It is appropriate, in the provision of local public infrastructure, that some money needs to come from the locality, and growth of housing stock increases financial resources available to the locality.
West Sac levee squeeze
To fund the local share of a river shield, housing is planned in floodplain.
By Lakiesha McGhee - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, August 13, 2007
West Sacramento officials say they are caught in a "Catch-22" as the city struggles against time to secure $400 million for levee improvements.
The dilemma centers on several proposals that would add more than 8,000 homes and other developments to the city's Southport area, which is in a floodplain and has a buildout of 16,000 homes.
To increase density, developers want to annex 537 acres at West Sacramento's southern boundary and rezone most of the large vacant properties remaining in Southport. About 11,250 people live there.
City officials say more money from development fees and assessments would more quickly generate an $84 million share for levee improvements to meet new federal standards after Hurricane Katrina. West Sacramento's levee work would be paid mostly by state and federal resources, which often require a local match, city officials said.
"The city is in a position where it has to increase density to pay for additional improvements," said Councilman Mark Johannessen. He explained that allowing higher density would also allow Southport developers to help fund other community needs, such as enhanced roads, an "ultra light-rail" system or other public transportation.
On a recent afternoon, Johannessen drove along one of Southport's narrow levee roads. As he reached the city limits to the south, he stopped to point out an expanse of former farmland proposed to be the site of thousands of homes and an 18-hole public golf course.
"If you don't grow, you die," Johannessen said. "But you have to consider the people who are here and have respect for existing neighborhoods. You don't want to move too much too fast."
