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Old Posted Jul 10, 2007, 11:24 PM
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Southport conference center, resort planned
By Michael Shaw of The Sacramento Business Journal

July 6, 2007

A conference center and spa resort could highlight a massive development just south of West Sacramento and shelve plans for college student housing.

Developer Riviera Lakes Joint Venture is still considering an active-adult community -- part of an earlier plan -- but is now proposing to add a resort on 587 acres, said Steve Patek, West Sacramento's community development director. The project has a new name: Vina del Lago.



The developer has also curbed the active-adult community from 2,500 to 2,200 homes and will focus on a resort, possibly including a hotel, instead of the earlier idea called University Park, which focused on student housing. Riviera Lakes officials hope the city will annex the riverfront property.

The altered plan comes just as the city decides how it will guide development in Southport, the southern area of West Sacramento surrounded by the Sacramento River and the deep water ship channel. It's been the city's most active site for new housing developments over the past few years.

Three large communities, including Vina del Lago, would bring a total of about 8,000 homes. This month, the City Council is expected to determine how it will process applications for those developments, whether to examine them together or individually.

The other developments are:

Yarbrough Village, a planned lakeside community with 3,004 homes, a public golf course and trails proposed by ASB Properties Investments LLC.
River Park, a 2,788-home project along 500 acres of riverfront property proposed by Richland Planned Communities Inc.
Richland senior vice president Steve Thurtle said his company remains interested in pursuing its project despite additional costs on developers to improve and repair the city's levees. If the company's project is entitled this year, new-home construction could start in 2009. But construction also depends on an improving new-home market, he said.

Patek said if the applications proceed as expected, public hearings on the two developments could be held this year.

Vina del Lago's representatives could not be reached for comment this week.

City Councilman Mark Johannessen said he wants to know what the developments add to the city before he will consider supporting them.

"My main focus is that we need to determine all the development within the next 15 years and see what benefits they'll offer," he said. "It's got to be a net benefit to the city, or why are we doing it?"

One of the major concerns is traffic. Adding 8,000 homes would further strain Southport's main thoroughfare, Jefferson Boulevard, Patek said. Dealing with that may be difficult, although city staff are preparing a report that will detail options, such as blocking certain left-hand turn lanes to keep traffic moving.

There are no immediate plans to add access points to Southport, which residents reach essentially by one bridge. There had been talk of a new bridge to Sacramento at Broadway, although those plans have cooled in recent months.

It would be an issue as well for Vina del Lago, situated south of West Sacramento's city limits.

The developers have suggested that they build a levee along the city's new southern border if they're annexed into West Sacramento.

Currently, the levee at the city's southern edge isn't adequate flood protection for new homes. Farmers built the levees to protect their fields, not neighborhoods or a resort.

Patek said it's not considered a primary levee, meaning that it doesn't abut water, but improvements would be needed to protect new homes.

http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sa...09/story3.html
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