Additional Northeast Line Information

The purpose of the Northeast Line Light Rail Stations Plan is to promote implementation of the conceptual TOD vision contained in the Transit for Livable Communities (TLC) project completed by the Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) in collaboration with the City of Sacramento and various stakeholders. The TLC process was a major effort, developed through extensive community participation that proposed station-specific transit-supportive land use plans around light rail stations. These land use plans envision development of vacant and underutilized sites with higher density housing, mixed use and supportive retail, and other civic and community uses.

The goal of the Northeast Line Light Rail Stations Infrastructure Needs Assessment and Urban Design Plans is to identify infrastructure and public improvements that realistically could be implemented to encourage transit-oriented development, increase pedestrian and bicycle movement in the area, and create a vibrant urban village. The proposed project aims to overcome infrastructure and market barriers to development in the station areas by taking advantage of their locations within the North Sacramento Redevelopment Project area to leverage financial resources.

Generally, the Globe, Arden/Del Paso, and Royal Oaks Station areas can be characterized as having inadequate public infrastructure, underutilized and vacant parcels, and incompatible or inadequate land uses. Each station is adjacent to either Del Paso Boulevard or Arden Way, both of which are high volume roads. Traffic calming measures and safe pedestrian connections for each of the stations need to be identified and studied.

In addition to a lack of pedestrian access, general conditions in the area further discourage pedestrian utilization of the transit station. The Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) offices, the popular Del Paso Boulevard art community, and historic urban design offer a glimpse of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and transit ridership potential that could be realized with implementation of appropriate connective infrastructure and design improvements and resultant economic development benefits to the area.

TOD is a concept that links land use development around transit stations in a manner that improves ridership on transit lines. TOD areas are characterized as having higher densities, a mix of land uses and housing types, and quality design oriented to the pedestrian within a 1/4-mile area radius of a transit stop. Utilizing these objectives, TOD would increase transit ridership and therefore decrease air pollution by providing citizens with a transportation alternative to the automobile.

The Transit for Livable Communites (TLC) project is a report and recommendations conducted by Regional Transit in 2002 to assess the TOD market potential around each of their light rail stations. City Council adopted the TLC recommendations in October, 2002 (2002-694). The recommendations for the project area stations represent a bold vision for TOD-based community revitalization and investment. Recommendations emphasize walkable design, efficient land use, and large-scale mixed-use transit village development including office, housing and neighborhood-serving retail and aggressive joint development on RT owned property. If the plans are successfully implemented, vibrant urban villages will be created that link jobs, housing and shopping opportunities and help to address the region's growing transportation and air quality problems.

Contact Information

Brian Abbanat, Associate Planner
City of Sacramento Planning Division
915 I Street, 3rd Floor
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 808-7584, Fax: (916) 808-7903

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