SACOG presents 2025 Regional Blueprint; forecast shows continued regional growth, asks cities to align local plans

Clint Holtsen, planning and programming manager at the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), presented the draft 2025 Regional Blueprint and asked the Placerville City Council to review the plan and submit comments during the public comment period.

Holtsen said the blueprint is the result of nearly three years of work and extended outreach. “We’re approaching, the conclusion of nearly 3 years of of work on this regional regional transportation and land use plan,” he said, noting SACOG hit “over 6,000 residents across the region” during outreach.

The plan pairs transportation and land-use strategies and uses a triple-bottom-line policy framework emphasizing equity, the environment and economic development. Holtsen described the technical constraints the plan uses — funding limits and growth forecasts — and said the region can expect around 600,000 additional residents over the next 20 years. He noted the blueprint relies on local plans, not top-down land-use mandates: “There is nothing that we bring into the blueprint that isn't already part of a city vision.”

Why this matters: Holtsen said presenting coordinated policies in the blueprint can strengthen local grant applications: jurisdictions that show alignment with regional policy are more competitive for state and federal funding. The plan also identifies trade-offs the region will face because revenue will cover roughly half of candidate investments identified by jurisdictions.

Councilmember Ryan Carter asked about SACOG’s approach to equity and whether the blueprint imposes land-use changes on smaller, more built-out cities. Holtsen said SACOG defines equity operationally — “our systems work for everyone” — and emphasized the blueprint does not dictate local land use. "The blueprint to the bigger cities and the smaller cities cannot and does not dictate land use policy," he said, and added that the plan phases growth to link new development to existing assets where possible.

During public comment, resident Kirk Smith asked about evacuation planning and access in Placerville, referencing past wildfire evacuations. Woody Deloria, executive director of the El Dorado County Transportation Commission (EDCTC), told the council that SACOG’s plan is not a substitute for operational evacuation route planning. “Cal Fire, OES, all of those those emergency response agencies will tell you they will not map out evacuation routes for fire,” Deloria said, adding that EDCTC has developed separate evacuation preparedness work that looks at system improvements such as wider shoulders and brush clearing but that the regional blueprint does not list specific evacuation-route projects.

Holtsen said SACOG’s board will consider releasing the draft for public comment and that the region-wide comment period would run from June 6 through August 8. He asked local jurisdictions to review the policy section, which SACOG designed to help jurisdictions secure state and federal grants by showing local policies align with regional goals.

Clarifying details: SACOG’s materials cited a regional forecast of about 600,000 additional residents over the next 20 years and noted Placerville’s projected change is modest (Holtsen said roughly 900 additional people and about 500 new homes in Placerville). Holtsen said the region faces a maintenance shortfall of roughly $400–$500 million per year to maintain the pavement system and that the plan identifies about $7–8 billion in available investment over 20 years against more than $14 billion in proposed projects.

Next steps: SACOG’s board will consider releasing the draft for public comment; Holtsen said the board aims to adopt a final plan in November after digesting public feedback.