Update: This story states that Sacramento County will vote to approve the Upper Westside Specific Plan on Tuesday. After publication, the county announced it expects to postpone Tuesday's scheduled vote on the Upper Westside project approval due to a board member's absence. County staff recommended delaying the item so all five board members could be present for a decision. A new date has not been announced yet.
Sacramento County’s Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on a housing development in the Natomas Basin that the Sacramento City Council has already formally opposed. The Upper Westside project for the past year has been the source of ongoing tension between the county and city elected leaders.
Its plans include building out 9,400 homes for about 25,000 people and creating a new community near the Sacramento International Airport, one the size of a small city. If completed, the community would stretch 2,000 acres along Garden Highway. The City Council voted 8 to 1 to oppose the development last August. It sent a formal letter urging the county not to proceed with it.
Discussions about the Natomas project have taken place since 2018. But when the city opposed it, council members argued it violates an agreement made in 2002 between the city and county to preserve land near the Sacramento River as protected agricultural open space.
Councilmember Karina Talmantes, who represents part of Natomas, has continued to push back on the project as it returns to the county for approval this week. This week, she took to social media to urge the county to delay its vote. She said the development would hurt the communities she represents.
Councilmember Karina Talamantes opposes the development that could come near the district she represents on August 12, 2025.Tony Rodriguez/CapRadio
“The project in itself is basically the size of Galt … you are building a city the size of Galt right next to many residential neighborhoods,” she said, pointing to what she described as “many unanswered questions” about transportation, public safety and schools.
Heather Fargo was Sacramento’s mayor when the conservation plans were adopted. She said the project is moving forward without environmental concern for the protected land and road planning.
“They have no reliable source of water. They have no plans to improve the transportation issues or transportation improvements that should be done on either the Interstate 80 or the two-lane roads that connect to it,” Fargo said.
She also raised concerns about the county's prioritization of housing development. She said the county has housing projects approved elsewhere in the region that have yet to be built, and that it would stretch into the threatened Swainson’s hawk's natural habitat and nesting area.
“The [development would] encroach into the one-mile buffer… basically wipe it out… the birds will have to move … and move closer to the airport,” Fargo said.
Supporters of the project argue the region still faces a housing shortage. They say developments like Upper Westside are needed to increase supply and bring down costs.
Ronnie Bell, who is running for the District 2 seat on the Board of Supervisors, said he backs the project.
“Right now our number one concern has to be finding affordable homes for the people who don’t have them,” Bell said.
Bell also pushed back on concerns about the Swainson’s hawk, arguing that environmental protections should not outweigh the need for housing.
“I don't mean to sound flippant, but we have a housing crisis. So, the hawk will have to be moved. And I'm sure the hawk will be fine, Sacramento is a huge area,” Bell said. “There is ample room on those waterways for the hawk to find a new place to live and to raise its offspring.”
CapRadio reached out to County Supervisor Phil Serna, who represents the Natomas area and has previously supported the project. Serna did not respond ahead of publication.
If approved on Tuesday, the county-led plans to build the project would move forward. Additional planning and approval from the county would be needed before construction begins. The Board of Supervisors is expected to take public comment at its 2 p.m. meeting before making a final decision.
Additional reporting contributed by CapRadio reporter, Riley Palmer.
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