ECOS Letter re Upper West Side Water Assessment, Dec 6, 2022

December 6, 2022 — ECOS submitted a letter of comment on the City of Sacramento City Council Special Meeting, Dec. 6, 2022, 2 pm Agenda Item 14 – Upper Westside Water Supply Assessment, File ID: 2022-02041.

Below is an excerpt of our letter, as well as a link to the letter in full.

ECOS understands that if you’re required by law to prepare this Water Supply Assessment, you must comply. But while you are considering this resolution, we would like to raise some serious concerns about the proposed Upper Westside project. We strongly oppose this project for many reasons…

Click here to read the letter in full.

ECOS Letter re Innovation Park and CNU Medical Center Project DEIR, Jan 3, 2022

On January 3, 2022, ECOS submitted comments on the Innovation Park and CNU Medical Center Project DEIR.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this major project in North Natomas. We are pleased to see the reuse of the Arco Arena site. A hospital would address a long standing problem of having no hospital and few medical services north of the river in the City limits. All 24-hour emergency rooms are over 25 minutes away from residents of Natomas and North Sacramento. The land use designations are acceptable but more detail will be needed to fully understand the impacts given the wide range of densities that are allowed by the city. Impacts could vary significantly in terms of traffic, schools, parks and others. Further, it is still unclear what kind of “innovation” is anticipated in the area identified as Innovation Park.

Click here to read the letter in full.

ECOS and Partners Letter re South Airport Industrial annexation proposal in North Natomas, Jul 15, 2021

On July 15, 2021, ECOS, along with Habitat 2020, Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk and the Sierra Club Sacramento Group sent a letter regarding the South Airport Industrial annexation proposal in North Natomas.

Below is an excerpt from our letter.

We urge you to delay consideration of the proposed LAFCo MOU until you have an approved Memorandum of Understanding with the wildlife agencies for the process you will follow to comply with the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (NBHCP) while considering annexation of 450 acres outside your permit area. The NBHCP is a contract between the City and state and federal wildlife agencies that sets the terms of its permits to develop in Natomas. The purpose of the Plan is to preserve the populations of threatened wildlife in the Basin while allowing some City and Sutter County development. This contract states that “Because the effectiveness of the NBHCP’s Operating Program is based upon CITY limiting total development to 8,050 acres within the City’s permit area . . . , approval by either CITY or SUTTER of future urban development outside of their respective Permit Areas would constitute a significant departure from the Plan’s Operating Conservation Program.”

Click here to read the letter in full.


Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels

ECOS and Partners Letter re Airport South Industrial Project, Jun 28, 2021

On June 28, 2021, the Environmental Council of Sacramento, Habitat 2020, Sierra Club Sacramento Group, Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk and Former Sacramento City Mayor Heather Fargo submitted a joint letter on the Airport South Industrial Project.

Below is an excerpt from our letter.

We urge you to remove Item 9 from the Consent Calendar and vote to deny the staff’s recommendation. The Resolution before you conflicts with and interferes with the success of the 2003 Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (“NBHCP”) the City’s efforts to reach carbon zero status, and General Plan policies. The City’s approval of the proposed annexation and development would constitute a breach of the City’s obligation under the 2003 Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan to not annex or develop outside of the NBHCP permit area, and could lead to revocation of the City’s Incidental Take Permit under the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan.

Click here to read the letter in full.