City of Elk Grove Planning :: Sphere of Influence Amendment and Master Planning

Sphere of Influence Amendment and Master Planning

Status of SOI Application
Under Review by LAFCo Application submitted to LAFCo on May 21, 2008
Upcoming Meetings
LAFCo Hearing
Date:	August 6, 2008
Time:	5:30 pm
Location:	Board Chambers, Sacramento County Administration Center, 700 H Street, Sacramento
Purpose:	Request for Proposals for CEQA review
Agenda:	saclafco.org/meetings
City Staff Contact
Taro Echiburu Project Manager 8401 Laguna Palms Drive Elk Grove, CA 95758 916-478-3619
LAFCo Staff Contact
Peter Brundage Executive Officer 1112 " I " Street, Suite 100 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-874-6458
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The City is beginning the process of planning for the future development and growth of the City towards the south and southeast areas. Long-term planning efforts include planning for the appropriate growth areas, agricultural preservation, and open space preservation. This multi-year process includes a number of significant milestones. Currently, this process involves including the study area within the City’s Sphere of Influence.

Follow the links below to learn about the project and the process.

What’s Happening Now – Application Submitted
What Happens Next
What is a Sphere of Influence?
Why is a Sphere of Influence Amendment Necessary?
What is the Master Plan?
What is LAFCo and How Are They Involved?
Myths and Facts about the Sphere of Influence Amendment
History of the Sphere of Influence Amendment and Master Planning
Document Archive

What’s Happening – Application Submitted

The City of Elk Grove submitted an application to the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) on May 21, 2008. The application requested an amendment to the City’s Sphere of Influence to include the areas immediately south and southeast of the City.

The application, in its entirety, is available for public review. In addition, the application has been forwarded to interested agencies and other community groups. A hard copy is available for review at the City’s Planning Department public counter, located at 8401 Laguna Palms Drive. It may also be downloaded from the link below.

LAFCo is reviewing the application and will work with the City to identify any missing pieces of information. Once the application is deemed complete by LAFCo staff, the request will be forwarded to the LAFCo Commissioners for review and consideration. To learn more about the LAFCo process, please visit www.saclafoc.org.

Download the Submitted Application

Proposed Sphere of Influence Amendment Area

(Click here for the high resolution PDF)

What Happens Next

The next step in this process is review and consideration of the Sphere of Influence amendment request by LAFCo.

What is a Sphere of Influence Amendment?

A Sphere of Influence (SOI) defines the probably physical boundaries and service area of a city. This means that the area within a SOI is eligible to become a part of the City or receive city services. A SOI does not change the City’s boundaries or annex lands into the City, which is a separate process requiring the approval of an annexation.

Why is Sphere of Influence Amendment necessary?

A SOI Amendment is necessary for the City of Elk Grove to:

Ensure proper planning for the long-term needs of the City and its residents,
Define an area for possible future growth,
Protect agricultural lands and open space, and
Required by LAFCo to define possible areas to be included within the City.

A SOI will simply define an area outside of the existing City that will be studied as part of the upcoming Master Planning process.

What is the Master Plan?

The Elk Grove General Plan identifies two areas designated as Urban Study Areas that are envisioned as areas in which urbanization, to some extent, could occur. The General Plan does not identify a formal land plan for these areas but lays out policies to guide the study of future development in cooperation with the public and other agencies and parties. The Master Plan will be the planning effort that will plan the Urban Study Areas. The process of creating the Master Plan is a long, multi-year effort that begins with establishing the formal study area through a Sphere of Influence amendment. Only that area included in the Sphere of Influence will be studied and planned under the Master Plan.

What will not change in the SOI area?

The action of expanding the City’s Sphere of Influence will not cause any direct changes within the SOI amendment area. Sacramento County will remain the land use agency over the area. Existing uses will remain in place and allowed uses and permitting processes will not change. The SOI amendment will define the study area for the Master Plan, where actual land planning, prior to annexation of any area to the City, will take place.

What is LAFCo and how are they involved?

The Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) is the agency that has the approval authority over the City’s Sphere of Influence amendment request. LAFCo is an independent agency, with jurisdiction over cities and special districts within the County, but remains separate from the County. LAFCo’s sole purpose is to promote orderly growth, discourage urban sprawl, preserve open space and prime farmlands, and promote the efficient extension of government services. LAFCo accomplishes these goals by defining a city’s SOI, approving or denying annexations, and approving or denying extensions of municipal infrastructure and services to other areas.

The City must apply and gain approval from LAFCo in order to amend the City’s SOI.

More information on LAFCo is available on their website at www.saclafco.org.

Myths and Facts about the Sphere of Influence Amendment

Click the following links to read various myths and facts about the Sphere of Influence amendment. As you click on a topic, it expands to reveal a list of related myths and facts. Click here to download a PDF version of these Myths and Facts. You can also view the Frequently Asked Questions document for more information.

