Summary

Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) and its partners were awarded a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for regional planning and transit-oriented development. The goal is that the Regional Plan for Sustainable Development (RPSD) will be the product of collaboration that includes input from local governments, community and advocacy groups, and the public. The consortium is comprised of anyone living in the six-county region who is interested in helping to inform what sustainable communities planning should encompass, focusing on elements that improve the overall quality of life through the creation of more complete communities that will reduce the overall cost of living.

Consortium Members

Steering Committee Members and Working Group Chairs

• SACOG: Production of Metropolitan Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy
• Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA): Equity, Housing and Health Working Group
• Valley Vision: Economic Development Working Group
• Urban Land Institute (ULI)
• The University of California, Davis Center for Regional Change (CRC): Equity, Housing and Health Working Group
• Regional Water Authority (RWA): Infrastructure Working Group
• The McKinley Group: Natural Resources Working Group

Other Interests Currently Represented

• Smart growth and social equity
• Community and faith-based
• Public health
• Transportation, land use, and air quality
• Economic development
• Public and private education staff and officials for K-12, and post-secondary
• Youth and youth programs
• Seniors

Program Highlights to Date

There have been interactive monthly public meetings held in a variety of easily accessible locations in an effort to provide up to date information and to obtain community feedback on the Transit Planning Area (TPA) process, the development of the TPA action plan and Regional Plan for Sustainable Development (RPSD), and public review and comment on the project Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Information is provided at the monthly meetings and to interested parties through periodic emailed updates. There is no social network link or other apparent efforts taken by the consortium to reach a wider breadth of the region.

Resources to Learn More

• Sacramento Region Consortium Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program http://www.sacog.org/sustainable/about/#pss
• Sacramento Region Metropolitan Transportation Plan 2035 http://www.sacog.org/mtp/2035/
• Sacramento Region Blueprint Transportation Land Use Plan http://www.sacregionblueprint.org/

The Rest of the Story…

A regional consortium led by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) received a $1.5 million regional planning grant in 2010 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for regional planning and transit-oriented development. Following the receipt of this grant, the consortium established a three phased timeline in order to produce a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development (RPSD) that will be the product of collaboration that includes input from local governments, community and advocacy groups, and the public.

The first phase, occurring between February and June of 2011, saw the creation of four Working Groups that, in conjunction with the Sacramento Regional Consortium, the Project Steering Committee and SACOG, assessed and selected five Transit Priority Areas (TPAs) that are, or will be, within ½-mile of a rail station, transit hub or stop that provides, or will provide, regularly scheduled service during peak commute hours at intervals not to exceed 15 minutes.

The second phase, currently in process, is scheduled to be completed by November 2011. During this second phase SACOG will prepare the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP2035), Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), and the five selected TPAs. The EIR will be provided to the general public for review and comment and a series of workshops will be held in order to develop implementation action plans for each of the TPAs.

The final phase is scheduled to be completed by June 2012 and will see the production of a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development (RPSD). The RPSD will include a variety of transportation choices and include affordable housing elements that are not only fair but economically competitive and supportive of existing communities in an effort to provide the best overall investment for the public.