Category Archives: ECOS Updates

ECOS comments on Elk Grove Hospital NOP

On June 27, 2019, the Environmental Council of Sacramento, Habitat 2020 and the Friends of Stones Lakes National Wildlife Refuge submitted a letter in response to the Notice of Preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for Northstate University Medical Center, planned for the outer edges of the City of Elk Grove, south of Sacramento.

Our concerns include: an increase in bird collisions, helicopter flight impacts on migratory birds in surrounding roosting and foraging habitat, lighting impacts, building a hospital in a floodplain, surface water runoff, cumulative impacts, compliance with our region’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy, growth inducement and more.

Click here to read the letter in full.

Reminder to City to follow State Law on Surplus Land

The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and the Sacramento Housing Alliance (SHA) have sent out letters to City of Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, as well as the Facilities & Real Property Superintendent Richard Sanders (at the Department of Public Works). These are to remind the City of Sacramento to follow the Surplus Land Statute.

In the letter to Mayor Darrell Steinberg, The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and the Sacramento Housing Alliance (SHA) write:

We are prompted to offer this reminder of the Surplus Land Act because of concerning trends in the sale of city properties. Reviewing recent sales of seven city owned lots, only one was sold to an affordable housing non-profit (City of Refuge, who plans to build a homeless shelter for women and children on the land). The other six were sold to for-profit entities. Most alarming is the case of 4722 9th Ave and 4601-4625 10th Ave, where the city rejected a proposal to build 130-195 affordable rental units in favor of market rate apartments.

We are requesting city officials be particularly mindful of a few key provisions in the Surplus Land Statute.

1. Prioritize proposals that make at least 25% of the housing units affordable to low income households.

2. Give priority to the proposal with the most affordable units at the most affordable level.

3. Enforce the inclusionary requirement tied to the sale or lease of surplus land.

4. The City of Sacramento can sell or lease the land at a discount to affordable housing developers.

Click here to view the full letter to Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and the four key provisions in the Surplus Land Statute.

In the letter to Superintendent Richard Sanders, The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and the Sacramento Housing Alliance (SHA) write:

The City has a real opportunity to lead on this important issue and we urge you to do so. For example, the City could serve as a clearinghouse for public surplus lands available in the city, including parcels controlled by other public agencies (local utilities, Regional Transit, RASA, etc.). Having a centralized location to get information about all public sites would support getting the most public benefit from the use of these sites and facilitate access to critical information to affordable housing developers and the public.

In summary, the Sacramento Housing Alliance and the Environmental Council of Sacramento specifically request [that] the City:

1. Establish specific policies and procedures to:

• Provide clear, consistent standards for evaluating the potential of publicly owned sites for disposition.
• Provide timely notice to public agencies and interested parties that a surplus site is available.
• Prioritize proposals for use of surplus properties that commit to making at least 25% of the housing units affordable to low income households.
• Prioritize proposals with the greatest number of affordable units at the most affordable price or rent.
• Ensure surplus property developed with 10 or more residential units include at least 15% of the units as affordable to lower income households.

2. Play a leadership role in maximizing the use of public surplus properties for affordable housing purposes by establishing a clearinghouse of sites available from all public agencies within the City including Regional Transit, public utilities, and RASA. In addition, the City should ensure all public agencies understand the law and their responsibilities regarding the use of public surplus property for affordable housing.

3. Evaluate establishing a phasing policy to maximize the potential reuse of surplus properties for affordable housing purposes.

4. Engage in a robust and transparent public process to establish such policies.

5. Encourage the Sacramento Area Council of Governments to establish a policy, similar to one adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission in the Bay Area, that incentivizes local governments using surplus public property for affordable housing purposes.

Click here to view the full letter to Facilities & Real Property Superintendent Richard Sanders.

Aerojet Superfund Site Community Workshop

June 24, 2019

The Environmental Council of Sacramento has been providing guidance for the cleanup of this Aerojet superfund site for several years now. There is a workshop about the cleanup happening on July 10, 2019 that the public is invited to attend.

EPA Community Workshop Aerojet Area 40 Operable Unit 10 Cleanup (click here for the Fact Sheet) – July 10, 2019 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM – Folsom Community Center – 52 Natoma Street, Folsom, CA 95630

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency invites you to participate in a workshop describing cleanup activities that will occur in August and September this year at Aerojet Area 40 OU-10, located east of and adjacent to Prairie City Road, south of Highway 50 and north of White Rock Road. The purpose of the meeting is to give a brief presentation on the cleanup, discuss the schedule and answer the public’s questions. In addition, there will a poster board session with subject matter expert available. If you have any questions, please contact Jackie Lane, Community Involvement Coordinator, at (415) 972-3236 or by email at lane[dot]jackie[at]epa[dot]gov.

Click here to access the Aerojet Area 40 Operable Unit 10 Remedial Action Plan.

Click here for past posts from us on the clean up of this property.

Sacramento votes to use eminent domain on properties for Pocket-area bike trail

Image credit: https://www.ebikeshed.com/ 

The Sacramento City Council has finally started the process of eminent domain to acquire recreation easements necessary to complete the Sacramento River Parkway.

Learn more about it in this May 22, 2019 article from The Sacramento Bee. Within that article is a reference to $210,000 that comes from a settlement agreement with Caltrans.

In 2013, ECOS obtained a commitment from Caltrans to the parkway in our lawsuit demanding mitigation for planned carpool and bus lanes on I-5. Caltrans was not obligated to pay the settlement until it was ready to award a construction contract. I believe the City of Sacramento now has those funds and is able to use them to take this critical step toward the Parkway’s completion.

We are excited to see this success in which ECOS played a role! The Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway has sent ECOS a note of thanks in light of the new vote taken by Sacramento City Council on this, which we greatly appreciate.

Unfortunately, Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway says that although voting for resolutions of necessity to start eminent domain proceedings in the Pocket, Councilmember Steve Hansen made it clear at this week’s meeting he will continue to oppose the completion of the Parkway in the “Little Pocket” area. He also convinced the city recently to seriously impede public access to the levee and to Chicory Bend Park in the Little Pocket.

Contact the Friends of the Sacramento River Parkway for ways you can get involved.

MTP/SCS EIR Scoping Comments from ECOS

On May 25, 2019, ECOS submitted a letter outlining our comments and concerns about the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) 2020 update, managed by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG).

The Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) for the Sacramento region pro-actively links land use, air quality, and transportation needs. The current 2016 MTP/SCS was adopted in February 2016. The MTP/SCS is federally required to be updated every four years. The next MTP/SCS is required to be adopted by February 2020.

Click here to view the letter.