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East Sacramento Preservation
- Make a Date to Help the Tree Canopy 01/06/2025
- Insist on Trees (First published in 2015) 12/14/2024
- Busy Weekend in McKinley Park: Volunteers Needed 12/12/2024
- Report Your Road Safety Concerns 11/12/2024
- Urban Trees and Green Space – Health Benefits 08/20/2024
Category Archives: Essays
East Sacramento Preservation Board Member Addresses McKinley Village Issue
WHAT TO DO WITH 48 ACRES!
It was obvious at the East Sacramento Preservation meeting last week that no one is crazy about 400 homes that are supposed to look like East Sac or River Park neighborhoods. Yet, time and time again over the past decade the community is being asked to accept high density housing or high rise office buildings.
The property was surplus land from the construction of the freeway, so Cal Trans sold it and the City zoned it to industrial that is compatible with the landfill across the freeway. This development was intended to connect to former State Route 148, eventually connecting to Richard’s Boulevard and Interstate 5. That being said, there was never an intension of opening-up this property to the McKinley neighborhood, yet every proposal does exactly that…at the expense of burrowing under the railroad tracks to gain access and jeopardizing flood protection. We get comments like it’s too expensive to build an overpass. Or, it’s not cost effective, etc…. but it’s okay to negatively impact the neighborhoods. Amazing.
The property is adjacent to the freeway with terrific sight-lines all the way to the railroad tracks. Potential land uses, then, should take advantage of this fact and design land uses that are oriented toward the West, toward the freeway, not easterly impacting the McKinley neighborhood. If I owned the property I’d look for businesses that take advantage of freeway access and visibility, i.e. automobile oriented uses like we’ve seen off Fulton Avenue where car dealerships jump out at you at the Marconi curve. With on and off access to the freeway, aren’t there an array of automobile uses that would want to locate there: Big-O Tires, Midas Muffler, etc, and maybe even a small strip commercial to support automobile uses. Thousands of cars and trucks pass this site daily. Isn’t there a land use that’s car- compatible?
Housing in my view is not a good use for this property. Unfortunately, that’s all the community has heard….infill development, high density urban living, etc. without public transportation or an employment base to support it. There are plenty of other infill housing sites in Sacramento.
Riverview Capital Investments’ excellent reputation in developing “green urban projects” seems to be confined to building houses. Commercial land uses can be clean energy projects and equally “green!” I agree with Councilman Cohn: Riverview Capital Investments is a leader in the financial world and they have the expertise to do a great job of developing the famous 48 acres…..but it doesn’t need to be housing.
How does an orchard or a Soil Born Farm sound?
Terry Kastanis
Board Member
East Sacramento Preservation Neighborhood Group
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Can A Soil Born Come to East Sacramento?
East Sacramentans are asking: Can the Lanatt area be turned into an urban farm like Soil Born? Here’s Soil Born’s story. If they did it, maybe we can.
Our Story |
Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture & Education Project began as a for-profit farm in 2000 by Shawn Harrison and Marco Franciosa, two young and inexperienced organic farmers who had a dream and lots of ambition. Wanting to reconnect urban dwellers with healthy food and where it is grown, Shawn and Marco put a hand written note in the mailbox of a local Sacramento resident asking if they could farm on her land in exchange for produce. The next day a deal was struck, and Soil Born Farms was born.In 2002, Janet Whalen Zeller joined the team. Inspired by a shared vision of healthy food for all, a dedication to improve the quality of life in our community and a love of the natural world, the three co-founders transformed the farm into non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in November 2004.
With help from a small group of talented staff and apprentices, foundation grants, grassroots support, dedicated volunteers and encouragement from community partners, Soil Born Farms grew to operate two urban farms on 55 acres in Sacramento and Rancho Cordova. It has evolved into a nationally recognized center for the promotion of urban agriculture, sustainable food systems and healthy food education. Our programs focus on promoting health and providing experiential learning opportunities for youth and adults, producing healthy food, improving access to healthy food for all and modeling land and environmental stewardship. Beyond producing healthy, certified organic produce for our 80 CSA members and local stores, restaurants, and farm stands, Soil Born Farms has also developed several innovative education and food access programs in partnership with area schools and agencies. The American River Ranch, a 55-acre historic ranch located within the American River Parkway, is now the permanent home of Soil Born Farms. It provides a wonderfully diverse landscape to engage both youth and adults in hands-on activities that educate and connect them with the natural world, healthy food, healthy eating, job and life skills, hard work, and service opportunities. The American River Ranch also provides the opportunity to expand the production of vegetables and fruit to meet the needs of more Sacramento residents, particularly those in underserved neighborhoods with little or no access to fresh, nutritious food. Soil Born Farms is about so much: growing food, mentoring youth and future farmers, teaching people how to cook and garden, creating urban farms and preserving wild spaces, developing partnerships and improving access to fresh produce throughout our community, and at the core, it is about making a difference. It means transforming a shared vision of healthy food for all into a local reality. We hope you will join us on this journey toward a healthier Sacramento. Reprinted with Soil Born’s permission. |
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