About the General Plan

Background

The City of Rancho Cordova’s General Plan, adopted in 2006, was visionary, aiming to “Build a City” from scratch. With the population now grown from 50,000 to 80,000 over nearly 20 years, and amidst significant local and global changes, it is time for an update. New state laws on housing, environmental justice, complete streets, climate resilience, and equitable open space must be integrated. This update marks an exciting opportunity to shape Rancho Cordova’s next phase of growth and transformation through 2050.

California mandates that all cities maintain a General Plan to guide development across various sectors like land use, transportation, housing, and natural resources. Typically updated every 10-15 years, Rancho Cordova's current plan is 18 years old and in need of a comprehensive overhaul. General Plans set a 20-year vision, detailing policies on land use, circulation, open space, economic development, and more. Proposed changes undergo rigorous review by the Planning Commission, which advises the City Council. Once adopted, the General Plan informs daily decisions by the Council, commissions, and city staff about the community's future.

Project Objectives

Provide a Comprehensive update: Update the 2006 General Plan to comply with California state law and respond to the needs of the current population through a new, state-of-the art General Plan that guides the next chapter of growth and transformation in Rancho Cordova.

Inclusive and equitable engagement: While the goal is a new General Plan, the process itself is crucial. Success hinges on widespread community support fostered through meaningful engagement opportunities that emphasize equitythatensurehistoricallyunderrepresentedcommunitymembersareheardthroughouttheplanningprocess.

Prepare a new Environmental Justice element: The General Plan will include a new Environmental Justice (EJ) element to address new state requirements and strive to ensure all Rancho Cordova residents have the opportunity to live in a safe and healthy environment.

Integrate climate action and adaptation: The City’s recently adopted Climate Action and Adaptation Plan will help guide the land use alternatives process and be integrated throughout the elements of the General Plan to help the City achieve its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and adaptation goals.

Address new and emerging Issues: The General Plan will address new issues such as emergency evacuation route planning, complete streets, traffic calming and bicycle and pedestrian safety, and equitable and resilient open space.

Use smart, sustainable, and economically sound land use planning: The General Plan Update will evaluate the extent of the economic and environmental impacts of land use policies will be rooted in principles of smart growth, sustainability and fiscal responsibility.

Focus on culture and placemaking: The General Plan update can help create a stronger sense of place by prioritizing policies that enhance arts and culture, create new gathering places and destinations, improve the public realm, and build on existing assets such as trails and open space, emerging Barrel District, the future civic amenities of the Mills Crossing project, and transit-oriented development opportunities at the many light rail stations.

The Process

Below is a schedule of the General Plan Update process. Please note that this schedule is a living document, and dates are subject to change.

Schedule of the General Plan Update Process

Image of the schedule of the General Plan Update process

 FAQ

The following is an ongoing list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) that will be updated throughout the planning process.

Project Overview

+ What is a general plan?

California State law requires that all cities and counties have a comprehensive “General Plan” to guide future growth and development. A General Plan provides policy direction for development including land use, transportation, housing, open space, natural resources, and public services. All general plans have to be updated periodically, generally every 10-15 years. The City’s General Plan is 18 years old, and has not been comprehensively updated since its adoption in 2006.

General Plans guide growth and development and typically have a time horizon of about 20 years, giving the City and community an opportunity to express a long-term vision. The General Plan includes direction on land use, circulation, open space and conservation, noise, economic development, and historic resources. Proposed changes are reviewed very carefully by the Planning Commission who will make recommendations to the City Council about any amendments to the General Plan. Once adopted, a General Plan is used by the City Council, local commissions, and City Staff as they make day to day decisions about the community’s future.

+ Why is the City updating its General Plan?

The City of Rancho Cordova General Plan, adopted in 2006 only three years after the City’s incorporation, was an award-winning plan that established a bold vision to “Build a City,” from the ground up. Now, nearly 20 years later, the population of Rancho Cordova has grown from 50,000 to 80,000, new neighborhoods have emerged, and much has changed both locally and globally. In addition, new state laws have passed that need to be reflected in the General Plan, including housing legislation, environmental justice, complete streets, climate adaptation and resilience, and equitable open space. This comprehensive update is an exciting opportunity for the City to chart the next chapter of growth and transformation.

+ What geographic area does the Plan cover?

The General Plan for the City of Rancho Cordova addresses all land both within the City limits and an area beyond the City that bears relation to the City’s planning efforts. The area outside of the current City limits represents an area that the City has an interest in guiding land use and circulation decisions for and is envisioned as the area into which the incorporated City boundaries may eventually expand. Currently, Sacramento County has jurisdiction and land use authority over land outside of the City limits that is within the General Plan Planning Area.

+ What topics will the Plan address?

California State law required that the General Plan address seven topic areas, called “elements.” The mandatory elements are land use, transportation, housing, open space, conservation, safety, and noise. In response to local demographics, Rancho Cordova is also required to adopt an environmental justice element. Each element constitutes a chapter of the plan, and includes background data on the topic, a discussion of issues, and goals, policies, and actions for the future. With the recent adoption of the City’s Housing Element in 2021 and state-mandated schedule for updating the element, the City will not be updating the housing element during this process, but will review it for consistency.

+ Is the General Plan subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)?

Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), potential environmental impacts of all major development projects must be assessed, disclosed, and appropriately mitigated. The results of this process are provided in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that are required for the adoption of a comprehensive update to the General Plan.

+ How can I get involved?

Project information will be regularly updated on this website to keep the community abreast of progress and in-person events and opportunities to provide feedback. Other outreach efforts include five in-person Community Workshops, a series of in-person pop-up events, and online feedback opportunities. The City and consultant team will also be presenting project updates to the Planning Commission and City Council during public study sessions throughout the process.

+ Why should I get involved?

We want to hear from you! A successful General Plan Update is one that has broad community support built on numerous opportunities for the community to meaningfully engage in the process. With a focus on equity and environmental justice, it will be more important than ever to give voice to community members who have traditionally been underrepresented in the planning process.

+ How will my feedback be used?

Feedback will be used to help identify issues and opportunities to be addressed in the General plan update and help inform the initial General Plan direction.

+ How can I stay informed?

Please sign-up to receive email notifications of upcoming meetings and events here and visit our Get Involved page for information on upcoming engagement opportunities including workshops, community feedback forms, and public hearings.

+ How long will the General Plan Update take?

The General Plan Update is a multi-year effort that began in Spring 2024. The first phase of the project is focused on reviewing existing conditions and meeting with the community to set long-term goals and vision. The next stage of the process will include developing Land Use Alternatives and choosing a preferred alternative based on community input and guidance from the City Council and Planning Commission. The preferred alternative will guide new policies and actions in the Draft General Plan. A complete environmental impact report (EIR) will be prepared, examining how adoption of the new Plan could affect Rancho Cordova and how any adverse impacts must be mitigated. The Planning Commission and City Council will then hold public hearings to adopt the documents, making edits as needed to reflect public input.

+ How will this affect me?

The General Plan is critically important to all residents and businesses in Rancho Cordova. The Plan’s policies and programs determine how and where future growth and development may occur, and how growth will be managed to protect the quality of life in the city. The Plan dictates local zoning and how property may be developed throughout the City. In addition, the Plan addresses issues that impact the whole community—including traffic, jobs, housing, environmental quality, resilience, disaster preparedness, and public services. Please check this website and sign up for our mailing list to keep abreast of project updates.