By Rosemarie Ruggieri
Natomas residents need to protest the General Plan update regarding community centers. As proposed, the update now limits community centers to only 1 per 35,000 residents. That is, only two community centers for a built-out North Natomas.
Please object to this new measure for community centers, especially as it applies to North Natomas. Today is the last day to submit comments for consideration to General Plan working group.
The City expects the General Plan update to supersede all preexisting neighborhood community and/or financing plans. The current North Natomas Community Plan and North Natomas Finance Plan dictate that North Natomas and West Natomas need four community centers. The General Plan update is a backhanded way to limit the City’s obligation to Natomas residents.
Further, there is no rationale explaining why the City believes one community center fulfills needs for 35,000 residents. There is not even a bad rationale listed; there is no explanation. The new measurement is still part of the update to the General Plan even though Councilman Ray Tretheway assured a group of North Natomas residents at a June 28 finance plan meeting that all four community centers would be planned for North Natomas.
Please write your comments, e-mail them it to the General Plan website and send your comments to the mayor, Councilman Tretheway, and all the other members of the city council — a minimum of FIVE VOTES are needed to make a change!
Rosemarie Ruggieri is a Natomas resident and member of the Natomas Park Parks & Schools Committee.
Dear Rosemarie,
As always, thank you for your commitment and dedication to North
Natomas. I think there is a little bit of confusion, which I understand given the number of documents involved in the General Plan. The General Plan identifies a citywide service goal for community centers as 1 per
30,000 residents (see page 2-241). This is a minimum level of service
goal, not a maximum, and will be the goal in some of the city’s more
established neighborhoods.
Under the leadership of Councilmember Tretheway the city set a higher goal for North Natomas of one community center per 15,000 residents, with a total of 4 facilities(see page 3-NN-35 (
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/planning/long-range/community-and-neighborhood/community-plans/documents/3-6NorthNatomas.pdf
)). Where there is a higher goal between the community plan and the
general plan, as in this case, we will aim for the higher goal.
As you are aware we are in the process now with the updated finance plan of setting aside $24 million for design and construction of the first new community center and will soon begin planning this facility
with a great deal of community input, which the councilmember is looking forward to.
If you have any future concerns about the general plan document, please do not hesitate to contact me at (916) 808-7339.
In the meanwhile, I hope you have a great weekend, and enjoy the
sunshine.
Dan