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General Plans

General Plan Overview

General Plans

General Plan Overview

What is the 2040 General Plan?

The 2040 General Plan was adopted by City Council on February 27, 2024 and it serves as the City of Sacramento's policy guide for the future. It sets policy guidelines for everything from the physical boundaries of the city to its economic growth and physical development. Think of it as a guide for future development and preservation of resources.

What does the General Plan cover?

The General Plan covers topics related to land use and City services. The General Plan is divided into 'elements', which are similar to chapters addressing different topic areas. The 2040 General Plan includes the following elements:

Land Use and Placemaking
Historic and Cultural Resources
Economic Development
Environmental Resources and Constraints
Environmental Justice
Mobility Public
Facilities and Safety Youth, Parks, Recreation, and Open Space

The 2021-2029 Housing Element is a part of the City’s General Plan and sets forth the policies and programs to address the housing needs of all households in Sacramento. The Housing Element, however, is on a separate update cycle and therefore was updated through its own process and adopted in 2021.

How is the General Plan used?

Once adopted, the General Plan becomes the principal tool for the City to use when evaluating municipal service improvements and land use proposals. Every service the City provides to its citizens, from police and fire protection to park maintenance, can trace its roots back to goals and policies found in the General Plan. Also, all land use decisions are governed by the General Plan and must be consistent with the General Plan's direction. General Plan goals, policies, and implementation measures are based on an assessment of current and future needs and available resources.

How exactly does the General Plan affect development?

The General Plan establishes policies that regulate new development projects within City limits, both directly and indirectly. Directly, General Plan policies give direction about what types of projects can and cannot be approved. As for the General Plan's indirect influence, development projects must comply with the zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, and design guidelines, all of which are implementation tools for General Plan policies.

What about areas outside the city limits?

The 2040 General Plan includes policies for the City's sphere of influence, as well as for special study areas outside of City limits that may be annexed to the City in the future.

Was the General Plan developed through a public outreach process?

Yes, community involvement was an integral and ongoing component of the General Plan Update process; a particular focus was on outreach to disadvantaged and linguistically isolated communities.

Specifically, 60 community engagement opportunities resulted in input from over 4,000 residents. Engagement included stakeholder interviews, citywide and area-focused community workshops, topic-specific listening sessions (e.g., environmental justice), pop-up booths at community events (e.g., Latino/Chicano Celebration), topic-specific “Conversation with a Planner” series, a scientific survey, a youth engagement program, and events held in seven different languages to hear from linguistically isolated residents.

What is different about the 2040 General Plan?

Between now and 2040, the City of Sacramento is expected to grow by approximately 69,912 new housing units and 76,612 jobs. The 2040 General Plan promotes Smart Growth and inclusive communities as a way to accommodate this population increase while improving the quality of life in the city. Major policy changes for the 2040 General Plan include:

Removing the maximum density standard (the maximum number of units that can be developed on a lot) and replacing it with a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) standard for all development.
Permitting a greater array of housing types in existing single-unit and duplex dwelling zones.
Facilitating compact mixed-use development in key commercial corridors and within ½-mile walking distance of high-frequency transit to create vibrant walkable and transit-supportive neighborhoods.
Decarbonizing the built environment by increasing efficiency requirements for new development and by developing a pathway to equitably decarbonize existing buildings by 2045, typically by transitioning from natural gas to carbon-free electricity.
Introducing electric vehicle charging station requirements for new or expanding gas stations.
Providing infrastructure to fully transition from combustion engine vehicles, supporting use of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).
Prohibiting new drive-through restaurants near high-frequency transit.
Increasing the amount of tree-canopy cover in the City, prioritizing investments in areas with the greatest urban heat island effects, areas of poor air quality, and areas with populations most vulnerable to the effects of increased and extreme heat.
Using an equity framework to prioritize and fund infrastructure improvements in historically disinvested and underserved neighborhoods.
Right-sizing streets to fit today’s mobility needs to prioritize walking, biking, and transit over automobile use.
Removing off-street vehicle parking requirements citywide.

What happens after the adoption of the 2040 General Plan?

The City is committed to annually reviewing its progress in implementing the goals, policies, and actions of the General Plan. Progress toward completing these actions, as well as advancement of the sustainability and equity indicators detailed in Chapter 2 of the 2040 General Plan, will be presented to City Council annually. To receive email notifications on the 2040 General Plan annual progress reports, please sign up for the email list.

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