Sacramento’s New Downtown

November 5, 2016

Interview By Cosmo Garvin

The Sacramento City Council is likely to approve the downtown railyards development plan this Thursday, November 10. Most of the buzz about the project has been around the proposed stadium for the Sacramento Republic soccer team.

The media has paid less attention to the amount and type of housing that will (or won’t) be built there, even though this is probably the most important part of the whole enterprise.

In Cosmo Garvin’s latest podcast, he interviewed Earl Withycombe and Alexandra Reagan of the Environmental Council of Sacramento, who say that “the current plan for the Railyards doesn’t include enough affordable housing, or enough of any kind of housing. They say the project isn’t dense enough, isn’t ambitious enough, about building a transit friendly, environmentally sound, inclusive urban core.”

Sacramento Railyards Plan Wins Approval, But Not Without School Concerns

October 24, 2016

By Steve Large

CBS13

The Sacramento Planning Commission unanimously approved the massive Sacramento railyards plan Monday night, but not without raising some new concerns.

[…]

The Sacramento Unified School District’s Chief Operating Officer testified that the district will need a new school site for hundreds of new children expected to move in.

“So 420 elementary, 140 middle and 140 high school at the low level,” Sacramento Unified School District COO Kathy Allen said. “And there’s not enough facilities around downtown for them right now? I will not have capacity by the time that first student arrives.”

Learn more here: http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2016/10/24/sacramento-railyards-plan-approved/

ECOS Comments on Sacramento Railyards Specific Plan Update, KP Medical Center, MLS Stadium, & Stormwater Outfall SEIR

July 27, 2016

These are comments from the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS), with dozens of individual members and organizational members in the tens of thousands. ECOS has a history of over 4 decades of advocacy to limit sprawl, preserve agriculture, habitat and open space, and improve the quality of life while supporting growth with a vibrant and equitable economy.

Alternatives to the Proposed Projects

The glaring deficiency in this SEIR is the lack of an Increased Density/Intensity Alternative.

Land Use, Transportation, Air Quality, Climate Change

ECOS believes that the requested zoning should include a minimum as well as a maximum number of housing units. Virtually all of the mitigations for Transportation, Air Quality and Climate change involve the enrichment of alternatives to automobile travel to, from and within the project. Other than automobile travel, all the other modes of transportation benefit from higher densities and more residential development, irrespective of the correction of any jobs/housing mismatch. Furthermore, the expensive infrastructure improvements necessitated by the project will not be as efficient at the proposed densities as they would at increased densities.

The addition of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center (KP) provides ample basis on which to create plans for all-income housing development that would be synchronized with the creation of jobs in the project. Projects of this nature often favor early scheduling of commercial development, followed later, much later or never, by commensurate housing development. This pattern fosters the creation of undesirable patterns of housing, transportation, land speculation and delayed creation of public amenities that collectively depress the success of the integrated and holistic downtown desired by the City and by ECOS. An employer like KP includes one of the widest ranges of salaries imaginable, from low-skilled to some of the highest-skilled in society today. Of all the ways to bring a wide variety of income levels to the project, this has to be one of the most effective. This is an opportunity that should not be squandered by timidity.

At its current capacity for growth, RT is struggling to figure out how to keep up with the proposed growth in the region. Much of this struggle is exacerbated by the relatively timid densities being proposed, including this project. As is often proposed as part of other projects in the region, ECOS would like to see the development of an aggressive Transportation Services District as part of this project. We believe that a fee assessment on a dwelling unit equivalent basis would provide support to RT, or a private shuttle provider, as well as support the functions of the Transportation Management Association.

A further boon to the mode share for RT for trips to, from and within the project would result from a program to make every ticket sold for an event at large venues in the project (e.g., the soccer stadium, major events in public spaces at the Railroad Museum, etc.) also serve as a day pass for unlimited rides on RT. We understand this is being considered by the Golden 1 Center and should also be a part of this project.

To this end the following mitigation steps are presented:

Establish a minimum residential density, say 75% of zoned maximum density, for buildout of the residential and mixed use zones
Require project phasing that requires timely construction of housing units in conjunction with construction of employment producing development
Require establishment of a fee assessment on a dwelling unit equivalent basis to provide enhanced transit support as recommended above
Require that agreements are in place prior to building permit approval that enable all tickets sold at large venues within the project area to be used as transit day passes.

Growth-inducing Effects

For this project, ECOS has no qualms about inducing growth in the vicinity of the project. In fact, the more growth induced near the project, the better. We believe the developers and the City agree with us. All the more reason why there should be a robust Increased Density/Intensity Alternative.

