The Sacramento Sierra Club Group and Mother Lode Chapter
Conservation Committee have been working in conjunction with the
Environmental Council of Sacramento, Habitat 2020 and the Friends of
Swainsons Hawks in a critical effort to STOP the loss of more farmland,
addition of land to the City of Elk Grove which will add to urban
sprawl, add to strained water supplies and pollution, and endanger
critical habitat. Please read the following information compiled by the
coalition of groups and send comments and/or plan to attend this very
important upcoming hearing.
Endangered wildlife? The EIR for this proposal finds significant, unavoidable and unmitigatable impacts on wildlife if
this project is approved. An approval will signal that decisionmakers
will sacrifice the success of the South Sacramento County Habitat
Conservation Plan, intended to mitigate for the loss of wildlife
habitat inside the USB.
Sierra Club Sacramento Group
Once
again LAFCo (Local Area Formation Agency) is considering adding 1,158
acres of farmland to Elk Grove's potential urbanization south of the
present Elk Grove city limit and beyond the County's Urban Services Boundary (USB). The hearing on the "Kammerer Road/Highway 99 SOIA" is February 7 at 5:30 pm at 700 H Street, Sacramento. Before
then, please send your thoughts to the LAFCo Commissioners who will
make this decision that an expanded Sphere of Influence (SOI) for Elk
Grove is wrong.
You can do this by simply emailing commissioncler
You can review the issues background and what FOSH and ECOS and Habitat 2020 have said here: http://www.swainsonshawk.org/
In 1993 the Sacramento County adopted an Urban Services Boundary (USB) to protect farmland against sprawl
development. The developer of Kammerer/Highway 99 SOIA wants LAFCo to
authorize 1158 acres beyond the USB, despite thousands of undeveloped
acres of vacant land inside the USB and City of Elk Grove.
What is your Hot Button?
Protection of farmland? Tthe
Sacramento County Farm Bureau has opposed approval of this project
because of the loss of farmland and other impacts on agriculture that
would result. The EIR finds the approval of Kammerer/99 SOIA would have
significant and unavoidable (can't mitigate for) impacts on farmland.
See http://www.swainsonshawk.o
Adequate Water Supply for the Future? The Sacramento County Water Agency has stated that all available water has been allocated for existing and future development within the USB. The Sacramento County General Plan states that more development is presently planned
in the County than can be served by water supply. Yet this proposal
will either further drain the groundwater supply already depleted in the
South area, or take water intended for other projects, long ago
entitled. The EIR states that depletion of groundwater supplies is a significant and unavoidable impact of an approval of this proposal.
Climate change? Our
Climate Action Plan depends on sticking with the adopted Metropolitan
Transportation Plan (SACOG's MTP) and its strategy for curbing vehicle
trips. The MTP assumes Elk Grove stays within its current boundaries
until at least 2036. SACOG has told LAFCo that the Kammerer/99 proposal is outside the MTP footprint.
Urban Sprawl? The
proposal is the very definition of urban sprawl --approving farmland
for urban use while adequate land supply already exists within the urban
area for expected growth. LAFCos are mandated to curb urban sprawl and
protect farmland by saying no to premature expansion of cities. (click
here to see LAFCo's statutory requirements and policies http://www.swainsonsh
Smart Transportation? The
proposed east-west Southeast Connector is planned to allow east-west
traffic (particularly trucks) to bypass the Sacramento urban area by
linking highways I-5, 99, and 50 south of the urban area. Allowing Elk
Grove to strip-develop along this roadway will take away the intended
transportation efficiency.
Sierra Club Sacramento Group
No comments:
Post a Comment
One of the objects if this blog is to elevate civil discourse. Please do your part by presenting arguments rather than attacks or unfounded accusations.