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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Thursday, January 16, 2007

Contact:  A.J. Tendick   916-340-6215

2006 SACOG Salutes! awards include 2 Blueprint Excellence Award winners

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments honored outstanding regional efforts in transportation, smart-growth planning and air quality as part of the 2006 SACOG Salutes! Regional Awards Program.

The high-profile awards were presented to individuals and organizations whose achievements and innovations made a significant difference in the Sacramento region in 2006.

"As the Sacramento region continues to grow, innovators in the public and private sectors are striving to create more livable communities," SACOG Chair Heather Fargo said. "Each winner has made contributions that will enhance the quality of life in our region for years to come."

The 2006 Blueprint Excellence Award winners are:

1. RIVERSIDE GATEWAY PROJECT, CITY OF ROSEVILLE

   On the local scale, the Riverside Gateway Project is a critical starting point for Roseville's larger plans for their downtown redevelopment. The concepts developed thru this project are now being considered as part of the Downtown Vernon Street and Historic Old Town Specific Plan. With the anticipated completion of this Specific Plan, the heart of Roseville will contain approximately 200 acres of property zoned for mixed use.

   On a regional scale, their Specific Plan will equate to approximately 450 new housing units in the downtown area that would traditionally have been constructed in the greenfield area surrounding Roseville. The housing units constructed as part of the Riverside Gateway plan will be in close proximity to jobs and transit.

   Within the plan area are four existing transit stops, easy access to the City's multi-modal facility, a bike trail providing access from the west side of I-80 to the east side, and a nearby park-and-ride lot in Saugstad Park.

   This plan serves as an example of how to redevelop strip commercial corridors throughout the Sacramento region. It implements a number of Blueprint principles and creates a better overall development scenario in the South Placer region.

2. RANCHO CORDOVA GENERAL PLAN

   The City of Rancho Cordova's General Plan establishes a vision for Rancho Cordova that is significantly different from its historic suburban form.

   Representing the city's first general plan, it reflects a vision of dense and diverse neighborhoods integrating varied land uses to create an engaging urban form.

   The City's General Plan calls for a set of building blocks of neighborhoods, villages, and districts for future development to create whole communities. The building blocks are tailored to the city's demographics, market and geography, including the concept of village and town centers as the economic pulse points of the community.

   Livability is a key component of the General Plan, with an emphasis on all modes of transportation . . . breaking down barriers between developments and neighborhoods.

   All of these important issues-transportation and circulation, air quality, habitat preservation and jobs-housing balance -have guided and influenced the form of the General Plan.

   Each issue has required careful integration of existing regional programs and coordination with affected public agencies and citizen advocacy groups.

   Through this inclusive approach, the General Plan establishes the City of Rancho Cordova as a clear leader as a regional partner addressing important issues that extend well beyond the city limits.

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