Switch to a different priority:
No neighborhood should be subject to extreme change, but also no neighborhood should be exempt from change. Allowing a neighborhood to incrementally grow and adapt to changing needs creates a diverse economy comprising many small bets, while large sweeping changes result in big bets which don’t always pay off in the long run.
Unfortunately, Sacramento has been gambling with big bets for 70+ years, and the results are in. Since WWII (1946+), we have used zoning rules to block most housing development in established suburban neighborhoods — and to separate homes from shops, services, and workplaces — effectively creating “no-build” zones across roughly 90% of the city’s developed area.
These restrictions are major drivers of Sacramento’s housing crisis and budget crisis. “No-build” zones push all new growth to the edges — requiring expensive-to-maintain roads, sewers, and services — while existing neighborhoods stay frozen. Small businesses are kneecapped by restrictions on where they can operate, struggling homeowners are unable to capitalize on their property for supplemental income, people are forced to drive longer distances, and city coffers are sucked dry by the maintenance burden of all that extra infrastructure.
Sacramento’s grand suburban experiment has shown us that everybody loses.
Our Actions
In 2024 we advocated for key reforms which were ultimately adopted:
- ✅ Elimination of single-family-exclusive zoning.
- ✅ Elimination of parking mandates citywide.
- ✅ Increase of maximum development intensities near transit.
- ✅ Reintroduction of mixed-use zoning citywide.
These reforms enable us to build more missing-middle housing — like duplexes, triplexes, cottage courts — and mixed-use buildings — like corner stores with apartments above — within established suburban neighborhoods. For the first time in 70+ years, Sacramento’s Suburban Experiment has begun to unwind.
There’s still more work to do! Help make a difference, join our Housing Working Group, which meets in-person monthly.
Gallery
