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West Sac reaches deal with activists |
posted:
June 24, 2006
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[NOTE: This story appeared in Sacramento Bee, Metro section, Page B1, Saturday, June 24, 2006].
West Sacramento community activists say they won't seek a slow-growth measure on the November ballot because they reached a compromise agreement with the City Council. Their decision -- prompted by the council's adoption of a resolution spelling out development goals for the fast-growing Southport community -- saves West Sacramento from a divisive ballot battle. "It's a good beginning for a cooperative work environment between the citizens and the City Council," said Marghe Covino, spokeswoman for the activist group Save Our City. Southport, south of the shipping channel, has seen the bulk of the city's growth, with some 4,000 homes built since 1999. Thousands more are projected.
At a meeting this week, the City Council voted 4-0 to adopt a resolution that said proposed developments should not outpace roads and should help defray the costs for police, fire and flood protection. The wording was reached after weeks of talks between the city and slow-growth activists. Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said the resolution is not a major departure from the existing documents that govern growth. "The resolution is not a change in our framework plan or our general plan … it's an articulation of the vision that had been discussed for years but had not been put to paper."
After months of deteriorating relations, the neighborhood group began collecting signatures in March in hopes of putting a measure on the ballot to restrict Southport growth. The initiative would have given voters a chance to approve or deny future development proposals through 2016 that deviate from the city's 1995 land-use plan. While proponents said it was needed to maintain the city's "small-town feel," opponents -- including the mayor -- said it would lock in an outdated plan.
Covino said the new resolution and the dialogue leading up to it made Save Our City members more comfortable with the direction city leaders are taking. "It's a good start. I think we need to continue the work," Covino said. "We have a level of access and we can express those concerns in a dialogue. We can now pick up the phone and call the city manager and say: 'How does this work?' " She said she and others will stay active.
Since 1999, more than 3,800 units have been built on farmland, bringing the number of housing units in Southport to roughly 5,400. Recent development includes large tracts of single-family homes and a shopping center. Plans for an additional 10,600 units -- including some medium- and high-density housing -- are in the approval process. If built, Southport would reach a 16,000-unit target. To get around the limit, five developers are seeking zoning changes to allow for an additional 7,500 units. It was never clear whether the council would approve any of the proposals.
The agreement does not provide any ironclad certainty. The two sides talked about a hard cap on the number of houses that could be built in Southport but eventually decided against it. The resolution says new projects should take existing development, planned development and the development governing plans into account, and it gives greater weight to community preferences.
At recent forums, those preferences included such issues as transportation access and circulation; levee improvements; open space and trails; and timely infrastructure improvements. "We're thrilled that the mayor and the council and the community were able to see eye-to-eye on a set of standards that they want to see," said Mark Capitolo, a spokesman for the proposed University Park development. "It's a model for other communities -- not everything has to be done by initiative." About the writer: The Bee's Ed Fletcher can be reached at (916) 321-1269 or efletcher@sacbee.com.
FURTHER NOTE: To read the staff report from this meeting, click here.
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3/23/06 Transportation Workshop |
posted:
March 22, 2006
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Just a quick reminder that the first interactive Yolo County MTP Workshop is this Thursday, March 23rd from 6-9pm at the West Capitol Galleria (1110 West Capitol Ave.). See CALENDAR for details ...
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West Capitol Ave. Streetscape Plan |
posted:
February 27, 2006
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The West Capitol Avenue Streetscape Master Plan project website is now online, including information on the planning process, upcoming meetings, maps, and more. If you would like to receive emails related to the planning process, please follow this link:
http://www.westcapitolavenue.org/signup.php
and create an account with on the website. Once your account is established, you can modify your email notification settings to receive email updates when the site is modified with new information.
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WCA Planning |
posted:
February 2, 2006
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The City has announced two workshops aimed at allowing public input into the plans for the development of West Capitol Avenue as a downtown area. The first meeting focusing on visioning will be on 2/7/06 and the second focusing on alternatives evaluation will be on 4/10/06. Both are at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall.
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12/15/05 Planning Comm SP Discussion |
posted:
December 13, 2005
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Item 8 on the agenda for the 12/15/05 Planning Commission meeting includes a discussion of alternative review processes for the major southport development projects. According to city staff "The purpose of this item is to present alternative review processes for the evaluation of the five major Southport development projects. Staff will lay out several alternatives for the Planning Commission for their consideration to facilitate their review of the five major development projects and their environmental impact reports that are anticipated to arrive beginning in January 2006". The meeting will start at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall.
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Sac Bee article on new riverfront development |
posted:
December 5, 2005
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Here is an article that appeared in the Sacramento Bee on 12/5/05 regarding the development planned for the riverfront area. This is a good overview of the planned major projects in that area.
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Second public workshop date set 10/27/05 |
posted:
September 27, 2005
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The first public workshop to be held by the City under its Southport Public Facilitation Program will occur at 7:00 p.m. on September 28, 2005, at the Galleria at City Hall. All residents interested on West Sacramento growth should attend this workshop which should give the participants the ability to express their views on growth.
This workshop will include a presentation by the City's public facilitator, Daniel Iacofana, on the five major residential projects in Southport followed by a discussion of the guiding issues and principals that should be considered for development. Participants will be asked to help formulate principals for use by the city when evaluating the major applications.
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Port Commission to be controlled by West Sacramento |
posted:
September 13, 2005
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On 9/12/05 the Port of Sacramento Port Commission comprised of elected officials from West Sacramento, Sacramento, and Yolo and Sacramento Counties unanimously voted to dissolve their commission in favor of a commission controlled by West Sacramento, the port’s home city. This change will be subject to legislative approval. Upcoming critical issues include the Port’s possible sale of 290 acres on the port’s south side to be used for the development of needed infrastructure and port deepening, and also to be used toward Sacramento/West Sacramento river front improvements.
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Univeristy Park EIR Comments - City Council 9/14/05 |
posted:
September 12, 2005
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On 9/14/05 the City Council will make and receive comments regarding the environmental impact report (EIR) for the University Park project. This project consists of approximately 587 acres located just south of the city limits in the unincorporated area of Yolo County, and the developer proposes to develop an active adult community that will include approximately 2,358 active housing units and a 45.8 acre educational park.
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Facilitator and Stakeholders to Meet 9/13/05 |
posted:
September 8, 2005
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The facilitator hired by the City of West Sacramento (MIG) to conduct an outreach to the community on the development of Southport as part of the "Southport Facilitation Program" will conduct one-on-one and small group interviews with the various stakeholders in the community. The interview slots are filling up fast and those interested in participating should call the the CIty at 617-4645 to be included on the list of stakeholders.
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First public workshop on growth on 9/28/05 at City Hall |
posted:
September 8, 2005
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The first public workshop to be held by the City under its Southport Public Facilitation Program will occur at 7:00 p.m. on September 28, 2005, at the Galleria at City Hall. All residents interested on West Sacramento growth should attend this workshop which should give the participants the ability to express their views on growth.
This workshop will include a presentation by the City's public facilitator, Daniel Iacofana, on the five major residential projects in Southport followed by a discussion of the guiding issues and principals that should be considered for development. Participants will be asked to help formulate principals for use by the city when evaluating the major applications.
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New Website Launched for West Sacramento Growth |
posted:
September 6, 2005
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On September 6, 2005, a website was launched (www.westsacgrowth.com) to provide citizens interested in the growth of West Sacramento with a single source of information on growth within West Sacramento.
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