After insisting on improved handicapped access, the Napa City Council enthusiastically approved the design of a 33-acre riverfront park that will anchor the north end of the city’s growing Napa River trail system.

Trancas Crossing Park, north of Trancas Street on the river’s west bank, will offer a place to hike and launch canoes amid exceptional natural beauty, city officials said.

Design approval was delayed in January when neighbors raised security issues and handicapped access was criticized for not meeting today’s standards.

On Tuesday night, park designers came back with trail revisions and improved vehicle access that would make it easier for people with handicaps to use the park and connect to the river trail that runs south to Lincoln Avenue.

Addressing security fears, the council approved an 8-foot chain link fence to separate the park from residences and a vineyard at the north end.

Councilman Peter Mott called the new design “an almost perfect proposal,” striking a balance between the needs of neighbors and the public’s desire to be able to hike and bike along the river.

Ten speakers representing biking, hiking, fishing and river interests endorsed the park design, saying it would make the river a major recreation attraction in north Napa.

Trancas Crossing Park will be the northern terminus for six miles of planned river trails through the heart of the city to Kennedy Park. The park’s rest rooms and limited parking will make it easier for the public to use the existing trail between Trancas and Lincoln.

Responding to neighbor fears of trespassers, Councilman Mark van Gorder proposed making the northern end of the park — potentially five to seven acres — off limits to the public.

Van Gorder was persuaded to support the proposed design after Councilwoman Juliana Inman suggested the 8-foot fence. The trail will be kept at least 100 feet from the park’s boundary, with new landscaping creating a visual barrier, officials said.

Several speakers said the site, which is popular with the homeless, would be safer once there is a park. Opening of the river trail south of Trancas has reduced homeless encampments along that stretch of river, they said.

Mott predicted that people coming to the park for healthy activities would drive away the undesirable element.

Steve Brown, an adjoining vineyard owner, opposed bringing people so close to his property. “There is no police department that can monitor this after the sun goes down,” he said.

He noted that the park is located outside the city limits. Most neighbors never anticipated this kind of urban intrusion into their quiet way of life, he said.

Another neighbor, Jeff Santos, said park users would increase the fire risk to his home. In July, firefighters were stymied fighting a wild fire apparently set by a homeless man because of difficult access to the low-lying acreage, he said.

Fire Chief Tim Borman told the council that the existing bridge over Salvador Creek was strong enough to carry engines. New plantings, 10-foot trails and 15 feet of disked earth would help to reduce the fire danger, Melissa Erikson, a consultant with Design, Community & Environment of Berkeley, told the council.

Under the original design, people with handicaps would have had access to rest rooms and parking at the entry off Old Trancas Street, but would have needed to call a parks worker to remove bollards blocking a driveway to the lower level bordering the river.

At the time, Councilman Jim Krider, who uses a wheelchair, said he would have been guilty of “self-discrimination” if he approved such limited access.

Under the new design, the bollards are gone. People with handicaps will be able to drive to the lower level where two parking spaces will be reserved for their use.

Also, the connection between the park and the Napa River trail south of Trancas has been redesigned so that it meets the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The trail will go under Trancas, making the stretch south to Lincoln ADA accessible, said Monica Finigan, the city’s project manager.

“I think it’s a reasonable accommodation that I can get down there, that anyone with a vehicle can get down there,” Krider said Tuesday.

People with handicaps will still not be able to ride in a wheelchair from the main parking lot down to the lower level. To tame this steep slope, which drops 25 feet, the city would need to spend as much as $1 million and build 500 feet of trail supported by retaining walls, Erikson said.

Park improvements will cost $3.2 million, including $2.4 million from a state recreation grant. Under the terms of the grant, the city is under a tight deadline to begin construction next spring and finish it by May 2010.

The property was once owned by professional golfer Johnny Miller who sold it to the Land Trust of Napa County for a $185,000. The land trust held the property until the city received a grant to buy it in 2005.

John Hoffnagle, the land trust’s executive director, suggested that Johnny Miller’s name be incorporated into the park’s name. “They virtually gave the park to the city of Napa,” he said of the Millers.

The park occupies a historic spot, he said. This is the location closest to San Pablo Bay where 19th century pioneers were able to ford the river. Settlers who joined the Bear Flag rebellion in Sonoma crossed here, he said.

The majority of the park is under deep water during floods. Improvements on the lower level will be restricted to trails, with rest rooms on higher land.

Responding to public sentiment, the park will allow dogs on leash and bikes will be permitted on the major paths. The park will be open only during daylight hours.

City staff will ask the council this spring to initiate proceedings to annex the park. The land trust maintains a conservation easement on the park that prohibits most development.

Staff estimated it would cost $37,700 annually to maintain the park, including the daily opening and closing of gates. Clean-up after flooding would average $9,600 per event