Tag Archives: Open Space

Airport South Industrial – What’s Next?

December 5, 2025

On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, the Sacramento City Council voted to annex the 475 acres of farmland for the Airport South Industrial Project, allowing warehouses to be built next to residences and a school. They also approved the Environmental Impact Report. The vote was 5 – 2 with Karina Talamantes and Mai Vang opposing.

We at ECOS are deeply disappointed and you probably are too. The City requested and the developer agreed to some changes to the plan, which will make the project a little better for human neighbors, including an increased setback. For plants and wildlife, the project will be a disaster.

Loss of open space in the Sacramento Regions seems to be a theme. Open spaces in the Sacramento Region are not being protected by our elected officials, regardless of agreements, plans, rules, conventions and community action.

For example, on November 18, the Board of Supervisors approved the Coyote Creek agrivoltaic project in eastern Sacramento County. Thousands of oak trees and sensitive habitat will be lost to a project that could be moved.

On December 2, the City Council approved Airport South Industrial, allowing warehouses to be built next to residences and a school.

In addition, in Natomas, 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).

For both Coyote Creek and for Airport South, the Sacramento community stepped up to show our opposition. There were 155 speakers at the Coyote Creek hearing. 193 people wrote comments to the City Council about Airport South Industrial and 1550 signed a petition opposing it. Thank you all.

Your participation enabled us to get a better hearing. The strength and persuasiveness of the opposition had an impact on Airport South Industrial and the level of attention paid to it by the City Council.

What’s Next?

  1. The City and County are working out an agreement on tax sharing for the project and the income it will generate. The agreement is scheduled for discussion at the City Council on Tuesday, December 9.
  2. Next spring, possibly in March, the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission will vote on whether or not the City can annex the land and provide City services. We expect them to vote to approve.

Take Action

Your support is needed – ECOS has staff to pay, stamps to buy and lawsuits to fund – you get it. We really need your donations. Our next step is a lawsuit to get a judge’s opinion on whether the City’s process followed the law. It is not cheap and we need donations to keep it going. Please give. Donate here.

In the News

Fox 40 segment on the City Council meeting
Sacramento Bee article about Airport South Industrial City Council Vote
Sacramento Bee article about Coyote Creek Board of Supervisors Vote

Thank you for your support and participation in opposing the loss of open space in our region.

ECOS Letter on Airport South, 12/1/2025

On December 1, 2025, ECOS submitted a letter to the Mayor and City Council of Sacramento regarding Airport South Industrial Annexation (P21-017). Below is an excerpt from our letter.

We write to address your vote on the biggest environmental decision to come before the City Council in decades, again. We believe you should vote no on the Airport South Industrial Project.

ECOS has previously submitted a number of letters and e-comments expressing our concerns about the project.

Click here to read the letter.

Sacramento County development threatens a giant, shy snake. Why does that matter? November 20, 2025, The Sacramento Bee

By Jake Goodrick | November 20, 2025 | The Sacramento Bee

While the Sacramento project that had advanced the most stalled this summer after strongly-worded pushback from city officials, stewards of the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan — a 50-year effort to build in the basin while preserving habitat for its native species — wonder whether the agreement can endure the county’s unexpected influx of construction. Only so much land exists in the basin for the conservancy to protect its required part, which Roberts said could not happen if the county’s developments were to move forward. “No more of this. It’s a complete end to this.” Roberts said, waving to the intricately carved dirt lot, seeing the wetlands to take its place. “We’re certain that we cannot implement any more of the (habitat plan) if these developments take place. And we’re not equivocal about that. We’re resolute.”

Click here to read the article in full.

Jobs vs. Nature: Sacramento City Council considers land annex for industry in protected Natomas Basin, November 20, 2025, Capradio

By Riley Palmer | Thursday, November 20, 2025 | Capradio

Sacramento City Council weighed the merits of a large industrial development in North Natomas on Tuesday as environmentalists, developers and laborers argued for or against the controversial project.

The development, known as Airport South Industrial, would annex approximately 450 acres of protected land for warehouses into the city of Sacramento, south of the Metro Air Parkway and west of the Westlake neighborhood in Natomas.

Click here to read the full article.

Airport South Vote, Dec 2

December 1, 2025

On December 2nd, 2025, Sacramento City Council is scheduled to vote on Airport South Industrial.

Take Action:

  1. Attend the City Council meeting at 5 pm, Tuesday, December 2nd, 915 I St, Sacramento. It is important to have you there, even if you do not speak. We need to demonstrate strong opposition in the room.
  2. Submit a comment. You can submit a comment here. You can read the comments of others too.
  3. Write a letter/email to the entire City Council. How to write the City Council – email information is here. Suggestions on what to say – here.

What to Expect:

As far as we know, the public hearing is still open and the public will be allowed to speak. On November 18, Council members, Talamantes, Dickinson, Guerra and the Mayor, asked questions of City staff and tasked them with returning with answers on December 2. City council members may ask further questions and will likely state their perspective on the project. And then they will vote.

UNLESS they feel that there are still too many unanswered questions to vote at this time.

ECOS will ask that Council members vote no.

The neighbors will ask the Council to vote no but will also submit a list of conditions and request that the Council require these conditions of the developer, if the Council votes yes.

Articles of Interest:

Capitol Public Radio article about the November 18 meeting.

A Sacramento Business Journal article on November 21, 2025, by Ben van der Meer included this quote: Sacramento County officials have said Metro Air Park overall has about 9 million square feet of built industrial space, out of 22 million expected at full build-out. A Buzz Oates leasing flyer for 7275 Metro Air Parkway earlier this year stated that about 350,800 square feet of buildings were currently under construction.
Which means, there are 13 million square feet of industrial space that have not yet been built out. Why is Airport South Industrial needed for warehouse space if there is so much undeveloped space still at Metro Airpark?

Thanks:

One reason that the City Council is putting so much time and effort into this decision is the strength of the lobbying efforts on both sides. Please help us to keep the opposition strong.

See you Tuesday.