Conclusion

The efficacy of an Increased Density/Intensity Alternative should not be underestimated. A vast array of desirable outcomes accompanies higher densities than are proposed by the project, a location already zoned for the highest densities in the City, but one that could be painfully underutilized by the project as proposed. Smart growth is most successfully enabled when the residential and transportation infrastructure development occur prior to the successive stages of build-out, and thereby structure and guide them. Without this, we will suffer from substantial pressure to put these essential features in parts of the City that are not currently zoned for them, further weakening the excellent General Plan.

Sincerely,

Alex Kelter MD, Co-Chair

Land Use Committee

Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS)

Click here to see the letter in PDF.

Railyards Update & June 30 Public Meeting

June 23, 2016

NOTICE: There will be a public meeting of the City Planning & Design Commission on the proposed Railyards project in Sacramento.

When: Thursday, June 30th
5:30 Commission Training on Principals and Terminology
6:30 Railyards Review and Comment
Where: E.M. Hart Senior Center, 915 27th St, Sacramento, CA 95816.

Background

The Sacramento Railyards project is one of the largest contiguous infill opportunities in the nation. The 2007 Specific Plan for the project estimated the construction of approximately 10,000 to 12,000 new dwelling units of varying types within the Plan Area. The city of Sacramento has stated that we need 10,000 more residential units downtown to correct the jobs-housing imbalance in the urban core. In November 2015, Railyards planners were stating that they had changed the plan to include only about 6,000 housing units. In response, the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) and Mike McKeever of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) both expressed concerns about this reduction in housing units.

The Latest

On June 13, 2016, Alan Hersh LDK Ventures, the project’s developer, presented to ECOS at our Land Use Committee meeting. You can view the full minutes from the meeting, including his presentation, here. Hersh said they are “getting an entitlement for 10,000 units.” The zoning entitlement allows for a maximum of 10,000 housing units, but there won’t be a minimum requirement of units to actually get built, although this requirement could be created in the zoning. Hersh says only 6,000-8,000 units are probably realistic and that the density that works in the current market is 4-6 stories wrapped around central parking. This allows for wood frame buildings and will result in significant cost-savings per square foot.

What’s Next?

ECOS is disappointed that the number of units has been so drastically slashed and we hope that number will rise again. This is major infill proposal that could potentially do a lot to improve the jobs-housing balance in Sacramento and potentially set an example for a successful smart growth, infill, brownfield development for the rest of the country to consider.

Take Action

Make sure your voice is heard as the plans for this major development are being formed.

Contact the Planning and Design Commission and City Council via email, letters, phone calls and social media.
Attend the June 30th meeting if you are able and interested in flexing your civic power.
View early design concepts of the Railyards and provide feedback directly to the Railyards planning team here.

But how will we get there? ECOS on the draft Sustainable Communities Strategy

Thanks to ClimatePlan for featuring the Environmental Council of Sacramento’s response to the Sacramento region’s draft Sustainable Communities Strategy!

ClimatePlan Blog
November 19, 2015

Guest post by: Matt Baker, Land Use and Conservation Policy Director, Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS)

Sacramento has released a draft of its 2016 Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS)—its second plan, after its first in 2012 led the state toward better planning. The plans should coordinate land use and transportation, to help make communities healthier and reduce greenhouse gases.

Comments on the new draft plan were due Monday, November 16th, 2015

Below is a quick summary of our comment letter on Sacramento’s draft 2016 plan. Read the full letter here.

(For more background, see Baker’s previous post on the plan here.)

Quick take

Sacramento’s draft SCS shows leadership and innovation. It offers a path to healthy, socially equitable, economically thriving, and environmentally sustainable communities.

But we are concerned: there are big disparities between the regional plan and the plans adopted by the region’s cities and counties.

The region’s jurisdictions must overhaul their growth plans to align with the regional plan. Otherwise, its many benefits—including more housing and transportation choices for residents, biodiversity and farming resource protections, and reducing greenhouse gases—may never come to life.

Overall, much to applaud

We applaud the Sacramento Area Council of Governments’ (SACOG’s) innovations: its excellent travel forecasting, performance assessment of projects (and cutting those that don’t perform well), rural-urban connections, and the region’s first climate adaptation analysis.

We’re pleased to see these steps forward in the draft plan:  – Substantial projected increases in transit service, ridership, and access  - Improved access to transit in disadvantaged communities  - Funding to rebuild streets to allow safe and pleasant walking and biking -A “fix-it-first” initiative to favor road maintenance before new road construction

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the plan is that its growth scenario reduces vehicle miles traveled, or VMT, through true land use and transportation behavior change—putting destinations closer together and reducing the need to drive.

