Current Issues

This page describes proposed development projects and other matters that will have a major effect on our city. All of these projects are at a stage in which public input can still make a big difference.

Proposed annexations and developments
   Loma Rica Ranch
   Kenny Ranch
   North Star Property
   Bear River Mill Site

The proposed annexations

The North Star Property, Bear River Mill Site, Loma Rica Ranch, and Kenny Ranch are currently outside the city limits, but are slated to be annexed to the city. Development plans and/or applications for these properties are all in the works. For all practical matters, they cannot be developed until they are annexed and have access to city services. If annexed, these properties together will increase the size of Grass Valley by 1,755 acres. To see where these properties are located, view the map of proposed annexations.
 
The developers of these properties want more than 40 acres for new retail space. This is enough space for three shopping centers the size of the center that includes Albertson's and B&C Hardware. The city's own research predicts we will need only one additional acre annexed for retail development before 2020. What will be the effect on existing retail businesses and downtown? We can not think of a single historic city whose downtown has not ended up with many vacant stores as a result of rapid retail expansion at its outskirts.
 
Together, the developers are proposing approximately 3775 new housing units, more than six times the residential units called for in the General Plan, as shown in the table below.
 

Housing units proposed for the four potential annexations to Grass Valley
Area	General Plan	Proposed
Loma Rica	185	900+
North Star	363	2300
Kenny Ranch	100	463
SouthHill Village	0	312
total	648	3975

 
At an average of 2.47 persons per unit, these 3975 new units will add nearly 10,000 new residents, who will put 39,000 more vehicles on our roads every day (10 trips per unit per day, a standard traffic engineering estimate). This growth would be nothing short of disastrous, clogging our already-overcrowded streets and highways and straining city services and infrastructure.
 
Even without these four major developments, Grass Valley is growing fairly rapidly. In 2003, 361 housing units were approved and are in the pipeline, and another 104 are now pending approval. And that's only within the city limits.
 
Under no circumstances can the developments in all four annexation areas be allowed to proceed as currently proposed. However, Grass Valley does need to grow, and two of the developments have positive features that would contribute to the vitality of our community. Therefore, the citizens of Grass Valley (and western Nevada County) have some hard decisions to make in the coming year or so. Should any of the developments be approved? If so, how many and which ones? The information below is provided to help citizens develop more informed opinions about how Grass Valley should approach the annexations. Grass Valley Neighbors believes that only the Loma Rica development has enough merit to be considered, and that the other three should be rejected outright.
 

Loma Rica Ranch

The development of Loma Rica Ranch is an example of the kind of smart growth that Grass Valley Neighbors advocates. The plan recently submitted to the city would concentrate new housing construction in certain areas of the property, leaving most of the rest of the property as open space. The developed area would feature hi-density housing, some commercial space, and recreation facilities, organized like a village, with public space and pedestrian walkways. The housing would be a mix of sizes and types, combining affordable "workforce" housing with larger units with more amenities. Presently, the main concern about the Loma Rica proposal is that the number of housing units greatly exceeds what is outlined in the General Plan; however, if this is the only project that is approved, the planned number of units, phased in over many years, may generate the right pace of growth for Grass Valley.
Aerial photo of the property overlaid by a preliminary development plan (the current plan is somewhat different).

Kenny Ranch

This 330-acre parcel to the west of Grass Valley, along the Rough and Ready Highway, is owned by a group headed by Philip Lester. The development plan currently calls for 9 acres of commercial space, 12 acres of business park, and a total of about 463 housing units (of these, 124 are houses to be built by the buyers of the residential lots, 154 are condominiums, 96 are workforce housing units, 12 are second-floor apartments in a mixed-used commercial center, 60 are assisted-living units, and 17 are live/work units in the business park). This is a well-designed community, and includes much-needed affordable housing. It also would preserve much of Hell's Half Acre, a unique area of vernal pools that is home to several rare plant species. If it were the only large development being proposed, it might be acceptable. But in the context of the other proposals, it's too much growth for Grass Valley. In particular, it would generate lots of new traiffic in an area where we can ill afford any additional congestion. For more information about the development proposal, visit the Kenny Ranch website.
 

North Star Property

The 760-acre North Star property, owned by out-of-town developer Sandy Sanderson, is the largest of the areas planned to be annexed to the city. It is located to the south of Grass Valley, between Allison Ranch Road and Old Auburn Road. On the property is an historic house designed by Julia Morgan. The northern half of the property would be the first to be annexed and developed. The general plan calls for 363 dwelling units in this portion, but the current owner is proposing about 2300. Grass Valley Neighbors is opposed to increasing the number of housing units beyond the 363 in the general plan, even if they are swapped for planned industrial acres. The extra 2000 or so units desired by the developer would generate about 20,000 extra vehicle trips per day, causing major congestion on our already-crowded streets. And the proposed housing would require a new interchange on highway 49, which would cost an estimated $55 million. We applaud the owner's intention to build affordable housing units as part of the development project, but explosive housing growth cannot be the price we pay for affordable housing. The neighborhood association SAAVE has more information about the North Star proposal on their website.
View a map of the current proposal
 

Bear River Sawmill Site

The owners of this 175-acre site (aka "South Hill Village"), south of Grass Valley along the east side of highway 49, are proposing a major new shopping center (containing a Safeway store, a Longs Drugs, and other major retailers), a large business park, 57 custom homes, and other housing. The shopping center would extend the commercially-developed outskirts of Grass Valley beyond the current shopping centers along the west side of 49 and ruin the gateway to Grass Valley. This project was the first of the four to file an application with the city, in October 2004, but the city will not begin work on the application until the results of an ecomonic study on the annexations are in. Join Grass Valley Neighbors in voicing your opposition to development of this property. Grass Valley does not need another shopping center, nor the traffic that it would generate. Another shopping center will take customers away from our downtown businesses.