Ever want to know what it takes to get a building built?  Don't understand the planning process?  As a REALTOR and active community member I did.  To find the answers I turned to to Sacramento City Planning Academy.

For anyone interested in how things "get done" in Sacramento the City of Sacramento Planning Academy is just the ticket.  As a  graduate of the City's 5th Planning Academy, I was very pleased with the quality of the program and information provided, both from City Staff, public officials, and private sector individuals. 

Since the Planning Academy's inception several years ago approximately 175 residents have attended the City Planning Academy.  Most have continued in their community involvement and some have even gone on to sit on the City Planning Commission, other City Commissions or Boards and one past Planning Academy graduate has even gone won a seat on the City Council. 

The City Planning Academy was a structured six week course run by the Development Services Department of the City of Sacramento.  The Academy was specifically designed to educate and engage residents and business and community leaders in the Citys planning process.

The sessions were designed to include discussion, Q&A, interactive group exercises, and field trip of projects throughout the city. Classes covered a broad spectrum of planning issues and practices, including:

• The City's General Plan Update process and how citizens can be involved
• The legal and implementation framework for planning
• Examples of smart growth and sustainable development
• Successful elements of classic, older neighborhoods
• The City's infill strategy
• Transit Oriented Development (TOD)
• Community involvement in plannin decisions

The Planning Academy gave students the tools to:

• Identify the regional costs and impacts associated with urban sprawl versus infill development
• Identify the elements of successful projects
• Effectively participate in the planning and development review process
• Educate other community members about smart growth and how they can support development proposals.

The class size was 25 and each of us were from different neighborhoods and diverse backgrounds.  Each student brought many ideas and areas of interest, concerns and/or activism with them.  Hopefully most of us left with knowledge of the development process and a better understanding of the issues facing the many parts of our great and growing community.

The Planning Academy was a phenomenal way for me to learn about development and the challenges faced by residents, developers, and the City government in one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas. I would encourage anyone interested to look at the City's website http://www.cityofsacramento.org for more info or to contact assistant planners Mr. Ashley Feeney or Ms. Helen Selph in the City's Development Services Department.