Placer County Presentation:  Sunset Area & Placer Ranch Project       

Date:  5/1/2018 Presentation hosted by Blue Oaks and Fiddyment Farm NAs at Fiddyment Farm Elementary

Before an audience of 40 interested area members, Placer County representatives Crystal Jacobsen (Principal Planner) and Michelle Kingsbury (Principal Management Analyst) gave an introductory overview of the Sunset Area and Placer Ranch Projects currently pending in the early planning stages.  Ms. Jacobsen indicated more public presentations will be held with the community as plans proceed with experts in their divisions, such as Traffic and Environmental.  She said the Environmental Analysis is still pending, so she couldn’t address it yet.

Ms. Jacobsen gave a brief history of the area and scope of the project beginning with early plans in 1968, 1997 and more recently.  There was no casino during those earlier plans for the area.  Beginning 2014, the County Board of Supervisors began considering plans to promote industrial and economic growth in the area, and incorporated plans for a public university to benefit the community.  The current proposed project would draw 15,000 jobs to the Sunset Area Plan (SAP), another 16,000 jobs to the Placer Ranch Specific Plan (PRSP), and would include new dwelling units.

Ms. Jacobsen said the Sunset Area is a ‘policy document’, not a ‘specific plan’ proposal like that of the Placer Ranch Specific Plan project (although it wasn’t made clear what that difference really entailed).  Plans have been posted on the County website, including timelines and reports rendered up to the current date.  Details of the plans include zoning regulations, capital improvements, and specific proposed areas (i.e. the Innovation and Entertainment Centers).  The Administrative Draft EIR is expected December of 2018. 

Issues raised to this date to be addressed throughout the project included:

• Existing areas and proposed changes to the County’s General Plan.
• Density increases from 21 units/acre to 30 units/acre (as now allowed)
• Proposal to reduce the current “one-mile Buffer Restriction Policy” of the Landfill:  their research now indicates there is apparently no state restriction policy. 
• Allowance for residential use, allow housing above Placer Ranch area.
• Transportation issues—incorporate measures to reduce impacts on traffic.

The buffer restrictions of the landfill would be reduced as follows:

• 2,000 feet for residential
• 1,000 feet for commercial
• 500 feet for recreational, and on a case-by-case review, could be reduced to 300 feet.

County Superintendent Jack Duran indicated the County is looking at 20-years of the landfill and possible relocation in the future. Ms. Jacobsen said they are working on refinements from comments gathered.  A map was presented showing the proposed “buffer zones” and is available on the County’s project website.  

Ms. Jacobsen discussed Placer Parkway as a key element of the plans.  Placer Parkway will eventually link Hwy 65 at Whitney Ranch westward to Hwy 99.  She stated the County had already contributed $6,000,000 towards the 1^st phase planning and the County intends to assist with the 2^nd stage construction as funding is available.  Michelle Kingsbury said $20,000,000 has been set aside towards construction. 

Michelle Kingsbury discussed elements of the Placer Ranch Specific Plan and Sunset Plans: 

• University—300-acre satellite campus of Sacramento State, within 20-years to expand to the size of Sacramento’s campus with 12,000 students, plus another 5,000 students from Sierra College. 
• Placer Ranch PKWY—3 miles of Placer Pkwy along its northern development.
• 5,827 dwelling units in the PRSP, containing low/medium/high density units, including 720 age-restricted units.  High density would increase from 21 units/acre to 30 units/acre. 
• One Elementary and one middle school.   
• Campus Park—offices, light industrial, act as buffer between the landfill.
• Town Center—high density residential along University Drive and the town Center Lane areas.
• Bike paths and trails for alternate transportation.  Over 250 acres of parks and open space; park sites adjacent to schools. 
• Improvements to Fiddyment Road, Foothills Blvd., and Hwy 65.
• Placer County Water Agency will be the water source, using existing structure, regional water tanks; and connect water treatment through to the plant at Pleasant Grove.

Ms. Kingsbury said they’re keeping communication with stakeholders to the projects—Cities of Roseville, Rocklin, and Lincoln; Sacramento State; landowners; WPWMA, and reaching out local neighborhoods through meetings like this one. 

Next expectations:  the release of the EIR and updates to plans based on outreach.  The draft EIR is expected in late summer of 2018, with the final EIR due in early 2019. 

Audience questions were addressed on the following topics:

Q:  Police & Fire?    County Fire Station 77 is the existing station, but they are still considering an additional one in the PRSP.  The Sheriff covers the area and provides for its staffing levels.

Q:  Hospital?   Medical facilities could be an “allowable use” of the land areas.

Q:  Independent City?  No, the area will remain unincorporated Placer County.

Q:  Regional Parks?  Residents will pay regional park fees, could be co-op with the college, looking for other opportunities with master plans throughout the county.

Q:  Waste Water Capacity?  Looking at expansion of current plant; current plans to go to Pleasant Grove plant, discussions with Lincoln Plant, working with policy of PRSP--$200,000 study underway.  The EIR Must address all issues of potable water sources and waste water issues.

Q:  Placer PKWY—college funds to pay all the way to 99?  No, all development will pay fees through building permits. 

Q:  Housing Development?  Probably take several years through usual permitting process after approval; development will depend on the market interest. 

Q:  College Development?  Sacramento State is negotiating and very committed to the site; Regional University out west off Baseline—no current active plans.

Ms. Jacobsen asked for audience approval to provide her the list of participants from tonight’s sign-in sheets so everyone might be added to their contact update list.  Hearing no objections, Mrs. Cook (FFNA) will send the sign-in sheets to Ms. Jacobsen. 

More information is available on the Placer County Website, and you can contact Ms. Jacobsen at her email address:  cjacobsen@placer.ca.gov.