Sacramento Region Approves New Transportation Plan

"A new transportation plan adopted by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments on Thursday envisions a big change in the way the region grows," reports Ben van der Meer. "Over the next 20 years, the plan projects a greater emphasis on urban infill and less on suburban growth."

That "greater emphasis" comes with a caveat from SACOG CEO Mike McKeever, who told van der Meer that "master-planned greenfield development will still predominate. But perhaps not by much." The plan does, however, make room for 30,000 new residential units in the region's core, as well as an emphasis on walkable development in outlying towns like Winters, Roseville, Colfax, and more.

The article's focus on housing reflects the transportation plan's concern with an anticipated 800,000 new residents expected over the next 20 years. The 2016 update to the Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy (2016 MTP/SCS), as it's officially known, anticipates $35 billion in transportation expenditures over that same period.