The Rocklin City Council recently approved plans for the former Lowe's project on Granite Drive, eliminating costly, decorative elements the developer said prompted the home improvement chain to pull out of its lease.
Lowe's Improvement Warehouse decided not to move forward with the 138,000- square-foot store in Rocklin, citing increased cost estimates, spokeswoman Maureen Rich said at the time.
Property owner and developer Paul Petrovich, however, said architectural features added by the Planning Commission had raised the cost of construction by $2 million and killed the deal.
Petrovich successfully appealed the Planning Commission's decision, listing features he wanted to cut out or alter, including:
• Ornamental columns on a 6-foot-high wall behind the building
• Decorative gooseneck light fixtures throughout the parking lot
• A stucco-finish wall to screen the east side of the building
• Architectural enhancements to an indoor lumberyard canopy
Petrovich said he had agreed to decorative lighting near the building and along walkways, but adding the more costly fixtures throughout the parking lot tacked on $250,000 in costs.
The Placer County Air Pollution Control District's recommendation to use a natural gas emergency generator was another $300,000 expense.
"It's death by a thousand cuts," Petrovich said. "We're trying to do a project that's economically feasible but still high quality."
Petrovich told the council that he and Lowe's had complied with a majority of the commission's requests.
"You have a building that's well broken up with different colors, walking arcades and arches. … We're asking for some fine-tuning here, so we have a chance of bringing this project together," Petrovich said.
The Air Pollution Control District agreed to change its recommendation, eliminating the photovoltaic equipment and allowing Petrovich to use a diesel generator instead.
In addition to the requested decorative lighting in the parking lot, the council eliminated decorative elements to the back wall and allowed Petrovich to use landscaping or a creeping plant along the east wall, rather than the more expensive stucco.
Council members said the additional decorative features on walls that wouldn't be seen by the public didn't make sense.
"It didn't need to have a whole lot of extra money spent on things that aren't going to be appreciated," Councilman George Magnuson said.
Councilman Peter Hill, however, emphasized that the planning commissioners' focus is on design and that he thought they did a good job with the project.
"I know they're going to feel a little hurt here because we changed their project," Hill said. "They've done a great job, but we have to look at it from a little bit different perspective."
Following the council's action, the Loomis Town Council last week voted unanimously to have attorneys prepare a lawsuit against Rocklin over its approval of Petrovich's project, which is on the boundary between the two municipalities.
Loomis officials expressed concerns about the development's traffic, noise, air pollution and parking lot lights shining into residents' backyards.
Town Manager Perry Beck said the council believes Rocklin failed to follow environmental requirements be- fore approving the "big-box" store proposal.
Call The Bee's Jennifer K. Morita, (916) 773-7388.
