This month, the Third District Court of Appeal issued two unpublished opinions on pending CEQA suits challenging the Railyards development in Sacramento. Both opinions affirm the decisions of the trial court and conclude that the City of Sacramento complied with CEQA when it adopted the Railyards Specific Plan and the Railyards Redevelopment Plan.

In Sacramento Citizens Concerned About the Railyards v. City of Sacramento (C065220, Oct. 7, 2015), the Court held that the program EIR for the Railyards Specific Plan adequately described historic and archaeological resources, provided adequate information regarding water quality impacts, appropriately described the project, did not improperly segment review of the project’s cistern, and adequately analyzed traffic and air quality impacts.

In the second case, Castro v. City of Sacramento (C062091, Oct. 9, 2015), the petitioners challenged the City’s decision to amend the 1990 Richards Boulevard Plan to remove 300 acres from its boundaries and rename it the River District Redevelopment Plan. Those 300 acres then became the new Railyards Redevelopment Plan. Petitioners challenged the City’s adoption of the Railyards Redevelopment Plan under CEQA, arguing that the EIR improperly tiered from the Railyards Specific Plan EIR, the environmental review was improperly segmented, and the EIR failed to analyze and mitigate toxic air contaminants. The Court disagreed and affirmed the trial court’s judgment in the City’s favor.