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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is a General Plan? A General Plan is a city’s long-term policy guide for the physical, economic, and environmental growth and renewal of the city. Sacramento’s 2030 General Plan was adopted on March 3, 2009, after four years of public outreach. For more information, please visit www.sacgp.org.
What is zoning? Zoning is the division of land into districts with development regulations including allowed land uses, height, setbacks, lot size, density, and lot coverage.
Where do I find zoning descriptions and allowed uses?
See the following links to zoning descriptions and allowed use regulations.
How many properties will be rezoned by the City for General Plan consistency? There are approximately 2,600 properties with a total area of 3,000 acres proposed to be rezoned by the City. This is a small fraction of the total 145,000 properties on 64,000 acres of land citywide. How much will it cost me if my property is rezoned by the City? Normally, if a property owner initiates a rezone, there is a fee associated with processing the rezone. However, since these rezones will be initiated by the City to achieve consistency with the 2030 General Plan, there will be no associated fees.
Will existing businesses be allowed to continue operating after they are rezoned? If a land use is allowed under its current zone but not allowed under the new zone, it will become a legal nonconforming use. These uses are allowed to continue their current operations, but there are restrictions on expansion. See Chapter 17.88 of the Zoning Code for more information about nonconforming uses.
In some cases, a land use may be allowed by right under its current zone but is allowed by special permit in the new zone. In that case, the property owner would have a deemed special permit, which functions exactly as if a special permit had been granted at the time of development.
How do I establish or verify a legal nonconforming use?
We are establishing a system to document legal nonconforming uses. If you would like written confirmation of your use, please contact us via the contact information at the bottom of the web-page.
Will property owners be compensated if property value falls as a result of the rezone?
Per California state law, property owners are not compensated for land use regulation that results in a change of use.
My property is not on the list, but I would like it to be rezoned. Can I make a request?
The City will only initiate rezones of properties if the current zoning is not consistent with the Land Use Diagram in the 2030 General Plan. If your property has not been identified in the maps above, it most likely means that the property’s current zoning is consistent with the plan. In that case, to obtain a rezone you would need to submit your own application. The City will not initiate “free” rezones above the minimum level required for consistency.
I don’t agree with the zone the City picked for my property. Are there other options?
The 2030 General Plan has flexible land use designations, so in most cases there are several zones that could be consistent with any given designation. The rezones identified by the Community Development Department are designed to achieve a base level of consistency with considerations of neighborhood context and existing infrastructure. We are open to discussions if you believe another zone would be a better fit for your property, provided that it is consistent with the 2030 General Plan. However, as stated above, the process outlined here is intended to achieve the minimum level of consistency, not the maximum. Rezones to the highest densities and intensities described in the 2030 General Plan will require submittal of a development application including a demonstration of adequate infrastructure to support higher density development. Will all properties with zoning inconsistent with the new General Plan be rezoned? There are some properties with inconsistent zoning that are not proposed to be rezoned by the City at this time. These include properties in areas where planning efforts are already in progress that will include their own rezonings when the plans are completed. A second category includes properties that lack adequate infrastructure for higher intensities of development. These areas will be revisited by the City in future rounds of rezonings.
What do I do to oppose the rezone that has been proposed?
You can submit your comments by phone or e-mail using the contacts at the bottom of the web-page. All comments collected will be delivered to Planning Commission and City Council for their consideration during the upcoming public hearings later in September and October. You may also choose to attend these meetings in person to deliver your comment verbally to the Planning Commission and/or City Council.
What are the next steps in the rezoning process?
A public hearing by the Planning Commission is scheduled for Thursday, September 24th, 915 I Street, New City Hall, 1st Floor, City Council Chambers at 5:30pm. Property owners and other affected city residents are encouraged to attend.
A public hearing by City Council will be held on Tuesday, October 27th, 915 I Street, New City Hall, 1st Floor, City Council Chambers at 6:00pm. Property owners and other affected city residents are encouraged to attend this meeting as well.
Helpful Resources
Sacramento’s Zoning Code
2030 General Plan Land Use and Urban Form Diagram (11 x 17 PDF File) 2030 General Plan City of Sacramento Planning Division
City of Sacramento Community Development Department
Contact
Teresa Haenggi
Associate Planner,
Long Range Planning Division
(916) 808-7554
thaenggi@cityofsacramento.org |
