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News and Media

Everyday, our region’s counties and cities are taking actions to make this the best place to work, live, and play. We will share our member city and county milestones here, along with our own regional news and blog posts.

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When Face-to-Face Is at a Distance
How local governments are innovating as they adapt to Covid-19

March 31, 2020: In West Sacramento the mayor interviewed the school district superintendent on Zoom, using questions community members had posted on social media.  In Roseville, City staff posted signs at grocery stores that have the City’s Covid-19 website and phone number for people to get local information and FAQs. And in Placer County the staff are working collaboratively through Teams.

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Reston Town Center

Elk Grove Officials Look to the East for Employment Center Inspiration
What might Kammerer Road look like in 50 years?

March 26, 2020: When Elk Grove staff went to Washington they were looking for inspiration to help them imagine Elk Grove’s future.  

In 2014, the City of Elk Grove approved its Southeast Policy Area strategic plan, identifying land for a new employment center along the Kammerer Road corridor.  More recently and following the adoption last year of the City’s new General Plan, the City is revisiting the Southeast plan and adjoining areas on both the north and south sides of Kammerer Road, considering alternative land-use and design strategies.

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A rendering of some of the improvements on Arden Way.

How to Revitalize an Inner-Ring Suburb
Lessons from Arden-Arcade

February 27, 2020: When her local suburb of Arden-Arcade began to show some signs of aging, Sacramento County Supervisor Susan Peters took keen notice.   

She knew a strategy was needed to create interest within the community in revitalizing the prospects of the area, a highly diverse community that includes older commercial corridors, modest homes as well as multimillion dollar houses consisting of the first suburban ring outside Sacramento’s city core. 

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An aerial view of the site of the Mills Station District.

Rancho Cordova Attracts National Attention for Transit-Oriented Development
Mills Station District poised to become a dynamic city center

February 26, 2020: The City of Rancho Cordova is investing millions of dollars in developing a community hub on what its economic development manager Amanda Norton called “truly a catalyst site.” 

The City purchased the 9.8 acre site next to Folsom Lake College’s Rancho campus in 2018 and is in the process of reviewing proposals from the three short-listed development groups to transform the suburban commercial corridor site into the Mills Station District. The City expects to select a preferred developer this spring, said Norton. 

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Supporters of Green Means Go at the program’s public launch. From left: Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, SACOG Deputy Executive Director Kacey Lizon, SACOG Policy Manager Christina Lokke, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, State Senator Dr. Richard Pan, Councilmember Eric Guerra, Planning and Design Commissioner Kendra Reed, Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce CEO Pat Fong Kushida, SACOG Executive Director James Corless, and Stockton Boulevard Partnership Executive Director Frank Louie.

Green Means Go Campaign Launches With Strong Legislator Support
Stockton Blvd. event showcases need for infill development

February 13, 2020: SACOG launched its lobbying campaign for the Green Means Go program with a press conference and walking tour of Stockton Boulevard on Monday, February 3. The press conference featured State Senator Dr. Richard Pan, Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and City of Sacramento Councilmember Eric Guerra.  

The strong support from the legislature followed on from the majority of the Sacramento region’s legislative delegation signing a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom in support of the Green Means Go proposed pilot program, which will lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the six-county Sacramento region by accelerating infill development, reducing vehicle trips, and electrifying remaining trips. 

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Riders on the new Airport Express service arrive at Sacramento International Airport.

Sacramento Regional Transit Takes Flight
New airport service and SmaRT Ride growth expand the region’s mobility options

January 30, 2020: The new year started with a flurry of activity for Sacramento Regional Transit  (SacRT). On January 6, in partnership with Yolobus, it launched its new Airport Express between downtown Sacramento and Sacramento International Airport and a week later it announced the expansion of its SmaRT Ride microtransit service. 

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Sacramento region’s 20-year transportation plan approved
Region’s Housing Needs Allocation also approved

November 26, 2019: Last week SACOG received federal approval for its 2020 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (MTP/SCS).  

The November 20 letter from the Federal Highway Administration is the final step in a four-year process of updating the 20-year MTP/SCS. Two days earlier the SACOG board had unanimously adopted the plan and certified the associated Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR). 

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The forthcoming Aggie Square development will be key to boosting the life sciences cluster in the Sacramento region.

Prosperity Strategy Snapshot Reveals a Region Rising
A suite of strategies to boost Sacramento’s regional economy

November 26, 2019: Boosting our region’s most promising tradeable clusters is the best path forward to accelerate our economy, according to the forthcoming Prosperity Strategy.

Tradeable clusters are groups of related industries that bring new wealth into the region, pay above average wages, and have a higher multiplier effect in the broader economy. The three most promising clusters in our region are life sciences, food and agriculture, and future mobility.

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The Future of Transportation panel

The Power of Coalitions and Visionary Thinking
Lessons from the Regional Futures Forum

November 18, 2019: The Regional Futures Forum is over for another year but the lessons from the day-long conference about the future of transportation live on. 

The second annual RFF was a bigger event than last year’s inaugural Forum, with more than 300 people showing up at the Center at 2300 on October 30. The audience was mostly elected officials, senior city and county staff from all around the Sacramento region, and staff and guests from partners and sponsors.  

The day’s first keynote speaker was Mayor Jackie Millet of Lone Pine, Colorado, with “Lessons from Lone Tree”. She detailed how her small, conservative, suburban city had gone all in on transportation investments and how that had benefited her community. But it had not been easy — one newspaper ran a series of editorials every Sunday for 13 weeks against the tax measure that financed much of the transportation infrastructure and the state’s governor and head of the Department of Transport were also opposed.  

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Nathan Morales, left, and Bethany Morales practice their bike riding skills in the safety of a temporary bike lane on Old Auburn Rd. In Citrus Heights.

Pilot Projects Give Communities a Preview of Changes
Testing safety strategies in Citrus Heights and Sacramento

October 29, 2019: Two recent road demonstration tests showed the value of doing a pilot project before making big changes to a road. 

In Citrus Heights major thoroughfare Old Auburn Road is getting a Complete Streets makeover. The community got a nine-day preview that was launched with a Community Safety Fair on October 19. People could ride in a temporary bike lane created for the pilot as well as attend a pedestrian safety class, and some family fun activities drew a steady stream of visitors. 

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NEV Vehicle

When Innovation Happens in the Slow Lane
Keep Calm and Drive a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle in Lincoln

October 28, 2019: When you think about innovative mobility you might think autonomous vehicles, electric scooters, or maybe something more futuristic like flying cars. But innovative mobility doesn’t have to involve a high-tech device, it just needs to bring a new solution to an existing transportation challenge. That’s what City of Lincoln is doing with Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs).

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An Accessory Dwelling Unit in a Sacramento back yard.

Big Boost for Small Solutions to Housing Crisis
Governor Newsom signs three bills that make it easier to build ADUs

October 10, 2019: As we pointed out in June, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are an inexpensive and environmentally friendly way to boost housing. 

The small secondary units on residential lots, also known as granny flats, carriage houses, in-law units, or backyard cabins, provide more affordable housing in existing communities without changing the existing fabric of residential neighborhoods. They can meet the needs of low- to moderate-income families without the need for public subsidy.  

Given that about three-fourths of the SACOG region’s homes are single family houses, ADUs could provide a viable avenue to increase the naturally affordable housing stock in the region.