Sacramento council authorizes mayor to oppose countyUpper West Side specific plan over habitat, water and infrastructure concerns

The Sacramento City Council voted to authorize the mayor to send a letter opposing the Upper West Side specific plan, a Sacramento County proposal to urbanize roughly 2,000 acres in the Natomas Basin, and directed city staff to press county leaders for solutions to unresolved habitat, water and public‑services concerns.

The motion, which the council adopted by a recorded tally of 8 yes and 1 no, directs the mayor and city attorney to prepare a formal letter expressing the city's objections and gives staff authority to continue negotiating with county staff on mitigation, services and financing. Council member Pluckettbaum voted no; the council did not record individual yes votes during the roll call but stated the motion passed 8 to 1.

City planner Cheryl Hodge, principal planner and new growth manager in the city's Community Development Department, briefed the council on the Upper West Side proposal and the larger set of county projects in the Natomas Basin. Hodge said Sacramento County currently has three pending development proposals that together total more than 7,400 acres and roughly 34,000 residential units. Hodge said the Upper West Side specific plan alone covers just over 2,000 acres, proposes about 9,356 dwelling units, an estimated future population of just over 25,000 residents and about 3,100,000 square feet of commercial uses.

"Upper West Side would result in exceeding the development cap of 17,500 acres for Natomas Basin," Hodge told council, citing the City of Sacramento's Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan and the incidental‑take permits that underlie the plan. She added the proposal would encroach into the one‑mile Swainson's‑hawk buffer zone and affect roughly 975 acres of Swainson's‑hawk foraging…