The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) opposes the request by Crocker Village Residential Development to construct 61 housing units on ±4.86 vacant acres within the R-4A-PUD and SC-PUD zones and Curtis Park Village Planned Unit Development (PUD), located at 2325 10th Avenue.
This acreage has a Multi-Family Housing designation, which is appropriate considering its proximity to Sacramento Regional Transit’s light rail station at City College. SACOG supported funding for the bike/pedestrian bridge from this development to the light rail station based on the understanding that this would be a transit-oriented development.
ECOS is opposed to a PUD Schematic Plan Amendment to develop single-unit dwellings instead. We have two crises that must be addressed: our severe shortage of affordable housing, and climate change. In Sacramento, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions is from cars. Multi-Family Housing near a light-rail station addresses both these crises, and therefore this designation must be preserved.
“We think the annual Farm to Fork month, with so many people celebrating the locally grown food in the region, is a perfect time to highlight how important farms are to people and wildlife.” stated Heather Fargo, former Mayor of Sacramento and lead of the Natomas Campaign for the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS).
ECOS is calling on the public to protect Natomas open space and embarking on a major campaign to educate the community about how important the Natomas farmlands and open space are to wildlife in our region and beyond. Natomas is a special place; it is a vital part of the Pacific Flyway and home to 22 protected species, in addition to providing food for our region and the world.
The Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan was established in 1997 to ensure the basin’s natural resources are not lost with the growth of the Natomas community. Unfortunately, loss of these resources is likely to happen because of proposed residential and industrial development projects covering more than 8,200 acres of land intended to remain in agriculture.
The first of those projects is the Airport South Industrial Project, a 450-acre warehouse district proposed for land south of I-5 and adjacent to the West Lake neighborhood in North Natomas. If approved, it would put over 6 million square feet of warehouses on foraging habitat for the endangered Swainson’s Hawk.
“ECOS wants Sacramento to remember the value of open space and farmland as a way to support wildlife and combat climate change. We Sacramentans have a role in protecting one of the Earth’s biodiversity hotspots,” said Fargo.
A new message is on display on a digital billboard along I-5 in downtown Sacramento. It has a simple message – save Sacramento’s wildlife habitat and farmland.
Targeted to those who enjoy the local dining experience offered in the city, it simply says, ““There’s no Farm to Fork without farms” and “Natomas farmlands feed people and wildlife”.
The billboard is timed to coincide with the annual Farm to Fork Festival that includes the Tower Bridge dinner and the street festival on Capital Mall on Sept 22-23.
The billboard kicks off a major new campaign by ECOS, continuing its 50 years of efforts to protect the environment.
“The establishment of the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan was important for regional sustainability thirty years ago. Now with climate change, it is essential that we stop sprawl and protect biodiversity in this area. The NBHCP provided for development on 17, 500 acres, and the proposed projects are outside of that,” said Susan Herre AIA AICP, President of the ECOS Board of Directors. ECOS is partnering with Sierra Club, Habitat 2020, Audubon Society, Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk and California Native Plant Society.
Map of the Natomas Basin The proposed projects are in red and are labelled.
The ECOS Mission: Our mission is to achieve regional sustainability, livable communities, environmental justice, and a healthy environment and economy for existing and future residents. ECOS strives to bring positive change to the Sacramento region by proactively working with the individual and organizational members of ECOS, neighborhood groups, and local and regional governments.
SACOG Honors Blueprint Legacy in the 2024 Long-Range Transportation Plan
How the Blueprint transformed transportation and land-use planning for good
The creation of the Sacramento Region Blueprint was a revolutionary undertaking and compelled a critical assessment of the relationship between transportation and land use in the region. The strategy, completed almost 20 years ago, set the precedent for how metropolitan planning organizations engage in regional design. SACOG has chosen to carry on the innovative strategy’s legacy through the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS).
ECOS was key to original Blueprint, as mentioned in this article.
Local environmental groups filed a lawsuit and demanded more from SACOG and its members.
While speaking at the State of Downtown, Mayor Steinberg announced the possibility of creating a downtown-wide Enhanced Infrastructure Finance District (EIFD). An EIFD is an economic incentive that encourages businesses to invest in our City, allowing Sacramento to invest a percentage of the increased property value back into the central city. This tool is one way to fund our infrastructure, climate, and housing needs.
Clint Holtzen, SACOG Planning Manager, will inform us of plans for the 2024 Blueprint (MTP/SCS or Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy).
Background: On Thursday, Feb. 3, SACOG’s Transportation Committee adopted the Policy Framework for the 2024 Blueprint. The growth projections go out to 2050. See SACOG’s website for a process overview and background on the Blueprint: https://www.sacog.org/2024-blueprint-mtpscs.
We will also discuss:
Sacramento County’s latest Climate Action Plan draft (expected release Feb. 8-9) and workshop expected March 8 (We’ll have 30 days to comment on the new CAP!)
On July 12, 2021, at a Special Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) meeting (Joint Session: Land Use & Transportation, Air Quality and Climate Change Committees) architect David Mogavero spoke to ECOS.
How can we encourage infill development and discourage green-field development?
David Mogavero is a Board Member of the Council of Infill Builders, and a past president of ECOS.
David Mogavero addressed these questions:
How do we calculate infill capacity?
How many market-rate and affordable dwelling units will we need in our region?
How much infill housing development capacity do we have?
Would still we need more greenfield development?
What density criteria are used to determine needed infill development capacity?
What are potential problems with larger high-density infill developments?
Nearby residents often resist higher density, affordable housing near transit hubs.
Small, high-density infill development problems:
Do we need accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and multiplex housing?
How can we make small projects easier to finance and build?
