Two Things:

1. Reminder about the March 4 meeting by LAFCo on the Airport South Industrial Project. Send comments.
2. Information about the Grandpark Southwest project – workshop on March 11. Learn about this enormous project outside the USB.

Airport South Industrial Project

On March 4, 2026, Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) will vote on whether or not to permit annexation of 475 acres of farmland into the City of Sacramento for the Airport South Industrial Project (ASIP).

1. Voice Your Opposition – Send an email comment to  BoardClerk[at]saccounty[dot]gov . Include meeting date (March 4, 2026) and agenda item number  (8)  and “Airport South Industrial”. Contact information is optional. Or, you can mail a letter to LAFCo at 1112 I Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA. 95814
2. Meeting Agenda – Click on Item 8 to display the supporting documents and staff reports.
3. Learn more about this project on ECOS’s website for protecting open space in Natomas.  The right column has Project Updates, News Articles, ECOS Letters submitted in opposition, and Letters from other organizations.

Grandpark Southwest Project aka “Provenance”

Grandpark Southwest has been renamed Provenance and will be the subject of an upcoming Workshop at the Natomas Community Planning Advisory Council.

Meeting info:  Wednesday, March 11, 6 pm, Board Chambers located at 700 H St, Sacramento, CA 95814. 

Come to this meeting to hear the developers – there is no vote and the agenda has not yet been published it.  Look for it here on about March 6.

What is proposed for “Provenance” ?

• 1,871 acres which are currently mostly agricultural land will become 8,589 residential units
• The land is outside the Urban Service Boundary – a county project
• Land use map
• Project description
• The Sacramento Business Journal published an article about the project on February 26, 2026

Thank you for your continuing support to oppose rampant developer-driven destruction of protected agricultural land and habitat.

On March 4, 2026, the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) will vote on whether or not to permit annexation of 475 acres of farmland into the City of Sacramento for the Airport South Industrial Project (ASIP).

A little history – in April of 2025, LAFCO voted to approve the City’s Sphere of Influence application and Environmental Impact Report for ASIP – IE they have already voted yes on this project. On December 2, 2025, the City Council voted to approve the project and annexation.

We believe a “yes” vote would be a mistake, especially considering that one of LAFCO’s primary responsibilities is to protect farmland. We believe it is enough of a mistake that ECOS, Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk and Sierra Club have filed lawsuits against both the City of Sacramento and LAFCO to void these decisions.

What You Can Do

• Voice your opposition – Send an email comment to BoardClerk[at]saccounty[dot]gov . Include meeting date (March 4, 2026) and agenda item number if published (otherwise state “Airport South Industrial”). Contact information is optional. Or, you can mail a letter to LAFCo at 1112 I Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95814
• Donate to support the opposition – we are shoe-string non-profits and this litigation is costing us in excess of $80,000. Your donations are critical. Donate here. Thank you.

Meeting Information

The Public Notice has been published, the Agenda will be available here. The meeting is at 5:30 pm, 700 H St, Board Chambers, Sacramento. Anyone can attend the meeting or submit comments.

Project Perspective

We at ECOS are deeply disappointed at the City and LAFCO support for the project. The EIR clearly shows that impacts on air quality and agriculture are regional in scope and cannot be mitigated. The City requested and the developer agreed to some small changes to the ASIP plan, which may make the project marginally better for human neighbors, including an increased setback. For plants and wildlife, the project is destructive in a fragile protected remnant of important habitat. Because the EIR was not a valid assessment of the habitat impacts, we can only point to specific obvious examples: the elimination of wetlands without mitigation, the loss of two adjacent Swainson’s Hawk nesting sites, the loss of habitat values in adjacent parcels to the south and to the adjacent canals, home to the endangered Giant Garter Snake.

Update on Other Threats

Protecting open space in the Natomas Basin will be challenge going forward. In addition to ASIP, another 7000+ acres are under threat of development. These range from rice fields north of Elkhorn Blvd (Grandpark Southwest and Grandpark Trails) to the “Boot” area along Garden Hwy (Upper Westside Project). Stopping ASIP can help slow down this threat.

The Upper Westside developer is working to complete the Environmental Impact Report and has recently made modifications to it. Several organizations submitted outstanding letters of opposition to the changes. The Natomas Basin Conservancy wrote a powerful letter challenging the proposed water source for the project.

To learn more about these projects and our opposition, visit ECOS’s Natomas Campaign webpage to Protect Our Open Space.

Thank you for your support and participation.