County opens 20,000 acres to growth - Business First of Columbus:

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That acreage is about one-third larger than the city of Rancho But alongside those acres ofnew development, the Generakl Plan 2030 also calls for 21st century-style growth by rerouting some development to infillo sites as well as to decayingy and underutilized commercial corridors. The plan anticipateds the unincorporated portions of the countgy willneed 99,700 new home over the next 20 years, abouft 50,000 more than can be accommodated withim its existing urban area. The proposed general plan was first presented Monday to officiale atSacramento County’s Planning Commission. It ultimately must be approverd by the Boardof Supervisors. The plan has been sevenj years inthe making.
Much has changed during that including the proliferation ofsustainabls design, the region’s blueprint for “smar t growth” and the rise and devastating fall of the housinb bubble. It may be an onerous task for stafrf to mull decades of population and economic growthb at a time when no one is building new shopping centers or But just as landowners have been using the downtimw to plan for a return of the construction market, planners have been anticipating growthu patterns over the long “One thing we’re trying to champion is complete communitie with a mix of development and (to) integrater uses as much as planner David DeFanti said.
“That means a diversity of transportation, retail.” The proposed general plan followsthe region’ws blueprint for smart growth that valuesx infill and eschews leapfrog development. Principal planner Leighann Moffittr said it does not ask officials to expandthe county’es urban services boundary, which is a near-sacrosanc border established in 1993 between urban and rural But it does envision expanding the county’zs urban policy area, a line that markes the existing urban-rural divide and occasionally shifts farther out from the urbanm core.
There are two main new growth areas underfthis plan, both with multiple The first comprises 12,000 acres of industrial and agricultural land along the Jackso Highway corridor between Sacramentk and Rancho Cordova. It includes mining property ownedd by the Teichert group ofcompanies that’s envisioned to be developed into new communities as mining operations wind down. The second area of growthn consistsof 8,000 acres of primarily grazinbg land east of Grant Line Road bordering Rancho Cordova. Prominent land developer controlsabout 2,40p0 acres of that property and was the firsg to propose a new community there.
Last Conwy submitted an application for an expansive set of villagess and other development that includesa full-scalee residential campus for the . “There was an initial concern this isleapfrog development, but we are contiguous to existin g development,” said Michelle a spokeswoman for noting that the projec t borders Rancho Cordova’s Sunrise-Douglas Community Plan. A groundbreaking for the universityg was originally expected next year but that has been pusheto 2011, Smira In accordance with the county’s blueprin t for smart growth, General Plan 2030 directs some growthh to infill sites.
These include parcelzs near the former McClellan Air Baseand under-used sites in the county’sw 14 commercial corridors. Moffitt said the transformation of McClellan into a businesx park has opened up areas of development that previouslyh had been restricted due to noise andsafetyt concerns. The areas being considered near the base are west of Watt Before the realestate downturn, developerw had been proposing projects in that area, she Perhaps the most unconventional aspect of the propose d General Plan is the decision to revitalize commercialk corridors, such as stretches of Watt Avenuw and Folsom Boulevard.
County staff estimated the plan could allow anadditional 19,0000 homes along those corridors. That would eliminate the need to put thosw homes onagricultural land. Smallefr parcels scattered throughout the county could accommodate thousandsmore homes. Planninvg for four of the commerciao corridors alreadyhas started, principal planner Tricia Stevenas said. The idea is to revamp restrictive zoningy and allowmixed uses, including homes and apartments, in areazs that previously were limited to strip centers. The county also planss to make the corridors more attractive by buryin gutility lines, planting vegetation and enhancing the streetscapes.
Althoughj cash is tight at the Stevens said funding will come from grants and redevelopmenyt money generated through taxes inredevelopment zones. The procesxs of writing a general plan has taken so long that one major new growth project originally envisioned as part of the plan is alreadtyunder way. applied to rezond a portion of 6,000 acres it owns for redevelopmentrlast year. The aerospacd company wants todevelop 4,80p0 residential lots as well as commercial and office space on 1,391 acres south of Highway 50 betweemn Rancho Cordova and Folsom in the Easton planninh area. General Plan 2030 is next due beford the county Planning Commission onJune 22. Other workshops coul d follow.
It could be the fall before it is formallty adopted by the Boardof “The purpose of the plan is to set DeFanti said. “The details will follow.”