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River District Specific Plan

River District Specific Plan Frequently Asked Questions

River District Specific Plan

River District Specific Plan Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Specific Plan?

Specific plans are regulatory documents that provide area-specific guidance for development in a neighborhood or set of neighborhoods. They are forward-looking documents that describe an ideal future for that area in 10 to 20 years, and they need to be consistent with a jurisdiction’s general plan. However, because they are focused in a much smaller area, they can be more detailed (or “specific”) in their guidance. In California, and in the city of Sacramento, specific plans are required to include:

How the specific plan relates to the City’s general plan
Maps and diagrams showing preferred land uses and the infrastructure needed to support these uses
Guidance for both building development and protection of open space and other resources; and
A combination of regulations, programs, public projects, and financing measures that can help make the future vision a reality.

A specific plan should capture a shared vision for an area and provide clear steps towards accomplishing that vision. A specific planning process allows for detailed analysis that can guide public and private investments. To read the regulations outlining required components in a specific plan, please visit Section 17.904.010 of the City of Sacramento Planning and Development Code.

How will the River District handle the additional traffic anticipated with new development?

With ongoing and anticipated new development in the River District as well as the Railyards directly to the south, traffic is projected to increase over the next few years. Assessing areawide circulation needs and aligning them with citywide and regional transportation initiatives will play a key role in taking advantage of ongoing infrastructure improvements. Updating the Finance Plan will also help realign circulation needs with available funding strategies. Additionally, with the adoption of the 2040 General Plan in February 2024, the City committed to prioritizing pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure and public transit over automobile infrastructure. Finding multi-mobility opportunities will also be a key part of accommodating additional people coming to live, work, and play in the River District. These multi-mobility opportunities will also be an important counterpart to regional transportation infrastructure projects impacting the planning area.

How will necessary infrastructure improvements be paid for?

This update process will include updating the River District Finance Plan, which will reevaluate and refine the mechanisms for funding new infrastructure in the area.

How does the River District Specific Plan Update address the needs of unhoused populations within the District?

The project team acknowledges that persons experiencing homelessness in the River District face many complex, quality-of-life challenges, while simultaneously impacting businesses and development in the River District. Although acutely impacting the River District, these challenges are citywide concerns. The Department of Community Response (DCR) is dedicated to engaging unhoused residents and managing the City’s homelessness services. Additionally, the River District Property and Business Improvement District (PBID) works with persons experiencing homelessness, encouraging them to seek services and shelter.

Because this is a citywide and regional challenge, a specific plan cannot meaningfully and holistically address this issue. In 2023, All In Sacramento was introduced as a call to action for the Sacramento region, following adoption of the 2022 Local Homeless Action Plan (LHAP). All In Sacramento now stands as the regionally coordinated framework and action plan to prevent and end homelessness, building on the LHAP and reimagining a coordinated and collaborative effort between system leaders, governments, and local service providers to create a transformed system better able to respond to the needs of Sacramento neighbors facing homelessness. The City also works with a wide range of agencies and organizations to carry out these policies and programs, including the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) who recently oversaw the development of Mirasol Village. The project team believes in the importance of representation within the specific plan process. To this end, the project team will be seeking engagement of representatives of the unhoused community during the planning process to have their voices heard and represented in this planning process, especially as experts of the urban environment they live in.

Will the Specific Plan update address the need for improving/creating more schools in the area?

School placement and programming is managed by the school districts, which operate independently of the City of Sacramento. The River District planning area is mostly within the Twin Rivers Unified School District, with the remaining portion in the Sacramento City Unified School District. The school district has been invited to participate in the planning process and will be made aware of any proposed changes.

What is happening with the Green Line?

The Green Line currently terminates at the 7th and Richards light rail station, but is planned to extend service from Downtown Sacramento through Natomas to the Sacramento International Airport. While the project is still planned, several factors suggest that this will be a long-term endeavor. In the short term, City policies allow staff to explore the feasibility of bus rapid transit alternatives along corridors.

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