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

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The Sierra Vista Specific Planoverlaysz 2,100 acres of untapped grassland at the city’a southwest limits eyed as Roseville’s next majot growth area once the West Rose­ville Specific Plan is builty out. Like most plans, it aims to converyt land into homes andcommercial development. Richland, Sacramento’s second-largest developer based on acreage, controls 400 acrees at the western portion of the plan or about 20 percent of theoverallk property. That land will no longerf be part of the SierraVistza plan. The company is dissatisfied with the progress in gettinhg approvals and is leery of pumping inadditionaol funding, vice president Steve Thurtle said.
Othere major owners in Sierra Vistainclude , and . The groulp had planned to gain approvalsfor 10,300 homee and a substantial commercial center, but the plan will likelu be revised with Richland’s exit. Representatives from othe r landowners did not return callsseekingf comment. City officials said the approval process for Sierra Vistsa will recommence once the owners decide how to proceedcwithout Richland’s input or funding. Richlanx said owners have alreadyspent $3.5 milliohn and determined the entitlement procesw could cost an additional $3.5 million or more.
“Wse did not want to continue to fund that level of Thurtle said, noting that Richlandc had contributed 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 participan in new growth areas in Thurtle didn’t want to characterize the company’s stancee as pulling out of the Sierra Vistz project because it would rejoin if costs could be The company proposed renegotiating contracts with consultants hiredr to perform the lengthyg analysis that accompanies major developments, but other owners didn’ t want to go that route.
Thurtlee said consultants have been willing to rewori contractsbecause there’s been a drop-off in demand for theirf services due to the housing slump. But another majoe factor was that criticalk utility issuesremain unresolved. John Roseville’s assistant city manager of community development, acknowledgexd that consultants had not established a definitivwe water source or a plan to handle the increased traffic that comes withnew “We feel comfortable that we will be able to addreszs these issues,” Sprague The city is in discussions with the and the over waterf purchases for the new development.
There is heightened interest in the area due to the presenc e ofseasonal wetlands, areas that environmental groups fiercely defensd from development. Sprague said the city has initiatedf a policy of consulting federal agenciezs involved in preserving wetlands such as the and the befor e major developmentsare approved. The Sierra Vista Specifix Plan might require a separate environmental analysis over And that will likely pushcostse up. “It can be very expensive,” he The application for the Sierra Vista plan is beint processed almost concurrently with another to the the CreekviewSpecific Plan.
It’s a 570-acre plot with longtimwe property owners who have suggestedbuilding 3,000 homes, a mixed-use component and commerciall development. About a fourth of the land is reserve d foropen space. Together, the two plansd called for about 13,3000 homes and would square off Roseville’sw western boundary. Annexation of new landse into the city, however, can take years.