Funding » Regional Funding Programs » Green Means Go

Green Zones

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Green Zones are locally-nominated areas identified for infill development according to the region’s Sustainable Communities Strategy.

Green Means Go is a multi-year pilot program to lower greenhouse gas emissions in the six county Sacramento region by using three strategies: accelerating infill development, reducing vehicle trips, and promoting clean mobility options, in targeted areas, called Green Zones.

For Green Means Go, local jurisdictions will nominate Green Zones, which are areas where they will promote infill, reduce regulatory and economic barriers to infill, and support new transportation options. For Green Means Go to be most effective, the Green Zones need to be places where significant new growth is planned so that the efforts to accelerate infill, accelerate travel choice, and accelerate vehicle electrification all have potential to be complimentary strategies.  

Who can apply?

This funding program applies to public agencies in the counties of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba. Partnerships with water agencies, sewer and sanitation districts, transit agencies, air districts, and utility providers are encouraged. Cities and counties should work with these partners and community groups during the nomination process.

Green Means Go is a regional effort to accelerate infill development. The 2020 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS) assumes that over the next two decades, the region will need to attract roughly 168,000 new homes and 228,000 new jobs to infill areas in cities, suburbs, and towns across the region. This is about 64 percent of new housing and 84 percent of the new jobs expected in the region by 2040. Accommodating future housing and employment alongside existing jobs and services and leveraging the transportation system already in place in existing communities is not only an efficient use of existing infrastructure and space but is critical for achieving air and climate goals.

Prioritizing and incentivizing infill development is one of the most important actions government agencies can take to reduce the amount and distance that people need to drive, manage congestion, foster economic development, and reduce tailpipe emissions that affect air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Means Go effort aims to help pay for infrastructure upgrades to catalyze infill development envisioned in local land use plans. Establishing the Green Zones was an important first step in developing the Green Means Go program.

 As part of Green Means Go, local jurisdictions have adopted Green Zones, which are areas with capacity for infill growth but face market or other barriers that have prevented development from occurring. Through the Green Zone designation, local jurisdictions and other partners will promote infill, reduce regulatory and economic barriers to infill, and support new transportation options. For Green Means Go to be most effective, the Green Zones need to be places where significant new growth is planned so that efforts to accelerate infill, accelerate travel choice, and accelerate vehicle electrification all have potential to be complimentary strategies.