New Application submitted for a 4-Story, 180-Unit Low-Income Apartment Complex off Rocklin Road

(PART OF SIERRA COLLEGE’S “COLLEGE PARK SOUTH” 36-ACRE DEVELOPMENT)

Sneaking it in under a separate application?
Location: South side of Rocklin Road, approximately 200 feet west of Havenhurst Circle in the Cresleigh Sierra subdivision. (approx. 200 feet east of the college overflow parking lot)

Application Received: June 15, 2021

The property owner is Sierra Joint Community College District. The applicant is USA Properties Fund, Inc. who, along with other College Park developers, donated to Joe Patterson’s 2020 election campaign…

USA Properties is already in contract with Sierra College! There hasn’t even been any public hearings on the College Park project!!

The project is a request for approval of a Design Review to construct a 180-unit (4-story) affordable “senior community” (low rent apartments) on a 7.3-acre portion of a larger 13.4-acre parcel. The site is located within the boundaries of the College Park project, which is being processed concurrently. College Park is a proposed multi-entitlement project totaling approximately 108 acres in eastern Rocklin in two locations along Rocklin Road. As the approval of College Park would create the 7.3-acre project site and rezone the property to allow for development and operation of a senior care facility, the College Park project is required to be approved prior to the approval of the proposed Design Review.

Note: Senior housing facilities generate significant impacts on local fire and police for 911 medical emergency calls. Lots of sirens already in this area.

The site is accessed via a single driveway entrance (in/out) on Rocklin Road.

Community Summary (pg. 2 of 6)
“The community aka apartments consists of a mainly 4-story building with surface parking. The proposed total gross building area is approximately 154,962 SF, including 1 bedroom apartments…”

Pictures begin at pg. 22 of 52 in the attachment using the below link.
https://www.rocklin.ca.us/…/sierra_college_sr_apts…
 

                         

The College Park development has doubled the number of residential units to its project. The developer claims the City of Rocklin is making them do this. The developer is currently in contract with another low-income housing developer to put a 3 to 4 story, 180-unit low income apartment complex on the NE corner of the 36-acre parcel off El Don Drive. Additionally, the developer said on the 72-acre parcel off Rocklin Road and Sierra College Blvd. they are adding a 3-story, 270-unit apartment complex along the northern border of Rocklin Road. At the corner of Rocklin Rd and SC Blvd. will be retail. Why is the City of Rocklin and the developer having back room meetings and deciding what will be approved by the City? Apparently public comments at the pending public hearings hearings on this project mean nothing. And the City of Rocklin’s posture on this terrible development that will impact our community beyond recognition is “it’s the College’s Property and they can do whatever they want.” True statement by a City Councilmember.

3 Drop Off Locations

April 24, 2021

Bring items between 7:30 am – 3:00 pm to the following locations:

• Sierra College, Overflow parking lot on Rocklin Road & El Don
• City of Rocklin Corporation Yard, 4081 Alvis Ct. (Open until 3:30)
• Whitney Park, 1801 Whitney Ranch Pkwy

Click Here for more Information

Update as of March 1, 2021…

According to the City today, they still do not have an Administrative DEIR (Draft Environmental Impact Report) for internal review by the City so the prior prediction of the DEIR being out in the spring and hearings this summer are not coming to fruition. The City is now predicting that the DEIR will be out this summer with public hearings in the fall/winter time frame.

There will be one public hearing before the Planning Commission to approve/change/deny the DEIR (and project). If the Planning Commissioners approve of the DEIR a Final EIR will be drafted and sent to the City Council for final EIR and project approval.

There will be a second public hearing before the City Council to approve/change/deny the Final EIR and project.

THE PUBLIC WILL ONLY HAVE TWO OPPORTUNITIES (Public Hearings) TO ADDRESS THEIR CONCERNS ON THIS 108-ACRE HIGH-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL PROJECT.

Link to City’s detailed information on “College Park”

Work is still proceeding on Sierra College’s “College Park” 108-acre development along Rocklin Road in two locations. 36-acres at the SE corner of Rocklin Road and El Don Drive and another 72-acres at the NE corner of Rocklin Road and Sierra College Blvd. This is the largest development to hit our area. For detailed information, click on above link.

3 City Council seats are up for re-election November 3rd. 6 candidates are running. 3 are the incumbent candidates (Ken Broadway, Joe Patterson and Greg Janda). The 3 new candidates include Josh Rolph from East Rocklin, John Hobbs and Royce David). We hope to soon have each candidate’s statements and will publish them here. If you have specific questions about candidates, please email us directly at contact@saveeastrocklin.com.

As of 10/13/20, only Josh Rolph and John Hobbs have reached out to Save East Rocklin.

Huge impacts to our East Rocklin community with this super high density residential and “other” development called “College Park” (formerly Sierra Villages).  For full project details click HERE (Current Applications on City of Rocklin’s website)

For complete details, click HERE (click on top link first)

The Problem

Between 2013-2021 the City of Rocklin was allocated to provide 1,769 low-income housing units (basically low rent apartments).  The City has failed to provide any.  But what the City has been doing since 2013 is rezoning thousands of acres of land in our City to high density residential in “hopes” that some developer would actually build these types of units.  Unfortunately, NO developer has opted to build low-income housing as there isn’t a large enough profit margin. Rather they have benefited $$ greatly by now being able to build NON-low income housing in small lot subdivisions and expensive apartment complexes around the City and make a huge financial gain in the process.  This has been going on for at least five years now with no low income units built but hundreds if not thousands of units developed in our City that have created impacts on public services, schools, increased traffic, etc.

Last year the City decided to form a Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) ad hoc committee to address the problem of not meeting state housing requirements.  Unfortunately, they stacked the committee with small residential lot and apartment developers and the like.  The result:  rezone more land to high density residential.  According to their presentation (see above link) NOTHING has changed. All they did is pick out more land around the City to rezone to high density.  THEY DID NOT SOLVE THE ACTUAL PROBLEM OF MAKING DEVELOPERS BUILD LOW INCOME HOUSING on these rezoned properties.  Just more land to be rezoned for developers to cram in thousands of more small lot houses or apartment units.

More info on Land Use/Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Ad Hoc Committee

Please attend this hearing:  Listen and Learn as well as Voice Your Concerns

Below are potential RHNA low-income sites on the southeast side of I-80 (East Rocklin)