Plan Approved by the Board of Supervisors
On February 8, 2022, the Board of Supervisors approved the Re-Envision West Arden Arcade Sustainable Communities and Complete Street Plan.
- Watch the meeting. The plan was heard and approved as item 34 on the agenda. In the recording, which is just over 11 hours long, this item is called at about 6:32:30.
What is Re-Envision West Arden Arcade?
Re-Envision West Arden Arcade IS a long-range visioning effort focused on creating conceptual design ideas to create a safer and more appealing walking, rolling, bicycling, and driving environment in West Arden Arcade.
Re-Envision West Arden Arcade is NOT a construction project, and does not include land use changes such as rezoning.
The Sacramento County Office of Planning and Environmental Review (PER) was awarded a Caltrans Sustainable Communities Grant to prepare a Sustainable Communities and Complete Streets Plan for West Arden Arcade. During the 24-month planning process, the County and its consultant will work with the community to generate ideas and concepts to create safer and more appealing walking, rolling, bicycling, and driving conditions in West Arden Arcade.
The final Re-Envision West Arden Arcade plan will include transportation and development concepts that create a vision for future improvements in the West Arden Arcade area. These concepts can be considered when seeking future funding opportunities or during the planning of road or other neighborhood improvements.
Project Resources
Project Timeline
Frequently Asked Questions
The project area is bounded by Cottage Way on the north, Northrop Avenue on the south, Howe Avenue on the west, and Watt Avenue on the East. Anyone who lives, works, plays, travels through, or visits the western Arden Arcade area is encouraged to participate. Nearby neighborhoods, businesses, community organizations, or anyone else with an interest in the area is also welcome to join us!
We have heard from residents, business owners, property owners, and representatives of a variety of community-based organizations. We hosted two workshops that included four public sessions, twelve stakeholder interviews (listening sessions), and two Community Advisory Committee meetings. The following provides an overview of the organizations who have participated in meetings. Workshop summaries and presentations are provided at the top of this website under "Project Resources". Organizations with an asterisk (*) indicate representation on the Community Advisory Committee.
- Arden Community Council
- Arden Manor Park District
- Breathe California Sacramento Region*
- California Council of the Blind
- Country Club Alliance of Neighborhoods*l
- Fulton El Camino Park District
- Gateway Community Charter School
- Greater Arden Chamber of Commerce*
- La Familia Counseling Center*
- Mission Oaks Park District
- Mutual Assistance Network
- Sacramento Area Congregations Together*
- Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates
- Sacramento County Bicycle Advisory Committee
- Sacramento County Department of Transportation*
- Sacramento County Disability Advisory Commission*
- Sacramento County Office of Economic Development
- Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
- San Juan Unified School District
- WALKSacramento*
- United Cerebral Palsy Sacramento
This project will set up a vision for future improvements within the project area. It has been created by reviewing and documenting past planning efforts, and looks to create one cohesive visioning document to guide future efforts.
Complete Streets is a transportation policy and design approach for streets to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel and access for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. There is no singular design prescription for Complete Streets; each one is unique and responds to its community context. A complete street may include: sidewalks, bike lanes, special bus lanes, comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities, median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, narrower travel lanes, roundabouts, landscaping and more.
When communities invest in their public realm, concerns about gentrification are raised. Gentrification is simply defined as the process of neighborhood change that results in the displacement of lower income residents with higher income ones. Not all design and redevelopment efforts lead to gentrification, and in fact, gentrification is often the result of numerous factors such the housing market, rapid job growth, and proximity to cultural amenities.
We understand the concerns about gentrification are real, but we also believe all areas within the County deserve to have enjoyable, equitable streets and community destinations. Complete streets and creating destinations within the western Arden Arcade area will not lead directly to gentrification. In fact, our goal with this project is to create more equity and local opportunity by providing more people within the community ways to access the goods and services they desire and to do so by the mode they choose (e.g., by walking, rolling, bicycling, transit, or automobile).
Read more about gentrification, its causes, and strategies to prevent it. Visit Dealing with Neighborhood change and Strategies for Guiding the Conversation and Redirecting the Outcomes of Community Transition.
Toole Design Group is the prime consultant for this project. They are a mission-driven, interdisciplinary consulting firm of urban designers, engineers, and planners. Their focus is on creating livable, walkable communities. Opticos Design is an architectural and land use firm. The team is led by Livable Transportation Engineer Ian Lockwood PE, and Senior Urban Designer Cindy Zerger, AICP, ASLA who is based out of the Oakland, CA office. Together Toole Design and Opticos have partnered on a number of similar efforts to address community design issues such as complete streets, strategic planning, and redevelopment.
Read more about Toole Design and Opticos Design.
