Rancho Cordova council debates future of site plans for Mills Crossing Civic Center

The Rancho Cordova City Council and local residents weighed in this week on the current proposal for the Mills Crossing Civic Center, a transit-oriented development that officials hope will be the spark for investment on Folsom Boulevard.

The center of the discussion revolved around the importance of housing, which makes up 46% of the current site plan. More than 80 people attended a Monday meeting at City Hall and an extra 80 joined via Zoom to share their thoughts and hear the council’s opinions, according to City Clerk Stacy Leitner.

In the past two project informational meetings, many residents have questioned whether the number of housing units can be reduced to have more space for community facilities.

Officials first looked to discuss the community opposition by emphasizing the role that housing plays in creating a transit-oriented mixed-use development. After many residents had said they were misled about the city’s plan to add housing, Vice Mayor Donald Terry asked Korin Crawford, the executive vice president of the center’s developer Griffin Swinerton, if housing was always a part of the site plan.

“Korin, when the (request for proposal) was created and your company and your development team responded to it, housing and residential development was a part of that, correct?”

“Yes, and it was a part of all the other submissions as well, not just ours,” Crawford replied.

Terry emphasized that housing was always a part of the vision in the site, and it wasn’t snuck in by anyone. Councilmember David Sander added that the city’s main goal in pursuing the project is to light the fire of reinvestment along Folsom Boulevard, and some housing is a key part of that.

Officials said it’s critical to have residents in close proximity for transit-oriented development and for safety reasons.

“If you look at some of the examples including in the region of the more successful sort of public-private efforts, they’ve inevitably had a mix of uses,” said Bill Witte, the CEO of Related California, the housing developer part of the Griffin Swinerton team.

Witte added that the public buildings here are not anticipated to be a major retail center. In order to attract certain uses, it helps to have a morning, noon and night presence, he said.

The council then listened to more than 30 public comments – via Zoom and at City Hall – where residents shared their preferences for the site.

Some individuals spoke out against housing and some applauded the city for its efforts. Others asked for the creation of a veterans center. One resident even shared an alternative plan for the site.

“This is an amazing project that will put the city of Rancho Cordova on the map,” said Nancy Bui-Thompson, a 20-year Rancho Cordova resident and the president of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s Board of Directors.

Karl Haas, who lives in Cordova Meadows, said he’s not opposed to housing; however, he proposed a “resident vision” for the site that includes a walking sign in the shape of the Rancho Cordova city logo, a restaurant, a bowling alley, multiple small business incubator kiosks, outdoor sports, children’s play area, exercise spaces, games and seating. Haas said the amenities in this plan are taken from the results of a community survey sent out by the city that garnered 275 responses.

“You have your priorities backwards,” Haas said. “People choose to live in cities that have great public spaces, not simply because there’s a house there. I believe the same can be true of Rancho Cordova.”

Cliff Billings advocated for the inclusion of a veterans hall in the plans for the civic center. Lupe Trevizo Hernandez echoed his statement, asking for a veterans memorial hall and a museum.

Others continued to say that Rancho Cordova, especially along Folsom Boulevard, needs an attraction and not more housing.

“The type of development the city is proposing is to bring life to a place that doesn’t have any, but we have plenty of life here,” said resident Autumn Eberhardt. “What we don’t have are any attractions and very limited amenities.”

Once the public comments were over, councilmembers talked about what changes could be made to the site. Councilmember Linda Budge said she would like to see more open space in the civic center. Other officials spoke about the challenges and opportunities ahead.

“This is not just any parcel on Folsom Boulevard,” Sander said. “This is the one that every consultant for 25 years who’s come through Rancho Cordova and looked at says ‘that’s the hot spot.’ ”

Councilmember Siri Pulipati and other officials proposed questions on the project that will have to be addressed in the coming months: Can some housing be reduced for more open space? Can the project be done in phases? Where can a space for veterans be built?

Mayor Garrett Gatewood addressed some of those questions, saying a space for veterans is a “100% go.” He also added that he wants more green space.

The current proposal has 1.5 acres of green space, which includes a plaza, a community park and a community green setting. Gatewood also asked whether some housing could be placed on top of community facilities in a two-story building.

Both residents and officials want the site to act as a catalyst for the boulevard, but they have differing views on how to get there.

The project is in the exclusive negotiation period, which developers hope will end by November or the end of the year. After that, it will move to the pre-development phase where a design process will take place.