July 26, 2023: The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) announced the approval of $352 million in the first round of Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) 2.0 grants. The grants include the distribution of $31.83 million to the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) for the Green Means Go program, and $4 million for the City of Rancho Cordova.

Rancho Cordova was one of only five awardees to receive funding in the Higher Impact Transformative (HIT) funding. This funding will support the city’s Mills Crossing project at a 10-acre site that will soon feature housing, an arts center, and community spaces all connected to convenient access to transit. Sitting on Folsom Boulevard and across from one of the busiest light rail stations in the region, the site is also adjacent to some of the city’s most disadvantaged areas.

The $4 million grant from HCD will help fund nontransportation infrastructure that is integral to completing a project like this. “Anytime we’re looking at infill development,” said Stefan Heisler, housing manager at the City of Rancho Cordova, “it’s going to be a mixed bag of surprises or complications to complete.” The area began growing into its present form in the 1950s and ’60s, and planners have the challenging job of rethinking the infrastructure that will grow the site for today and carry it on into the future.  

Rancho Cordova also received two awards from SACOG’s Green Means Go program for the Mills Crossing project. Folsom Boulevard’s transformation has a long way to go, but the project serves as an example of what could be done across the region for suburban infill projects. Heisler says he hopes the project will be a catalyst for more new development along the corridor. He expects the groundbreaking to take place in 2025.

Green Means Go Receives 2023 NARC Achievement Award

To add to the good news, Green Means Go received the 2023 Achievement Award in June from the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC). SACOG Vice Chair Michael Saragosa and SACOG Deputy Executive Director of Operations Erik Johnson attended NARC’s annual conference in Detroit, Michigan, with planning agencies from across the country to accept the award.

It is an honor to receive national recognition for Green Means Go. The program would not be possible without the guidance and backing from the cities and counties that helped shape the program, which has, so far, brought $38 million to the region to help revitalize communities.