Project History

On June 3, 1998, the Sacramento County board of Supervisors adopted the Rio Linda-Elverta Community Plan. As part of that Community Plan, the 1,744 acres currently known as the Elverta Specific Plan was identified as an area conducive to a more urban development pattern, requiring the preparation of a Specific Plan.

In February 1999, 11 citizens were appointed by the Board of Supervisors to serve on the Elverta Specific Plan Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC). The CAC worked with the community over a six-month period and conducted eight workshops. During the sixth workshop, the Board directed Sacramento County staff to prepare a Specific Plan text and related technical studies in support of the land use designations, densities and design components associated with a Preferred Land Use Concept Plan. A draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) using the preferred land use plan as the basis was prepared by the Department of Environmental Review and Assessment (DERA) and released for review on May 30, 2003.

During the later part of the same year, the land use plan analyzed in this original Draft EIR was refined in response to a variety of new issues. Foremost among these were:

• Revised County policies regarding likely affordable housing requirements;
• Comments from the Rio Linda and Elverta Parks and Recreation District;
• Discussions with the Center Unified School District;
• Concerns and preferences expressed by property owners;
• Discussions with the community; and
• Further comments from County planning staff

While the total plan holding capacity of 4,950 dwelling units specified in the Community Plan remained constant, the distribution of different types of land uses evolved to create a more diverse community incorporating a variety of Smart Growth principles. The Planning Commission held six hearings on the refined land use plan from October 2003 through August 2004. In response to plan refinements, DERA required that the original 2003 EIR be re-circulated for additional public comment. Upon completion of additional technical study updates, an additional Planning Commission hearing was held in August 2004.

The adoption of the Affordable Housing Ordinance in December 2004 required than an Affordable Housing Plan be prepared and conditionally approved by the County and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) prior to the distribution of the revised EIR. A preliminary plan was approved in August 2005 and the EIR was re-circulated in December 2005.

In January 2005, a Planning Commission workshop as held to address any outstanding issues that might have arisen since January 2004. An additional Planning Commission hearing was conducted on February 28, 2006, at which time the plan was recommended for approval.