As we reported last week, the central question facing the Board of Supervisors was how could they approve a project that appeared to violate a regional sustainability plan - one that they voted for as MPO members? They did - by a 4-1 vote.
The sprawling, 2,700-acre greenfield development called Cordova Hills and its potential conflict with the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/ Sustainable Communities Strategy, the regional plan that complies with with a state law designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions stemming from vehicle emissions - tied in part to land use descisions, was described here on Jan. 25. Cordova Hills is expected to bring 8,700 housing units to exurban Sacramento County.
Brad Branan provides a postscript to the Jan. 29 meeting. The day before the vote, the supervisors received a letter from SB 375 author Sen. Darrell Steinberg, stating: "To achieve the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals, significant greenhouse gas reductions from both changed land use patterns and improved transportation are critical."
About 30 people spoke to the board about the project, most of them in opposition. The board chambers were full of red signs saying "Just Say No! Sprawl Hurts Us All!"
The project received support from business and construction groups, such as the Sacramento Metro Chamber, while drawing opposition from environmentalists, including the regional chapter of the Sierra Club.
Those targets are designed to be met by SACOG's regional plan adopted unanimously in April 2011 by its board that includes members of the Sacramento Board of Supervisors
However, the major issue for the supervisors was not compliance with SB 375 but whether the developer would accommodate a private university that was seen to lessen commuting by the new residents. The lone vote against the project dealt with that issue.
The vote shows what some would consider to be SB 375's major flaw - it is applied regionally, not locally - to the individual county or city that is part of the MPO.
FULL STORY: Sacramento County supervisors approve Cordova Hills development
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
The City of Santa Clarita just celebrated the grand opening of its 38th park, the 10.5-acre Skyline Ranch Park.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
How Urban Form Impacts Housing Affordability
The way we design cities affects housing costs differently than you might think.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.