Title
Review of City FY2026-31 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for Consistency with the 2040 General Plan (LR26-006)
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00836
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Review and upon conclusion, pass a Motion to forward to City Council the attached consistency analysis, which confirms the FY2026-31 Capital Improvement Program conforms to and is consistent with the City’s 2040 General Plan.
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Contact
Contact: Amy Yang, Senior Planner, (916) 808-5023, asyang@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Presenter
Presenter: Amy Yang, Senior Planner, (916) 808-5023, asyang@cityofsacramento.org, Community Development Department
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-CIP Analysis for Consistency with City’s General Plan
3-Table of New CIP Projects for FY2026-2031
4-Map of New Site-Specific CIPs
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Additional Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: There are 12 CIP projects in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-2031 Capital Improvement Program (CIP), of which 11 are site-specific. All 11 site-specific CIPs relate to park improvements, including developing a site amenities plan, replacing an existing playground structure, adding sidewalks and tree plantings, adding a community garden and futsal court to a park, converting a grass field to an all-weather field, adding shade canopies over playgrounds, renovating an existing soccer/rugby field, replacing an existing bathroom, adding an outdoor event space at a park, adding field lighting to an existing soccer field, and providing a new playground at a park.
An analysis is performed annually to determine the consistency of the CIP with the 2040 General Plan’s goals and policies. Staff has reviewed the new projects in the FY2026-31 CIP and recommends a finding of consistency with the 2040 General Plan.
The Capital Improvement Program (CIP) is a five-year expenditure plan for funding infrastructure and facility needs. The CIP consists of capital improvement projects that are included in the City’s proposed budget. A capital improvement project is defined as:
“a specific project that involves the study, procurement, construction or installation of facilities which improves, preserves, enhances or modernizes the City’s provision of municipal services”.
A capital improvement project has a useful life of at least five years and a total cost of at least $20,000.
The proposed CIP and yearly budget are presented to the City Council for approval at the same time because of their linked functions. The proposed FY2026-31 CIP and FY26/27 budget have been released for public review on the City’s website at http://www.cityofsacramento.org/finance/budget.
The City of Sacramento Code Section 17.912.010 requires the Planning and Design Commission to review CIP projects for consistency with the General Plan at least once every five years. Since new projects are added to the City’s CIP every year, an annual review of these new projects for consistency with the General Plan is necessary. To ensure uniformity and clarity to the review process, the Planning and Design Commission provides an annual consistency review and determination. The CIP was last reviewed by the Planning and Design Commission in May of 2025. The Budget Office will inform the City Council of the Commission’s determination during the City Council’s review and approval of the FY2026-31 CIP.
Each year, only new projects proposed for the CIP are reviewed by the Commission for consistency. All other projects in the CIP have been reviewed for consistency in prior years. Accordingly, staff has reviewed the new projects proposed for the FY2026-31 CIP and has determined that they are consistent with the 2040 General Plan. A detailed overview of the consistency review process and staff’s findings of consistency are provided in Attachment 2 and summarized below:
2040 General Plan. The 2040 General Plan was adopted by City Council on February 27, 2024, and became effective March 28, 2024. The consistency assessment for the CIP is based on conformance with the goals, policies, and land use diagrams of the 2040 General Plan.
Project Selection. New CIP projects are usually identified by City departments through Council-approved master plans and programming guides such as the Parks Plan 2040, Transportation Priorities Plan, Streets for People Active Transportation Plan, and the Park Project Programming Guide. Because master plans, programming guides, and other documents that guide project development must be consistent with the City’s General Plan when adopted, this process supports CIP/General Plan consistency.
New Projects for Consistency Review. There are 12 newly created programs in the FY2026-31 CIP (See Attachment 3). Of these, 11 are site-specific projects and relate to the improvement of City parks, including developing a site amenities plan, replacing an existing playground structure, adding sidewalks and tree plantings, adding a community garden and futsal court to a park, converting a grass field to an all-weather field, adding shade canopies over playgrounds, renovating an existing soccer/rugby field, replacing an existing bathroom, adding an outdoor event space at a park, adding field lighting to an existing soccer field, and providing a new playground at a park. The remaining program serves wider areas of the city.
Shovel-Ready Areas. One aspect to consistency with the General Plan lies in the relationship between any site-specific projects in the CIP and the Shovel-Ready Areas. The Shovel-Ready Areas identify priority areas for city investment and were based on opportunity areas adopted by City Council in 2009 and evaluated in the General Plan. Focusing growth and investment in the Shovel-Ready Areas will help Sacramento grow consistent with the vision, goals, and policies set forth in the General Plan.
Analysis
Staff review of the proposed projects in the FY2026-31 CIP has resulted in a recommendation for a finding of consistency with the 2040 General Plan. Findings of consistency are further discussed in detail in Attachment 2.
The new projects align with goals and policies in the 2040 General Plan. CIPs related to the development, repair and rehabilitation of City parks address the General Plan goals to establish complete neighborhoods and provide public spaces.
Future CIP Coordination. Community Development staff coordinates with other city departments that manage CIPs to establish criteria in master plans and programming guides that align CIP projects with the vision, goals, and policies identified in the 2040 General Plan. Coordination ensures consistency with the 2040 General Plan in future CIPs and helps to maximize public resources and investment.
Consistency review in this report applies to high-level, generalized project descriptions provided in the CIP. A more detailed consistency review will be applied as project details are further identified during project implementation. This subsequent level of review will look at more detailed policy issues, including urban design and historic preservation, as project details are made available.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: Sacramento City Code (Section 17.912.010) requires that the planning and design commission review the conformity of the capital improvement program (CIP) with the 2040 General Plan. A detailed analysis regarding the consistency of the CIP with the policies of the General Plan is provided in Attachment 2.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: The conformity determination of the Capital Improvement Program with the City’s General Plan is a continuing administrative activity and is not a project pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 and is therefore, not subject to CEQA (CEQA Guidelines Section 15060(c)(3)).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The City of Sacramento Code (Section 17.912.010) requires the Planning and Design Commission to review CIP projects for consistency with the General Plan. Staff review of the proposed projects in the FY2026-31 CIP has resulted in a recommendation for a finding of consistency with the 2040 General Plan.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: Not applicable.
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