About the River District Specific Plan Update

A downloadable version of this information is available through this brochure.

The River District Specific Plan Update is a forward-looking document that sets policies for how the area will develop over the next 10 to 20 years. In March 2024, the City of Sacramento’s Community Development Department, Planning Division kicked off a new planning process to update the River District Specific Plan which was originally adopted in 2011. This process will give the City and the River District community an opportunity to evaluate the Plan’s goals, policies, and actions against an updated vision for the area and will involve the update of the River District Specific Plan, River District Finance Plan, and an environmental impact assessment.

This project will consider and tackle big issues such as making it easier for people to move around the district without a car, welcoming new homes and businesses into the area without pushing out long-standing businesses and organizations, paying for new infrastructure that will support new development, adapting and becoming more resilient to climate challenges, and being mindful that vulnerable members of the community are not left behind as the area changes.

Why update the River District Specific Plan?

Because development interest and activity in the River District as well as the Railyards directly to the south has intensified in recent years, now is the time to update the Specific Plan considering the City’s most recent goals and policies from the 2040 General Plan. With new development coming to the area, new challenges will rise to the forefront of concerns, including increased traffic congestion, conflicts between long-established businesses and new residents and workers, as well as increasing awareness of how disconnected the River District is from the rest of the city. To address these imminent concerns, the purpose of the updating the River District Specific Plan is to evaluate and update the vision for the River District; improve connectivity between the River District, the rivers, and the rest of the city; and support the development of a vibrant, cohesive mix of uses.

About the project core values

  • Feasibility. A commitment to capture attainable and incremental steps that can be made to move towards the future.
  • Grounded in History. A commitment to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of the people and businesses that have located in this area throughout history, starting with the native people of this area.
  • Transparency. A commitment to make the project process as understandable as possible, provide opportunities for community involvement, and show how engagement has influenced outcomes.
  • Equity. A commitment to design engagement to respect and accommodate the people living and working within the district, engage community and develop policy with equity in mind, and consider potential unintentional consequences to the most vulnerable populations.

River District Specific Plan Update timeline

Road map of the update process, estimating adoption in winter of 2026 open_in_full

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