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SACOG outlines Blueprint 2025 plan, urges more infill housing and transit investments
Summary
James Corliss, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday that Blueprint 2025 — the agency’s long-range transportation and growth plan — forecasts roughly 580,000 more residents and 278,000 more jobs in the six‑county region by midcentury and calls for more infill housing, safer streets and stronger transit to meet climate and safety goals.
James Corliss, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the region’s long-range transportation and growth strategy — branded Blueprint 2025 — aims to manage about 580,000 additional residents and 278,000 jobs across the six-county Sacramento region over the next 25 years.
“We are your council of governments,” Corliss said in opening his presentation, explaining SACOG’s role in coordinating cities and counties on transportation, housing and climate goals. Corliss said the plan updates the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and must meet state mandates such as greenhouse-gas reduction targets under Senate Bill 375, administered by the California Air Resources Board.
Corliss, and Todd Smith of Sacramento County Planning, emphasized housing and safety as top outreach themes. “Housing was probably the top theme in this whole plan,” Corliss said, adding residents also flagged safety and insufficient transit service. SACOG’s analysis, he said, expects the region to grow to about 3.1 million people, requiring on average a bit more than 10,000 housing units per year to match job growth.
Todd Smith, Sacramento County’s planning director, outlined county-specific infill opportunities. He described Stockton Boulevard, where SACOG’s Green Means Go pilot has helped finance infrastructure for the San Juan Apartments affordable housing project, and said county and city staff are working to align land-use rules along the shared corridor. Smith also described plans on North Watt Avenue to update corridor land use and address infrastructure constraints such as sewer capacity around the Watt/I‑80 light-rail station.
SACOG staff said outreach for the draft plan included polling, focus groups and community pop-ups across the region and that jurisdictions will be able to include locally tailored priorities in the regional plan. The agency plans to release a draft and environmental review for public comment in June, with adoption targeted for November. Corliss summarized the timeline: release for public comment in June, a 55‑day comment period, a draft in September and adoption in November.
Supervisors asked for clarifications on several points: whether rising pedestrian and bicycle injuries reflect increased use, how regional grant priorities may shift under the current federal administration, and how to ensure county roads maintenance is prioritized alongside infill and new-growth investments. Corliss said usage data for walking and bicycling are limited and that federal grant programs now include new screens such as areas of persistent poverty. Supervisors also discussed ensuring that infill and so‑called new-growth areas both meet the blueprint’s principles for sustainable development.
Why it matters: SACOG’s blueprint steers allocation of certain transportation funds and frames regional growth policy. The plan’s housing forecast and corridor priorities will inform local planning, grant competitiveness and the county’s work on transit, safety and infrastructure investments.
What’s next: SACOG will release Blueprint 2025 and its environmental review for public comment in June, and the county expects to coordinate follow‑up outreach and an off‑site tour in the Arcade community to highlight local conditions and priorities.
