Mobility and Land Use for the Future

Land use and transportation planning have always been a fascinating topic of interest for me.  It is one of the many areas in which Davis has excelled over the past few decades… it is part and parcel of what makes Davis so darn walkable, bikeable and ultimately more liveable than many other communities.  Complicated, long-term land use and transportation decisions are why Davis is 1/4 the area of my hometown in Texas, but almost the same population.

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is an association of local governments in the six-county Sacramento Region. Its members include the counties of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba as well as 22 cities (Davis included) in those counties.  SACOG provides transportation planning and funding for the region, and serves as a forum for the study and resolution of regional issues. In addition to preparing the region’s long-range transportation plan, SACOG approves the distribution of affordable housing in the region and assists in planning for transit, bicycle networks, clean air and airport land uses.  Ultimately, a large portion of the region’s transportation dollars from the state and the feds are “passed through” SACOG.

Several years ago, SACOG began a major new effort to link transportation and land use planning throughout the region with the “Valley Vision Regional Blueprint Project” now known simply as the “Blueprint“.  Five years ago, after extensive public outreach and well-attended regional forums, SACOG leadership adopted the Blueprint Vision.

In 2008, SACOG adopted the Metropolitan Transportation Plan for 2035 (MTP2035), a long-range plan for transportation in the region built on the Blueprint. SACOG is required by federal law to update the MTP at least every four years. Since the last MTP, California adopted Senate Bill 375, which requires a Sustainable Communities Strategy, similar to the Sacramento region’s smart land use Blueprint project, to be added to transportation plans across the state. The downturn in the economy has also resulted in less money for transportation, especially at the local level. SACOG will be factoring these changes into the update of the MTP2035.

Last week, on 10/14/10, SACOG convened the Yolo County public workshop for the update at the UC Davis ARC.  The update is entitled “Blueprint for Sustainable Communities” which encapsulates the new statewide focus on the reduction of our collective carbon footprint.

The updates are intended to respond to new estimates on population and economic growth.  SACOG has downgraded it’s 2035 projections for the six-county region to:

• 880,000 new residents
• 300,000 new homes
• 71% of new households will be headed by a person 55 years or older

Interestingly, a common theme from introductory remarks from Sup. Thomson through all of the speakers was that we must be increasingly aware of how our transportation and land use choices affect an aging population.

SACOG has identified 4 different community types throughout the region.  These community types are then used to frame the discussion on where development should occur and how transportation dollars are allocated.

• Center & Core Communities are the heart of most communities, have dense infrastructure and offer ~15 minute reular transit service at peak hours.  Parts of Davis and all of UC Davis fall into this category.
• Established Communities have core infrastructure and ~30 minutes to 1 hour regular transit service at peak hours.  The rest of Davis is included in this category.
• Developing Communities have been recently built, are under construction or are planned for construction in the next 25 years.  No parts of Davis are included in this category.  Spring Lake in Woodland is an example of this community type.
• Rural Residential are large lot (1 acre+) single family homes with little public infrastructure and a rural lifestyle.  There are no examples in Yolo County.  Large portions of Placer and El Dorado County have these community types.
• Ag & Natural Resources

Three scenarios are being considered for consideration by the SACOG Board.  This determination is the heart of the matter.

• Scenario 1 - Closely resembles the last update with a focus on smaller, incremental steps from the status quo.  Thus, while an increasing share does go to bike/ped/transit, the majority would go to roads.  More Regional Housing Allocation (RHA) to developing communities and rural residential.
• Scenario 2 – Closely follows the actual map adopted in 2008 with more emphasis on transit.
• Scenario 3 – is an attempt to follow direction from the SACOG Board which is to be more aggressive in identifying options for increased density and a larger reduction in Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) or more ped/bike/transit options and less time spent in the car.  More RHA to Center & Corridor Communities.

Scenario 3 would also emphasize the construction of small lot (5,500 sq. ft or less), single family homes.  Since Aggie Village was built, there has been a huge increase in these types of homes and the SACOG Executive Director predicted an ongoing strong demand for these types of homes.  He also predicted an increase in rental housing throughout the region, on the order of 35%-45% of all new homes built.

How do the Scenarios affect Davis and Yolo County?

• All three scenarios envision construction of a carpool lane on I80 from Davis to West Sacramento AND a new bike bridge over the bypass.  Bike enthusiasts should be aware that work needs to be done to convince planners of the need for a separated structure from the auto exhaust.
• Scenarios 2 & 3 would increase Amtrak service on the Capitol Corridor Line to regular 30 minute service (scenario 3) to regular 1 hour service (scenario 2).
• On a scale from fewer to greater, Scenarios 1-3 would increase complete street, recreational trail, and local and express bus funding in Davis and other existing communities
• Scenarios 1-3 all envision Streetcar service from Sac to West Sac, Scenario 3 would extend it the furthest.  Scenario 3 would also extend the streetcar to SMF from Sacramento.
• Scenario 1 would begin the process of connecting Hw. 113 to I5, and Scenario 2 would take it a step further; Scenario 3 would do nothing here.
• Scenarios 1,2,3 would all complete County Road 98 and 31 improvements.

A vast majority of participants (~170 total) voted in favor of Scenario 3 (88%) with Scenario 2 at 10% and Scenario 1 at 2%.  This crowd was 75% Davis residents.

The most interesting moment of my night was during table discussion it was revealed that of all three scenarios, Scenario 3 would give Davis the highest Regional Housing Allocation of all three choices.  And that, basically, Scenario 3 could be boiled down to “make the region look more like Davis.”  For those of you interested in learning more, there are a wealth of resources found online.