A few more things to fix

Here’s more detail on where we’d like to see improvement:

Compare scenario performance

We support the recommended scenario. But the region could do even better, and we were disappointed to see Scenario 3, the most sustainable, dismissed. Now we’d like to see:

– The real picture: Compare performance (on VMT/GHG) between the preferred scenario and a “business-as-usual” scenario that reflects cities’, towns’ and counties’ existing plans. “Business as usual” will put the region far beyond its required greenhouse gas targets; let’s confront that reality.

– Focus in existing communities: Look at the performance of an “all-infill” land use scenario in which twenty- year growth is constrained solely to existing “Established Communities.” There’s plenty of room; the region’s current density is extremely low.

Shift from sprawl to infill

Despite the growing demand for walkable neighborhoods near good public transit, current and planned development continues to churn out car-oriented suburbs far from services. Sixty percent of jurisdictions’ planned growth is greenfield development.

The regional and local plans are hugely out of joint: for example, current general plans estimate eight times more growth in “Rural Residential” areas than in the SCS.

At the same time, major infill proposals are not capitalizing on their potential. For example, the Sacramento Railyards–one of the largest contiguous infill opportunities in the nation–is currently amending its proposal to reduce its residential capacity by half.

Peripheral low-density greenfield growth imposes a triple negative on the regional plan:

1) There’s a direct increase of VMT and GHG emissions from the development itself.
2) The regional government must allocate funding to more roads to service those communities, further limiting funding that could be used for transit.
3) Finally, that peripheral growth prevents the density needed to provide the ridership and fare recovery to maintain the transit system.

Build for transit and fund it earlier

The 2036 transportation plan offers many benefits, but it relies on more compact development. The jurisdictions must commit to more compact development or the much-improved transportation system envisioned for 2036 will never be built.

Much more funding is needed for transit operations earlier in the plan. Early investment will help guide development around transit—with the walkable neighborhoods that more people want.

SACOG can help incentivize better development, by funding only projects that comply with the regional SCS, following the model of the “One Bay Area” grant program. Jurisdictions should have to show performance on VMT/GHG and air quality, as well as equity, public and ecological health.

Rounding is an error: Hit the greenhouse gas target

The SCS nearly meets the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reductions targets imposed by the CA Air Resources Board. However, 15.58% does not equal 16%. Saying so sets a bad precedent.

It may sound like a small amount but it means many tons of air pollution.

We strongly urge the Board to adopt a scenario that achieves that extra .42% reduction, or better, goes beyond the 16% target.

We appreciate the GHG analysis that SACOG provides, but would like to it go further: a 2050 scenario would help show whether the current trajectory will keep the region on track.

Track implementation

SACOG is dedicated to public participation, but its travel modeling and investment strategies are hard to understand. We need better tools to understand where investments are going from cap & trade and for disadvantaged communities.

Address gentrification and displacement with more affordable homes near transit

SACOG is making continued improvements in its public health and social equity inputs and analyses, but more is needed.

Right now, lower-income communities are poorly served by transit. That needs to change for many reasons, including meeting the region’s required GHG reductions targets, because the data show that lower-income residents will use transit more—if it is available.

More homes in transit-rich areas must be affordable. All jurisdictions must adopt strict mixed-housing ordinances and anti- displacement measures that preserve existing affordable and work-force housing, and build new affordable homes. Meeting the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) housing goals should be required for transportation funding.

Map and protect rural lands, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and water

SACOG’s Rural-Urban Connections (RUCS) program is helping support the agricultural sector. We’re also glad to see the plan and environmental analysis consider ecosystem services, such as flood control, groundwater recharge, and carbon sequestration.

The biological impact analysis in the 2016 update is much improved. We’d still like to see maps that show how growth would affect regional connectivity and ecosystem viability, as well as local species needs.

The plan estimates development of 47,563 acres of wild or agricultural lands in the next 24 years—that’s a lot less than the 214,000 acres consumed in the previous 24 years. While we think the region could do better, given the current growth behavior of the region, we fear the impact will be much worse.

Looking ahead

We applaud SACOG’s progress in development of the 2016 MTP/SCS update. We call on all of the region’s jurisdictions to support it, with serious changes to their growth patterns and policies.

We thank our partners and SACOG and look forward to continuing to work together to improve the region’s plan—and its future.