Sacramento, CA

about

The Partnership for Active Communities (PAC), chaired by Dr. Steve Farrar, Superintendent of the Natomas Unified School District, and directed by WALKSacramento, engages leaders from more than 30 organiza- tions, including Breathe California, California Air Resources Board, California Center for Physical Activity, City of Sacramento, 50+ Wellness, Local Government Commission, N-Magazine, North Natomas Transportation Management Associa- tion, Odyssey, Sacramento County Department of Health, Sacramento Regional Transit, University of California-Davis Health System Center for Injury Prevention, and others.

PAC targets the Natomas area with initiatives to improve the school environment, and conduct development review, outreach, and issue advocacy. The partnership's school environment focus includes the Bannon Creek Traffic Tamers project, which helps students "tame" their parents' driving behavior to be pedestrian and bicycle friendly, and the Natomas Park Walk-to-School Committee, through which parents lead children on daily walks to and from school. The partnership also conducts school assessments or charrettes to identify priority improvements in and near schools that can be funded in proposed bond and parcel tax initiatives.

Through a Project Design Review Committee, PAC's input has resulted in key sidewalk, crossing, and connectivity improvements to support increased walking and biking. The partnership's Symposia on Sidewalks and Crossings are building consensus among professionals on pedestrian infrastructure policies throughout the region. The partnership also is helping to develop effective city and county pedestrian master plans and simultaneously is leading opposition to increased speed limits in Natomas and other parts of Sacramento. All of these projects are helping to make Natomas and Sacramento communities that better support active living.

our story

Natomas is a fast-growing area in Sacramento with a neighborhood association that recognized unguided development as a threat to their community's character. The Natomas Community Association sought to protect their quality of life by monitoring all local projects coming into the city planning department. Pam Terry, a project coordinator with the Partnership for Active Communities (PAC), began helping the neighborhood association realize this goal by ensuring new developments were walkable and bikeable. Pam eventually began recruiting PAC members to provide their active living expertise to the review process. The result was an in-depth, credible development review process involving high-quality technical analysis of each project.

The process responds to the needs of all of the players and creates incentives for improvement and collaboration. In fact, consensus on project elements is achieved before they are presented in planning commission meetings. The community wanted and is now getting active living changes; the developers wanted actionable steps for public support; and the planning commission wanted a smooth process. The process has been so successful in Natomas that the partnership plans to implement it in Rancho Cordova, another rapidly-growing community in Sacramento County.

opportunities

Natomas is a fast-growing area north of downtown Sacramento with a relatively high density of residents and employees. Natomas was planned to be a walkable and bikeable community. However, wide and multi-lane roadways result in high speeds and danger to pedestrians and bicyclists. While the fast growth rate makes it difficult to monitor and influence all of the changes underway, it is also an opportunity to make a large number of cost-efficient improvements through timely changes in policies and plans before projects are built. Sacramento city and county governments are drafting pedestrian masterplans, and budgeting processes are underway for a wide array of planned facilities. finally, the Natomas Unified School District is putting a major emphasis on children's safety and health.

Some major next steps for PAC include promoting Safe Routes to School programming throughout the district and to adjoining school districts; preparing a bond issue and parcel tax initiative in Natomas that can include major infrastructure improvements near schools; continuing to influence the content of the city and county pedestrian masterplans and the state's Strategic Highway Safety Plan; strengthening the systems that support the successful development review process; and expanding the development review effort to Rancho Cordova.

accomplishments

Defeated proposed speed limit increases in Natomas, and began a campaign for reconsideration of roadway width and a moratorium on roadway widening.

Established a very successful early development review system with the city and developers in Natomas, yielding dozens of significant design changes to more than 40 projects; provided formal comments on designs of two new schools.

Contributed to city and county Pedestrian Plans and Design Guidelines.

Organized a successful Pedestrian Crossings Symposium and a Sidewalk Symposium to build consensus for frequent and safe street crossings and a complete system of sidewalks throughout communities.

Continued and expanded successful Safe Routes to School models at Natomas Park and Bannon Creek Elementary Schools, initiated a 'tra_c tamers' club for children, and secured a city commitment to improve a key intersection near Bannon Creek School.

Secured commitments for $707,450 to support various active living improvements and initiatives.

Conducted extensive design charrettes at three schools and issued a comprehensive series of design and policy recommendations, many of which are supported by the Natomas Uni- fied School District and included in the proposed school bond measure and parcel tax.

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