Natomas Joint Vision
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Project History
Competition to Collaboration
In the late 1990s Sacramento City and County were both
pursuing projects that would urbanize a substantial portion
of the Natomas Basin. Both jurisdictions decided, however,
that it would be mutually beneficial to plan the area
cooperatively. Starting in 2001, City and County staff met
to discuss a process for planning the unincorporated Natomas
area. This gave rise to the City/County Joint Vision for
Natomas. The two jurisdictions coordinated and along with
input from stakeholders created the basic principles for
development in the area.
City – County Memorandum of Understanding
On December 10, 2002 the County Board of Supervisors and the
Sacramento City Council each approved a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) that outlined a joint vision for land
use and revenue sharing principles for Natomas. The MOU
recognized the City as the agent of development and the
County as the agent of permanent open space, habitat, and
farmland/ranchland preservation.
The MOU defined a set of guiding principles for the
implementation of the following goals:
-
Proactively guide future urban growth for more efficient
use of the land, while securing permanent preservation
of open space/farmland at a mitigation ratio of at least
one-to-one.
-
Improve future air quality through efficient land use,
which reduces automobile travel by accommodating future
growth according to Smart Growth principles adopted by
City Council (Smart Growth Principles/Resolution).
-
Provide for revenue sharing between the City and County
to prevent competition for tax revenues and promote
balanced regional planning.
-
Protect future airport operations.
City-County Memorandum of
Understanding
Project Phases
-
The 2002 City-County Memorandum of Understanding and the
Open Space Program (complete)
-
The Broad Visioning Process (Complete)
-
An inclusive public stakeholder process to prepare: (In
Progress)
a. A conservation strategy and initiate a
new or amended habitat conservation plan (HCP)
b. CEQA
documents
c. City and
County General Plan amendments
d. A
Specific/Master Plan
e. Amendment
of City’s Sphere of Influence or County’s Urban Services Boundary
-
Annexation or amendment to County’s Urban Policy Area
and completion of a new or amended HCP
-
Implementation of development projects
City – County Joint Planning Process
2008 – Present
Broad Visioning Process
Through the Broad Visioning Process, a unique image will be
crafted that accentuates the Joint Vision Area’s distinctive
features and geographic location to balance development and
growth with conservation and livability. The intent is to
move away from the status quo of planning for individual
projects since analytic processes focused just on proposed
projects are unlikely to reveal the full economic impacts or
environmental costs of development.
The goals of the Broad Visioning Process are to:
·
Create a special and unique place
·
Assure quality and consistency in development projects
·
Capitalize on existing assets – airport, freeways, river,
farmland
·
Locate and employ exemplary cases of urban design
complementing (and enhancing) habitat preservation
The Broad Visioning process represents Phase 2 of the total
five phases of the Natomas Joint Vision. City and County
staff and representatives of Natomas landowners will lead
the process and coordinate the necessary workshops.
Technical consultants will be contracted to assist in
conducting public outreach meetings, drafting conceptual
land use diagrams, and developing an agriculture/open
space/habitat strategy with a preliminary biological
assessment.
2006 – 2008
Open Space Program
The Open Space Program (OSP) was designed to identify
mitigation and funding mechanisms to help guide the
implementation of open space goals and policies adopted by
the City and County in the December 2002 Natomas Joint
Vision MOU. The OSP evaluated the habitat-open
space-agricultural values of the Natomas Joint Vision area
to establish objectivity for decision making. The City and
County shared the cost of the OSP.
Four public workshops for the OSP were completed between
June 2006 and February 2008. The Final Draft Open Space
Program Report was presented to the Board of Supervisors on
January 20, 2008 and the City Council on February 12, 2008.
The policies and maps in the Report were not adopted by
either the County Board of Supervisors or City Council. The
Report was received and filed.
The OSP was initially requested by the City Council and
County Board of Supervisors to delineate areas best suited
for open space preservation and identify associated
implementation strategies. Recognizing the complexities of
the Joint Vision Area, City and County staff have since been
directed to commence with a Broad Visioning Process to study
the Area in a more comprehensive and inclusive manner.
Municipal Services Review, Sphere of Influence Amendment,
and Environmental Impact Report
The City was preparing a Municipal Services Review to
provide a public service analysis for their proposed Sphere
of Influence Amendment (SOI). This information combined with
information from the Open Space Program will provide a
framework for project description and any alternatives in
the Sphere of Influence Environmental Impact Report.
The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will assess the
impacts of actions on biological resources related to the
existing Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (NBHCP) and
the effects of additional development for the
development/preservation balance set out in the NBHCP. The
EIR will be prepared for use by the City, County, and LAFCo
in their evaluation of the effects of the City’s SOI and
necessary text and map amendments to both the City and
County General Plans. The EIR was being prepared jointly by
LAFCo and the City as co-lead agencies with the County
participating as a responsible agency.
The draft Municipal Services Review project framework report
and Environmental Impact Report have been delayed pending
the development of a more precise project description.
Workshop Materials
Broad Visioning Process
Workshop #1 – November 12, 2008
Broad Visioning Workshop 1
Presentation
Natomas Joint Vision Background
Report
Workshop #2 – January 28, 2009
Broad Visioning Workshop 2 Agenda
Broad Visioning Workshop 2 Presentation
Broad Visioning Workshop 2 Matrix
Workshop 3 – March 26, 2009
Broad Visioning Workshop 3 Agenda
Broad Visioning Workshop 3 Presentation
Workshop 4 Series – Workshops with Planning Commissions,
Council, and Board
Broad Visioning Workshop 4 Series Notice
Revised Background Report – April 2009
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April 9, 2009, 5:30 pm: City Planning Commission
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April 13, 2009, 5:30 pm: County Planning Commission
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April 14, 2009, 6:00 pm: City Council
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April 22, 2009, 2:00 pm: County Board of Supervisors
Open Space Program
Workshop #1
First Workshop Presentation
Public
Comments & Questions
Joint Vision Flow Chart
Workshop #2
Second
Workshop Introduction
Second
Workshop Presentation
Workshop #3
Third Workshop Presentation
Workshop #4
Fourth Workshop
Presentation
Sacramento County Board of Supervisors General Website: Includes information on how to contact Board members.
http://www.bos.saccounty.net/
Local Agency Formation Commission General Website: Contains basic information on the annexation process and the function of LAFCo.
http://www.saclafco.org/
City of Sacramento Planning Department, Natomas Joint Vision: Access to related documents by the City of Sacramento.
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/planning/projects/natomas-joint-vision/index.cfm
Sacramento County Planning Department
Sheryl Lenzie, Project Manager, (916) 874-6141,
lenzies@saccounty.net
City of Sacramento Planning Department
Scot Mende, New Growth Manager, (916) 808-4756, smende@cityofsacramento.org
Ellen Marshall, Open Space Program, (916) 808-5851,
emarshall@cityofsacramento.org
Arwen Wacht, Annexations, (916) 808-1964, awacht@cityofsacramento.org
Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo)
Don Lockhart, Asst. Executive Officer, (916) 874-2937, donald.lockhart@saclafco.org
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