The City will develop and urbanize all of these lands

The City does not intend to develop and urbanize the entire area within the SOI. The Sphere of Influence (SOI) Amendment is the beginning of a long-term planning process, with no development occurring in the immediate future. The SOI is intended to define an area for the City to conduct appropriate land use planning for the future growth of the City.

Anticipated land uses over a long-term period could include residential housing, as well as commercial and industrial uses. In addition, the City General Plan requires the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for the preservation of open space, habitat, and agriculture, both inside and outside of the existing city limits. Therefore, the SOI area would also include open space, habitat, and agricultural land uses. As the City has not conducted any land planning for the SOI area, it is premature to speculate what, where, and the extent of what may occur within the SOI at this time. Establishing the SOI area will define the areas that the City will plan.

The City’s SOI will cross over the Cosumnes River into Wilton.

The City’s proposed SOI area borders and does not cross the Cosumnes River. It has it ever been, the City’s intent to include the Wilton community as part of the City or include the Wilton area as part of the City’s pending planning efforts. The City considers the Wilton community as a separate and unique community that is part of Sacramento County, not Elk Grove. Specifically, the City is requesting an exemption from LAFCo standards and policies of not splitting parcels to ensure that the area south of the Cosumnes River is not included in the SOI.

The Sphere of Influence amendment is the same thing as annexation.

Annexation and a Sphere of Influence are different. Placing an area within the City’s SOI indicates that the area could be considered appropriate for future urban uses, could meet future growth demands, and promotes efficient public services and utilities. The area within the SOI would still remain under the county’s rules and regulations. An annexation means that the area would be under the City’s rules and regulations. The process for annexing land to a city is different than a sphere of influence amendment.

The SOI and the City will alter the rural lifestyle of nearby communities.

Approval of the SOI Amendment will not in and of itself alter the rural lifestyle of nearby rural communities. Existing communities and the SOI area will remain the same, under the County’s jurisdiction. Approval of the SOI Amendment will allow the City to begin looking at what might be appropriate in the SOI area. All of this planning is conducted through a public outreach process. Until an annexation proposal is approved, the County will remain the land use agency for the area.

The City is not a good steward of rural and agricultural lands.

The City has a great deal of experience protecting rural and agricultural lands. The City currently protects and maintains rural areas within the City. In one example, the Sheldon area is able to maintain its rural character due to the preservation efforts of the City. The City has protected the Sheldon area from development, listening to the desires of local residents to remain rural.

The City is not working with the County, landowners, and environmental organizations on the South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan (SSHCP).

The City has partnered with the County on the SSHCP since 2003. As a partner, the City has contributed staff time and resources on preparing the SSHCP. When the SSHCP is completed, the City will be a signatory to the plan and will apply the conservation principles to any new development. The SSHCP will address issues related to urban development, habitat conservation, open space and agricultural protection through proper mitigation.

The City’ has a poor track record in open space and natural resources protection.

The City has an excellent track record in open space and natural resource protection. Elk Grove was the first jurisdiction in the region to implement a acre-for-acre mitigation program, where every acre of hawk habitat developed, the City preserved an acre of suitable hawk habitat. This action was praised by the Department of Fish and Game, Friends of the Swainson’s Hawk, and The Nature Conservancy, and was later used as a template by Sacramento County to update its Ordinance. In 2005, Elk Grove purchased a 750 acre vineyard in South Sacramento County to convert into hawk habitat. In addition, the City owns and monitors an additional six hawk easements totaling approximately 630 acres of protected hawk habitat, and a 290 acre farmland conservation easement.

The City already has enough vacant land within the City for growth.

The City’s available residential, industrial, and commercial land is gradually building out, with less and less vacant land available. While it is estimated that there are over 600 acres of vacant land available within the City, this is not enough to accommodate the anticipated demand for residential, industrial, and commercial uses over the next 20 years.

Although current economic conditions indicate that the City is not expected to grow much in the short-term, the City is looking at planning for the long-term. Long-term growth projections indicate that the City will need more land to accommodate the projected increases in population and employment demands. The City has a jobs-to-housing imbalance, with not enough jobs in the area. This results in most of the City’s residents commuting outside of the City for jobs.

The City already has plans for development within the SOI area.

The City has no pre-determined plans for development within the SOI area. The purpose of the SOI Amendment is to designate an area for planning. Once the SOI has been approved, the City can then define general land uses, in partnership with the public.

The City is planning on pumping water from the Cosumnes River basin for future development.

The City has no plans for building water pumps or wells. The City and its residents currently receive water from the Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) and the Elk Grove Water Service (EGWS), as the City does not supply water to its residents. Therefore, the City relies on other agencies to supply water to the City. These agencies have not identified a need to use Cosumnes River water for future development in the Elk Grove area.

The City will develop in the 100-year floodplains.

There will be no development in the 100-year floodplain. This is consistent with the adopted City General Plan and the City Council’s direction that the floodplain area remain in open space/agriculture. It is not the City’s intent to jeopardize any lives or property by placing development in the 100-year floodplain. Any potential development would be limited to be outside of the 100-year floodplain boundary.