About BCAG

Butte County Association of Governments (BCAG) is the designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) and regional transportation planning agency for Butte County.  As such, BCAG is responsible for development of federal and state transportation plans and programs that secure transportation funding for the region’s highways, transit, streets and roads, pedestrian and other transportation system improvements.

BCAG is also the administrative and policymaking agency for the region’s public transit service. Butte Regional Transit or the “B-Line” is a consolidated transit system that provides urban and rural fixed route service and provides complementary paratransit service in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Members Include: County of Butte; Cities of Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville and the Town of Paradise

Transportation and SB 375

Metropolitan Transportation Plan

The metropolitan transportation plan (MTP) specifies the policies, projects, and programs necessary over a 20+ year period to maintain, manage and improve the region’s transportation system. The Butte County 2012 Metropolitan Transportation Plan covers the 23 year period between 2012 and 2035. The MTP is required to be updated every four years.  The most recent MTP was adopted by BCAG in December 2012.

Sustainable Communities Strategy

Under SB 375, as the region’s MPO, BCAG has been designated by the state to prepare the area’s Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) as an additional component of the 2012 Metropolitan Transportation Plan.  The SCS demonstrates the integration of land use, housing and transportation for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles.  In addition, SB 375 amends the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to provide incentives for residential and residential mixed use projects that help to implement the 2012 MTP/SCS.

BCAG prepared the SCS as an integrated component of the 2012 MTP, specifically within Chapter 4-Sustainable Communities Strategy.

Regional Public Participation Plan

BCAG’s public participation plan, last amended in August 22, 2010, describes how the agency uses committees made up of affected and underserved community members to advise their transportation planning processes, and includes links to websites where anyone interested can download extensive archived documents related to transportation planning.

Housing

As mandated by State Law (Government Code, Section 65584), Butte County Association of Governments has adopted a Regional Housing Needs Assessment Plan (RHNP) which outlines county-wide projections of future housing needs. The purpose of the RHNP is to allocate to the cities and county their “fair share” of the region’s projected housing need by household income group over the seven and a half year planning period covered by the plan.  The most recent version of this plan was adopted by BCAG in 2012.

Other Programs and Projects

Butte Regional Conservation Plan

BCAG is coordinating the Butte Regional Conservation Plan on behalf of Western Canal Water District, Richvale Irrigation District, Biggs West-Gridley Water District and Butte Water District.

The Butte Regional Conservation Plan is both a federal habitat conservation plan and a state natural community conservation plan. It is a voluntary plan that will provide streamlined endangered species act and wetlands permitting for transportation projects, land development and other covered activities over the 50 year term of the permits. It will also provide comprehensive species, wetlands and ecosystem conservation and contribute to the recovery of endangered species within the Plan Area.

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