By the time an item goes before City Council the issue has already been decided. Currently the developer is preparing an amendment to the existing Railyards EIR. The Notice of Preparation went out in June, and the comment period (basically asking for what sort of things they should look for) ended 30 days later in late July.
Environmental impact reports are hosted on the City website, here:
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/Comm...Impact-Reports
And here's a link specifically to the Railyards NOP.
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/~/me...e%20062615.pdf
The next step is a Draft EIR, probably a few months out, that will explain their proposal, and that's what the Planning Commission will be reviewing. If you want to participate in the process, you have several options. You can write a letter to the city where you critique the conclusions of the EIR, addressed to the planner in charge.
You can contact the members of the Planning Commission, here is their contact info:
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/Comm...20and%20Design . You can contact any of them, schedule a meeting, and present what you (or a group you represent) think about the Railyards project, discuss the importance of the existing plan, or your concerns about proposed changes like those reported in the media--or you can discuss what you like about that plan.
Keep an eye on the
Planning Commission page and the news for announcement of the completed Draft EIR. You can write a letter to the city critiquing the EIR, pointing out anything you think they did wrong or should have done differently, and the city has to respond to each letter section by section--although they don't necessarily have to change anything, just explain how the city is doing its due diligence by giving a complete analysis of the environmental impact of the project.
Generally there will be a Planning meeting about the Draft EIR asking for Commissioner input, on the EIR and on the project. Go to that too, and reiterate whatever message you gave them at your private meeting.
Heck, while you're at it, contact the developer, especially if you represent an organization or group that has a vested interest in the project, and ask to either meet with one of their representatives or maybe even get a presentation about the project. The worst they can do is say no, and you might get a chance to learn more about what they have in mind--and maybe help inform them of local priorities that might expose them to new ideas.
The biggest hazards I see are the fact that the developer is primarily used to dealing with industrial properties in suburban settings, rather than a city center, and the increased traffic (and increased VMTs and pollution) that the changes in the EIR will bring, since there will be less housing in the project, and more employment centers. Because the central city already has a huge jobs: housing imbalance, unless the housing capacity exceeds the workforce capacity by a considerable margin (since only about 40% of the population is in the workforce) it means people will largely have to commute to the planned employment centers and corporate campuses in the new, more business-centered (and thus more commuter-centered) railyard. Will they mitigate the changes through investment in public transit to reduce VMTs? Increase potential long-term population via leaving open spots for high-rise residential along the waterfront while beginning the first phase with mid-rise? You can ask questions, suggest alternatives, point out concerns.
And then, of course, a project this big will probably go to City Council, which means you can individually lobby councilmembers and do the same thing you did with Commissioners, including showing up at Council meetings.
I do this stuff quite a lot, it's more fun than fantasy football or staying home watching the Food Network. I recommend dressing warmly (the council chambers are usually really cold) and having a Gatorade or something before the meeting (no food in the chambers, something to boost your electrolytes will help you avoid getting fatigued in what could be 5-6 hours of sitting in Council chambers) and make sure your phone or laptop is charged if you're going to Web-surf while waiting for your item, do last minute Google searches to fact-check people, or live-tweet from the meeting!