The Sierra Club, the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk (FOSH), urge the County of Sacramento Planning Commission to reject the Upper Westside Specific Plan as unnecessary and contrary to the public interest. The Sacramento County Planning Commission will hear the project on Monday, June 23 at 5:30 pm.
The 2000-acre expansion of the urban uses onto farmland north of the City of Sacramento is requested by private landowners and not part of any adopted long-term County plan. The City of Sacramento opposes the project; however, the project relies on the City for water and sewer service. The existing land use supports the air quality plan, the transportation plan and other County General Plan smart growth policies.
“This specific plan is not about meeting housing needs,” said Heather Fargo, president of ECOS and former Mayor of Sacramento. “The County’s General Plan already includes enough land designated for housing units on sites that will not be fully built out until after the year 2100. SACOG, our regional planning agency, has found this project area is not needed to meet housing demand now or in 50 years. The hold-up on building affordable housing is not lack of land for that purpose. This proposal is just about developers making a profit.”
Trees are more than part of Sacramento’s Landscape, they’re part of who we are.
Sacramento’s identity as the City of Trees is more than a nickname. It’s a legacy rooted in community, health, and resilience. Our urban forest is an essential infrastructure that keeps neighborhoods cool, cleans our air, boosts property values, and enhances quality of life. But protecting this vital resource for future generations demands commitment, dedicated investment, thoughtful planning, and inclusive actions. There are numerous Plan strategies that will help to increase our tree canopy; however, without help from outside public stakeholders, it will be difficult for the City to implement this plan.
Sacramento’s 20-year Urban Forestry Plan (UFP) for trees has entered its final phase and will be presented to City Council for adoption on June 24, 2025. We must act now to make sure trees remain a fundamental part of our city as we grow.
Email your council member and the mayor with the amendment below, and ask them to add language to the plan to ensure its implementation:
Sacramento City Hall Chambers 915, I Street, 1st Floor Chambers, Sacramento, CA 5:00 pm
Send E-comments to Council Hearing – Go to Council Agenda Item for Urban Forest Plan
The agenda and e-comment portal will be accessible on Thursday, June 19, 2025. Provide e-comments here. In “upcoming meetings” section > June 24 Council Hearing. For assistance with the e-comment process, contact the Office of the City Clerk at 916-808-7200 or clerk[at]cityofsacramento[dot]org. You can also watch the Council hearing from the above link.
As an advocacy group of residents, Trees for Sacramento champions sound public policy and works with the City Council and local organizations to ensure trees are treated as a core component of city planning.
Former Mayor Heather Fargo shares her concerns about the proposed Airport South Industrial Project, a landowner proposed project in the Natomas Basin. Join her in opposing the project and attend the June 26, 2025 meeting – 5:30 at 915 “I” St, in the Sacramento City Council Chambers at New City Hall. The City Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council for their final decision on annexation of this land to the City.
On June 9, 2025, the Sierra Club, ECOS, and Friends of the Swainsons’ Hawk filed a lawsuit challenging the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) actions to approve the Airport South Industrial Project (ASIP).
We did not want to file this lawsuit before the project came before the City, but the law only provides for a 30 day window to challenge the LAFCo decision made on May 7, 2025. We would have preferred to have waited for the City Council vote, but this was not possible.
LAFCo erred in its decision to approve the landowners’ request to expand the City Sphere of Influence to enable 6 million sq. ft. of industrial use of existing farmland. They did so without due consideration of the City’s commitment to the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (NBHCP).
Our three organizations strongly believe in the purpose of the NBHCP to balance development with habitat and farmland preservation. The NBHCP has worked well for 20 years, and we want the Natomas Basin Conservancy and the Natomas community to continue to thrive. Approval of the ASIP and other proposed developments threaten their future.
You may be wondering what we hope to accomplish with the lawsuit. We want local government to follow the rules and be fair to the public. Thirty years of agreements (USB, General Plan, NBHCP and more) are being set aside and, as some of you have personally experienced, the process has been stacked against the community and wildlife/habitat protections.
Finally, lawsuits are expensive and we need your help. Please donate to ECOS for our Natomas fund. None of us want to live with the traffic, air quality and other issues. Give generously.
Litigation Links:
A joint press release about the lawsuit from ECOS, Sierra Club and Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk is on ECOS’ can be read here.
A Business Journal article published on June 11, 2025 can be read here.
For Your Calendar
Please note the dates and, prior to the meetings, see the Natomas webpage for updates.
June 23 – 5:30 Sacramento County Supervisors Chambers at 700 H Street. Upper Westside will be heard at the County Planning Commission. The Commission will give a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. The Final Environmental Impact Report was released today. You can find it here. There is an executive summary.
June 26 – 5:30 Sacramento City Council Chambers at New City Hall 915 I St. Airport South Industrial Project is the only item on the agenda. The City Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council for their final decision on annexation
August 12 – City Council meeting on the Airport South Industrial Project to approve or deny the annexation request and the warehouse project.
TBD – County Board of Supervisors meeting on Upper Westside to approve or deny the project.
Although a Notice of Preparation has been filed for GrandPark Southwest, no public meetings are scheduled
Actions
Sign the petitions – one concerns Upper Westside and is directed to the Board of Supervisors. The other concerns Airport South Industrial and is directed to LAFCo and the City Council. Sign the petitions here.
Let your elected representatives know how you feel by sending an email, making a call, or testifying at the hearings.
By Ben van der Meer | June 9, 2025 | The Sacramento Business Journal
Local environmental groups have filed a lawsuit opposing a sphere-of-influence amendment to the city of Sacramento that would enable an industrial project called Airport South to move forward.
The Environmental Council of Sacramento, Sierra Club Mother Lode Chapter and Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk are plaintiffs in the suit filed Monday in Sacramento County Superior Court, contending an environmental impact report for Airport South didn’t take a full accounting of possible impacts.
By The Sacramento Bee Editorial Board | June 7, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee
The perpetual roadwork on Sacramento’s highways is a never-ending story of surprise detours, dangerous lane splits, metal-smeared K-rails and tragic fatal accidents — all in the futile pursuit of a solution to relieve congestive traffic. A “solution” that will be obsolete in less than a decade.
