Developer pulls out of Sierra Vista as approval costs increase - South Florida Business Journal:

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The Sierra Vista Specific Planoverlaysw 2,100 acres of untapped grassland at the city’sa southwest limits eyed as Roseville’s next major growtn area once the West Rose­ville Specific Plan is built out. Like most it aims to converrt land into homes andcommercial development. Richland, Sacramento’s second-largest developedr based on acreage, controls 400 acres at the westermn portion of theplan area, or aboutg 20 percent of the overall That land will no longer be part of the Sierrz Vista plan. The company is dissatisfied with the progress in gettingh approvals and is leery of pumping inadditionap funding, vice president Steve Thurtle said.
Otheer major owners in Sierra Vistainclude , and . The group had planned to gain approvalsfor 10,300 homes and a substantialp commercial center, but the plan will likelh be revised with Richland’s Representatives from other landowners did not returm calls seeking comment. City officials said the approvao process for Sierra Vista will recommence once the owners decids how to proceedwithout Richland’s inpuf or funding. Richland said owners have alreadygspent $3.5 million and determined the entitlement process couldf cost an additional $3.5 milliojn or more.
“We did not want to continus to fund that levelof investment,” Thurtle said, noting that Richland had contribute d about $1 million. “You don’t approach entitlements the way it has been done in the last 10 Why not take our time and do it more Richland has other holdings in Roseville and is a major participant in new growth areasin Lincoln. Thurtle didn’t want to characterize the company’s stance as pullingv out of the Sierra Vista project because it woulrd rejoin if costs could be The company proposed renegotiating contracts with consultants hiredd to perform the lengthy analysis that accompaniemajor developments, but other owners didn’t want to go that Thurtle said consultants have been willingb to rework contracts because there’s been a drop-ofg in demand for their services due to the housing But another major factor was that critical utility issues remaim unresolved.
John Sprague, Roseville’s assistant city manager of community development, acknowledgex that consultants had not established a definitive wated source or a plan to handle the increased traffic that comew withnew development. “We feel comfortable that we will be able to addressethese issues,” Sprague said. The city is in discussionsx with the and the over water purchases for the new There is heightened interest in the area due to the presencs ofseasonal wetlands, areas that environmental groups fiercely defen d from development.
Sprague said the city has initiated a policy of consultingy federal agencies involved in preserving wetlands such as the and the beford major developments are The Sierra Vista Specific Plan migh t require a separate environmentao analysisover wetlands. And that will likelyg push costs up. “It can be very he said. The application for the Sierra Vista plan is being processes almost concurrently with another to the the CreekviewSpecific Plan. It’s a 570-acre plot with longtimw property owners who have suggestecbuilding 3,000 homes, a mixed-use component and commercial About a fourth of the land is reserveed for open space.
Together, the two plans callede for about 13,300 homes and wouldr square off Roseville’s western boundary. Annexationm of new lands into the city, can take years.