Doesn't seem like Sacramento county has learned anything from the environmental and economic disaster these types of development brought this last decade.
Sacramento County may open 20,000 acres to development
rlewis@sacbee.com
PUBLISHED TUESDAY, JUL. 27, 2010
Despite a home construction collapse caused by the recession, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors is considering opening 20,000 acres of land to future development.
When combined with existing open parcels, the expansion could hold a city two-thirds the size of Sacramento. Even county planners have warned that the plan would provide a "substantial excess supply" of land.
Supporters say supervisors are being sage, freeing space for the region and its economy to grow. Detractors say they are abdicating their primary responsibility: to engineer transit-friendly "smart growth" over sprawl.
They also point out that the move could hand a hefty profit to landowners, many of whom have contributed generously to supervisors' campaigns.
"It's going to enrich a handful of people ridiculously, filthily, to the detriment of thousands," charged David Mogavero, a local architect and spokesman for the Environmental Council of Sacramento, a coalition of environmental and civic groups.
Three landowners – Teichert Land Co.; Angelo G. Tsakopoulos; and Conwy LLC, run by Charles Somers and Ron Alvarado – own about 40 percent of the two proposed growth areas.
After years in the works, the general plan update to guide county growth through 2030 appears to be just months from a vote. Approval by county supervisors would open 8,000 acres of land east of Grant Line Road and 12,000 acres along Jackson Road to development.
But the draft plan update is based largely on pre-recession growth projections that the county would need an additional 100,000 housing units by 2030.
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments now predicts demand could be half that, said Mike McKeever, executive director of SACOG, which helps coordinate transportation planning and funding in the region.
Development proponents say that if recent history is an indicator, projections fluctuate wildly and could easily spike again, said John Costa, the North State Building Industry Association's senior legislative advocate.
"We're planning a strategy of growth for the next 25 years in this county," Costa said. "We don't want to be caught in a position where demand goes up and we don't have supply."
Environmentalists and smart-growth backers argue there is more than enough capacity within the current Urban Policy Area – the general plan boundary for growth. Opening up so much more, they say, would promote sprawl and would burden the county with added infrastructure costs.
"It will just be a whole bunch of new houses with no infrastructure," said Stuart Helfand, chairman of the Vineyard Area Community Planning Advisory Council and a 40-year resident of the Vineyard area, adjacent to the new growth areas.
Mass transportation options already are limited, Helfand pointed out. "There's no money to do all this stuff."
But since developers must pay for infrastructure, the market itself will limit the sprawl, Costa countered. "In this county, we haven't seen projects that are in the middle of nowhere," Costa said. "The county is not going to allow that growth tomorrow."
A landowner bonanza
If the expanded general plan passes and the board opens the 20,000 acres to development, the value of that land – a mix of grazing grounds and mining property – will increase exponentially overnight.
The three biggest potential winners – Conwy, Teichert, Tsakopoulos, along with affiliates, employees and family members – together have donated at least $46,325 to supervisors since January 2007. Most of that went to Supervisor Roger Dickinson, records show.
Other companies and individuals that own sizable amounts of land in the areas under review – such as the Sacramento Rendering Co. and Granite Construction – also have given to supervisors.
Consultant Michelle Smira is working with Conwy LLC on a proposed development east of Grant Line Road. It would roll out over several years based on market demand, she said, and only after a lengthy environmental review.
Smira also said everyone involved in the Cordova Hills project has adhered to campaign finance limits.
Teichert officials noted their land would be the least controversial to develop. The nearly 4,000 acres Teichert mines just south of Jackson Road is adjacent to existing development. Environmentalists agree it would be the most logical place for growth.
Angelo G. Tsakopoulos – nephew of one of the region's largest land speculators, Angelo K. Tsakopoulos – did not return calls for comment.
Dickinson disputed any notion that big campaign contributors sway land use decisions.
The District 1 supervisor has received significant support from developers in races for both local and state office, including at least $21,599 in contributions from Angelo G. Tsakopoulos and affiliates since 2007, and $6,600 from Teichert and affiliates.
"You can't simply say, 'So and so gave me a bunch of money; therefore, so and so gets whatever he wants from me,' " Dickinson said.
The longtime supervisor said he does have concerns about the acreage the update would open to development, particularly agricultural land.
Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan said those who complain about developer influence often overlook the strict contribution limits for Sacramento County supervisors: a maximum of $20,000 in non-election years.
"The amount of money any of us can receive from any particular developer is very limited," MacGlashan said.
Individuals can give up to $500 to supervisor candidates; companies with 25 or more employees can donate $1,000 in election years. In non-election years the cap for both individuals and companies is $250, according to the county elections department.
Dickinson raised more because limits for statewide office are more generous.
Expansion seems certain
Debate in the weeks and months to come might not focus so much on the amount of land the county could open to development. Supervisor Don Nottoli was among those who acknowledged he hasn't heard any recent discussion about paring down the Urban Policy Area expansion proposal.
If true, the debate would shift from changing the boundary to the policies that should guide development within the new development area.
"The real key here will be in the shaping of the growth management policy," said Robert Sherry, the county's planning director.
Planning staff already are talking with developers about three possible projects in the proposed growth areas.
Conwy LLC is the furthest along. The firm has applied to develop Cordova Hills on 2,700 acres east of Grant Line Road. The rollout would include up to 8,000 housing units and a 6,000-student campus for the new, private University of Sacramento, said Smira, Conwy's consultant.
Two other projects are in a "pre-application" stage: New Brighton by Stonebridge Properties, a Teichert subsidiary, and Newbridge on the site of the Sacramento Rendering Co. plant.
Teichert's plans include turning nearly 4,000 acres the company has mined for sand and gravel since the early 1930s into a community of almost 6,500 housing units, according to county documents.
The rendering company tried to file an application to develop its 810 acres at Kiefer and Sunrise boulevards, but that application was rejected by planning staff pending an update of the general plan.
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