Placer County applauds Sacramento State Placer Center approval

Published on March 25, 2020

Placer County Board of Supervisor members applaud the advancement of the Sacramento State Placer Center, signaling the Sunset Area Plan update and Placer Ranch Specific Plan as an upcoming jobs and education center.

According to a Sacramento State news release, the California State Board of Trustees yesterday approved a donation of 300-acres from entrepreneur and philanthropist Eli Broad and his company, Placer Ranch, Inc. for the future Sacramento State Placer Center.

“I am delighted. This is a key step toward a grand vision of additional higher education in Placer County,”  said Placer County District 2 Supervisor Robert Weygandt. “We have great partners and an extraordinary opportunity.”

“Congratulations to Sacramento State and California State Board of Trustees on reaching this momentous milestone,” said District 4 Supervisor Kirk Uhler. “Placer Center is a major achievement for the future of south Placer County and our region.”

The Sunset Area is an 8,497-acre area in unincorporated Placer County between the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln. Placer Ranch is a 2,213-acre development within the Sunset Area Plan, centered around a planned new California State University, Sacramento and Sierra College campus.

The goal of the Sunset Area Plan update, initiated in 2014, is to re-envision and re-brand the Sunset Area to create a unique employment, entertainment and education center that would provide regional benefit and create high-wage jobs for residents of nearby cities and unincorporated areas.

The Placer Ranch Specific Plan is a development project that includes approximately 8.5 million square feet of commercial, employment and university-related, non-residential use; of which 4.5 million square feet would be located in a campus park district that would include office, research and development, light industrial and commercial uses. 

At build-out, the school could support as many as 25,000 Sac State students. Sierra College may plan to locate a transfer center on the site to serve an additional 5,000 students. Ultimately, it’s envisioned that students will be able to begin their studies at Sierra College and complete four-year degrees at the same Placer campus.

Together, the Sunset Area Placer and Placer Ranch Specific Plan are intended to create more than 55,000 new jobs, catalyzed by proximity to the university campus.