hardy, (916) 321-1073.