Gardenland Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan (SNAP)


Summary

The Gardenland-Northgate Strategic Neighborhood Action Plan (SNAP) is an action-oriented plan reflecting the common goals and priorities of the Gardenland and Northgate neighborhoods of South Natomas. The priorities listed in the SNAP were developed through a partnership of neighborhood residents and business owners, City staff, and other agencies. The SNAP focuses community priorities over the next 3-5 years and identifies actions necessary to achieve those priorities. The plan also develops a project schedule for each item, determines project costs and potential funding sources.

Project Detail

Action Items

Through the public participation process, a number of "Action Items" have been identified and are listed in more detail in the action plan itself. The Action Items are divided into four topic areas:

  1. Housing and Infill,
  2. Neighborhood Beautification and Safety,
  3. Commercial Corridors, and
  4. Parks, Recreation and Youth.

The Action Plan includes expansion of the Northgate Boulevard Special Planning District (SPD) and interim restrictions on heavier commercial uses on Northgate Boulevard.

Background

In 1999, the Planning Department and Neighborhood Services developed the SNAP process to better understand and address neighborhood issues. Tahoe Park and Colonial Heights became the pilot neighborhoods that would use the "Visions and Values" framework developed by the Planning Commission and the Design Review & Preservation Board (DRPB) to prepare a strategic neighborhood action plan.

Selection of the Gardenland-Northgate Area

The Gardenland area was selected by the Sacramento City Council in May 2002 as a neighborhood planning project area and a pilot area to identify neighborhood infill preferences and identify strategies to promote compatible infill development in the area. This action plan is also a pilot neighborhood planning effort to identify methods to address large and deep lot development strategies, infrastructure requirements, and neighborhood preservation. Strategies identified with this effort will be applied in subsequent years to other neighborhoods with large and/or deep lots.

Project Location

The boundaries of the Gardenland-Northgate SNAP are generally the Ueda Parkway to the east, the American River Parkway to the south, the Niños Parkway to the west, and the developed housing area and Interstate 80 to the north. Northgate Boulevard runs north-south through the center of the project area.

Planning Objectives

The following planning objectives guided the Gardenland-Northgate SNAP process:

  • Establish priorities for neighborhood improvement;
  • Identify programs to achieve priorities;
  • Broaden community involvement;
  • Identify neighborhood vision for residential infill development in Gardenland;
  • Create programs to facilitate infill development in the area consistent with the neighborhood vision.

SNAP Process

The community's priorities form the Gardenland-Northgate SNAP. The SNAP incorporates work developed through a variety of community visioning efforts and is intended to complement and support redevelopment and economic development activities in the area. The following summary describes the action plan process:

  • Organization of Stakeholders- Key stakeholders in the Gardenland-Northgate area were brought together to contribute to the planning process, including City departments, the Gardenland/Northgate Neighborhood Association (GNNA) and other neighborhood groups active in the area, local businesses, Council District 1 Office, and other public agencies and interested individuals.
  • Outreach - Community outreach to residents, businesses and property owners is critical to ensure balanced participation in the planning process. Two community-wide mailings were done to all property owners and residents in the area to inform them of the action planning process and to invite them to participate in workshops and meetings. A "Neighborhood Working Group", consisting of area residents, was formed and met regularly with City staff in order to write the action plan and to refine priorities. City Staff provided regular updates as to the progress of the action plan to the GNNA, the Northgate Redevelopment Project Area Committee (Northgate PAC), the South Natomas Business Association, and relevant City departments and other agencies.
  • Neighborhood Assessment and Priorities- A half-day community workshop was held to assess the neighborhoods' assets and to prioritize the top concerns. A "Neighborhood Data Booklet" was prepared by City staff and distributed at this workshop to provide demographic information about the Gardenland and Northgate neighborhoods and an update on City projects underway in the area.
  • Action Plan Development - A significant amount of time was spent in discussions with community members, relevant City departments and other agencies to determine how to best satisfy the neighborhoods' goals. The result is an Action Plan containing twenty-four "Action Items" and information concerning who will be responsible for implementing the item, a contact name and phone number, project schedule, and potential funding source. In some cases, additional work may be necessary in order to satisfy the intent of the Action Item.
  • Implementation- Within the Executive Summary of the SNAP document there is a summary of the Action Items and a table detailing their progress. Several of the action items are completed, a number of them are in process, and the remaining are scheduled to begin some time within the next year. Initial action items will include initiation of some zoning amendments along Northgate Boulevard.

The Neighborhood Working Group, comprised of neighborhood residents and City staff, will continue to meet to monitor SNAP progress and to ensure that projects meet planning objectives.

Contact Information

Susanne Cook, Associate Planner
City of Sacramento Planning Department
New City Hall
915 I Street, 3rd Floor
Sacramento, Ca 95814
(916) 808-5375, Fax (916) 808-7185