South Natomas Topgolf wins city approval, clears path to construction.
Sacramento’s Planning and Design Commission voted August 28 to approve entitlements for a Topgolf facility in South Natomas, clearing the way for a major new entertainment venue along Interstate 5.
The two-story, 45,000-square-foot complex will feature an 80-bay driving range, full-service restaurant, bar, and event spaces on a vacant 14.5-acre site off Venture Oaks Way. Safety netting up to 156 feet tall will enclose the outfield, and the venue plans to operate until midnight on weeknights and 2 a.m. on weekends. The project will also include 350 parking spaces.
Associate Planner Zach Dahla told commissioners the property has sat empty for decades, despite multiple PUD amendments. “The project is located northeast of Venture Oaks Way at a vacant 14.5-acre parcel adjacent to Interstate 5 and surrounded by a variety of office, hotel, and supportive commercial uses,” he said. “Residential subdivisions are also located 600 feet to the west, past Gateway Oaks Drive.”
The proposal required amendments to the Gateway Centre Planned Unit Development, a conditional use permit, design review, and a tree permit for the removal of eight protected trees.
Community feedback was divided. Dahla reported receiving three e-comments and ten letters of support, including letters from the Natomas Chamber of Commerce and the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, but also nine letters and four e-comments in opposition from local residents that highlight concerns with light pollution, noise, and traffic and safety impacts.
Topgolf Site Video
City staff, however, concluded the impacts were limited. “Lighting associated with the outdoor driving range will be mounted at the building edge and pointed towards the playing field, away from the neighboring residential and commercial uses,” Dahla said. He added that traffic studies showed only minor one- to two-second delays at adjacent intersections, with one to two car lengths of additional queuing.
Topgolf’s representatives argued the project will transform a dormant parcel into a regional draw. “This site has sat vacant for all that time,” said Ryan Hooper, an attorney for the company. He reminded commissioners that a 12-story office tower once approved here never materialized.
By comparison, Hooper said, the Topgolf plan is modest: “Some of you may be familiar with the Roseville location. This is indeed smaller. That Roseville location is three stories and 102 bays. So this is a little bit more compact version.”
He also highlighted jobs and revenue: “They are going to bring 300 new jobs to Sacramento to operate this facility. It’s expected that this project will generate between $150 million and $250 million of economic benefit to the area, not including tax revenue to the city.”
In the end, commissioners agreed with staff that the project fits the city’s 2040 General Plan, which supports more entertainment and cultural options in areas outside downtown.
Now that the project is approved, Topgolf can move forward with building permit review before construction. Once open, the South Natomas location will be the second Topgolf in the Sacramento area, joining the one in Roseville.
