Developers of the Placer Ranch project have announced plans to seek annexation of their land into the City of Roseville in hopes of building their project in city limits, which would require that they ultimately withdraw their application to build the new community in the unincorporated area of Placer County.
The proposed Placer Ranch project would be located on approximately 2,213 acres in the county’s Sunset Industrial Area north of Roseville and west of Rocklin. It would include 6,700 dwelling units, plus 290 acres for a state university campus.
Placer Ranch Partners LP has been working on the project with county staff since 2003.
“Placer Ranch Partners’ announcement comes as a disappointment to all of us, since the county was within weeks of releasing the draft Environmental Impact Report, and had been looking forward to bringing the project to our Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors,” said Thomas M. Miller, County Executive Officer.
“Throughout our process, the county has held closely the principles of our general plan, which requires that new development pay its own way. Our staff has been working diligently to assure that this project be financially neutral to the taxpayers," he said.
“Additionally, our general plan also calls for protection of the county’s Sunset Industrial Area as an employment area to provide primary wage earner jobs,” Miller said. “It’s critical that we also protect the nearby Western Regional Sanitary Landfill against encroachment by homes, which could greatly reduce its ability to serve residents in the future.”
"The county has been working toward positive outcomes in each of these cases," Miller said.
"The county has worked in good faith with the developer over the last 4 years to create a development plan for Placer Ranch consistent with comprehensive community plan written for the Sunset Industrial Area," said Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt, who represents District 2 where the project would be located.
"The SIA remains the largest industrial site in the region. The county's main goal from the beginning has been to attract primary wage earner jobs close to home.”
“Obviously the county believes all these issues will still need to be addressed should the developer move forward with an annexation proposal,” Miller said.
“However, the County has a long history of working with Placer County cities and we would expect to continue that working relationship with the Roseville while resolving these important land use and fiscal issues."