Ready for Recovery A Call for Short-Term Strategic Investments in Infrastructure in the Greater Sacramento Region At the same time as Congress has proposed a $1.5 trillion Regional Transportation Connectivity infrastructure investment bill to stimulate recovery in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, cities and The greater Sacramento region is one of the fastest counties within the six-county Sacramento region have growing regions in California with numerous cities been collaborating to identify a broad range of projects and counties that are consistently in the state’s top that could be quickly implemented. As the attached 10 in terms of population growth. Investments in both table shows, a consortium of more than 50 public and highway and public transit connectivity are essential private sector organizations throughout the greater for the region’s economy and include projects like Sacramento region identified projects and programs upgrading the I-80/Highway 65 interchange in Placer totaling more than $11 billion across a diverse set of County, new ‘managed lanes’ on I-5 between Elk infrastructure categories. While not comprehensive, Grove and the Sacramento International Airport, and this list of projects represents examples of the types expanding and modernizing Regional Transit’s light rail and magnitude of investments the Sacramento region network. is prepared to make if Congress moves forward with an infrastructure-focused stimulus package. Water Reliability & Storage Our region is committed to an infrastructure investment strategy that would provide a critical economic boost Much of the Sacramento region’s water infrastructure for California’s capital region and would help both was built long ago and now needs critical repairs and preserve and create thousands of jobs. But just as upgrades. While our six-county region has historically importantly, our investment strategy would support enjoyed plentiful water resources, climate change is critical goals of the region’s recently released inclusive expected to further strain water systems as warming economic prosperity and recovery strategy that help temperatures and decreased snowpack causes develop a more equitable and resilient region that is more intense flood events and droughts. This makes better prepared to meet the challenges of climate new investment in more resilient water infrastructure change, future health emergencies, air pollution, and across the Sacramento region imperative and urgent. natural disasters. A good example is a water recycling project that will deliver up to 50,000 acre-ft per year of recycled The projects represent an illustrative list of ready- water to the southern portion of Sacramento County to-go investments. They are grouped in categories to irrigate about 16,000 acres of agricultural farming. representing key strategic goals to advance economic It will recover treated wastewater that is typically recovery, prosperity and resilience: discharged to the Sacramento River and put it to good use irrigating crops for local farmers. It will ease the reliance on groundwater currently used by most farmers, resulting in improved groundwater stores and a multitude of ecosystem benefits in the region. Sacramento Metropolitan Planning rea SACOG Planning Area City Boundaries County Boundaries Rivers/Lakes ve a Yuba County 80 70 20 20 Marysve Ya y 174 Cofa Sutter County 99 Placer County 70 eaad 80 65 Ar 193 113 45 co 49 Roc oo 50 5 99 El Dorado County Roeve Yolo County acerve r e Woodad Foo 50 80 505 113 Dav Raco 80 Sacraeo Cordova 88 128 est Winter Sacraeo 16 Sacramento County rove 5 99 at Ieto C A L I F O R N I A Emergency Preparedness & Climate Interregional and International Gateways Resilience The Sacramento region is increasingly connected The Sacramento region is less prone than the rest of to and reliant upon our regional neighbors like the California to events like earthquakes and sea level rise San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin County, the but more prone to events like floods and wildfires. This San Joaquin Valley, and even the Reno, Nevada category of investments includes major projects that metropolitan area. This infrastructure investment will address flood control and levees, in addition to strategy includes a suite of projects that are critical projects that enable hospital expansion so the region to improving transportation connections throughout improves its ability to handle the current coronavirus the northern California megaregion, both along pandemic and future health emergencies. Interstate highways as well as passenger rail corridors such as the Capitol Corridor, the San Joaquins, and the ACE rail service with its planned expansion into Infill Development & Affordable Housing the San Joaquin valley and downtown Sacramento. It also includes critical investments in the region’s Our region is one of the fastest growing in the state, rapidly expanding national and international gateway: meaning we must be smart and strategic about how Sacramento International Airport (SMF). Investment in we grow. Since the adoption of the Sacramento region SMF would provide for much needed rehabilitation Blueprint in 2004, our cities and counties have taken and modernization of aging assets, allow strategic a proactive approach to managing growth. Part of expansions, and improve the safety and reliability of the answer to our growth challenge is to reduce the the airport for residents and visitors alike. barriers to infill development and affordable housing. Our region has tremendous infill development opportunities, not just in our city centers, but in our Trails, Recreation & Tourism suburbs, our small-town main streets and along aging commercial corridors. Our proposed infrastructure The majority of land in the six-county Sacramento investment strategy supports the Sacramento region is open space where agriculture, working region’s “Green Means Go” program that identifies lands, and the wild spaces of the foothills and Sierra important upgrades – like water, sewer and utilities – Nevada offer tremendous opportunities for recreation in existing communities that are essential to make infill and tourism. Because of those unique opportunities, development proposals from both the private sector agritourism and outdoor recreation are hallmarks of and non-profit housing providers financially feasible. the region that connect residents and tourists to the Our infrastructure proposal also calls for modifications rich history found in the numerous small towns to be to federal tax credits that could significantly increase explored. Expanding existing trail networks to form a the production of affordable housing developments. comprehensive regional trail network will enhance the ability of people to connect with outdoor recreation and agritourism opportunities and further the economic Future Mobility well-being of small towns and businesses located throughout the region. A large part of the Sacramento region’s future economic expansion – as defined in the recently released economic prosperity strategy – is making us a testbed and High Speed Communications & Broadband manufacturing hub for the next generation of vehicles and technologies. This category includes investments Broadband connectivity is a key lever for driving that allow for deployment of electric vehicle charging economic prosperity, especially in the three key stations throughout the region, purchase of electric industry clusters identified in the Economic Prosperity and zero emission buses, and testing of electric car Strategy as opportunities for the Sacramento region share programs for low-income communities. It also to achieve global leadership: Food, Ag, and Health provides funding for the construction of the California Innovation; Life Science; and Future Mobility. No county Mobility Center, which will serve as a center of in the region has reached the level of 98 percent excellence in future clean mobility and a regional hub, household connectivity, as mandated by AB 1655, and where industry innovators, educational institutions, and the gaps are most significant in more rural counties regulators will work together to create the next wave of such as El Dorado at 79.6 percent and Yuba County at smart mobility solutions. 76.6 percent. The major costs come in the “last mile” connectivity in remote and rugged rural terrain. To lower the cost of broadband connectivity, agencies have CONCLUSION identified 31 transportation projects where broadband infrastructure can be installed along 330 miles at the The greater Sacramento region stands ready to work in same time, for “dig once” efficiencies. Other projects collaboration with Congress and our federal and state include municipal conduits for underserved industrial partner agencies in order to secure and deploy any areas; projects for anchor institutions such as schools, infrastructure stimulus funding in order to accelerate hospital, and community clinics; and infrastructure to our short-term economic recovery and to support our get ready for 5G deployment. region’s long-term prosperity plan to build a more inclusive economy and a more resilient region. The attached project tables are not meant in any way to Fix-it-First be an all-encompassing list of projects, rather they are illustrative of the comprehensive planning and Preserving and better maintaining the transportation coordination that our region has undertaken in order system in a state of good repair is a cornerstone of to ready for investment. Our hope is that this effort