Sutter County proceeds with possible new city and thousands of homes north of Sacramento
Sutter County Supervisors moved forward with a proposed development of what may become a new city at the southern tip of Sutter County, a site that tens of thousands of people could one day make home.
But more hurdles remain before houses go up in the community more than 20 years in the making.
Sutter Pointe, the development area, could bring about 17,500 homes to the southern tip of the county, flush against Sacramento County to the south and near Placer County to the east. Effectively a new city, the community may also draw businesses to one of the few places where land can be developed in Sutter County, given the county’s vast floodplains.
Supervisors last week approved maps for the next phases of groundwork for Lakeside at Sutter Pointe, a development area that’s part of the larger 7,500-acre Sutter Pointe project the county formally set in motion in 2009, although planning dates back years prior to that. Of that land, about 3,600 acres are planned for business development, 2,900 acres to build homes and 1,000 acres for parks and open spaces.
“It’s been 20 years. We need to get this project going so we can generate tax revenue,” said Sutter County Supervisor Nick Micheli. “The one thing that we always hear as supervisors is public safety or economic development. Because of the federal FEMA flood maps, there is no place else to really develop and create tax revenue other than down there at Sutter Pointe.”
Need to accommodate students
Developers for Lakeside at Sutter Pointe received approval in 2020 to begin underground infrastructure on about 386 acres, which would support housing for adults 55 and up. Supervisors this week allowed developers to move forward with similar work on the rest of Lakeside’s total of about 875 acres, but with resistance from area school districts that would be affected by the potential influx of students.
In moving the project forward, supervisors said they would not approve actual building permits, when it comes time, unless the developers and school districts agree on how to accommodate the extra students.
“I know we’re 20 years into this, but we have to figure all this stuff out before we get to that, ‘here’s your permits, start building,’” said Mike Ziegenmeyer, Sutter County supervisor.
Developers have reached an agreement with Pleasant Grove Joint Union Elementary, a small K-8 school in southern Sutter County, but have hit an impasse with East Nicolaus High School, where talks grew contentious and went cold.
Several people on each side of the rift between the developer and high school spoke out to supervisors at a September meeting, sharing a timeline revealing several years of broken negotiations.
An attorney for Pleasant Grove, who reached a deal with developers, said that the district worked with them on an agreement that has checkpoints based on building permits and student numbers.
“We do not have something similar with East Nicolaus,” said George Carpenter, vice president of Winn Communities, Lakeside’s developer.
Infrastructure can proceed
The first phase under development applies to housing designated for older adults, but with the newly approved maps, developers can now begin work on the infrastructure for homes that families may eventually buy.
The earliest residents for the active adult housing may move in by 2026, said Neal Hay, development services director for Sutter County. Housing for the remainder of Lakeside’s portion, which would include families, would likely take until 2028 or later to complete.
The location of Sutter Pointe anticipates continued growth extending from Sacramento, meeting population and new development as it moves north toward Sutter County.
The plans for Sutter Pointe call for schools, as well as parks and 3,600 acres of commercial and industrial development.
Although the project began with 12 different landowners and developers in 2009, the developers behind Lakeside at Sutter Pointe are the only ones still active, Hay said.
“Due to changes in the economy and the market, those landowners, potential developers, backed away from the project so they’re not actively pursuing any type of development,” he added.
Recent construction of sewer and water systems has drawn interest from potential commercial developers, but residential growth in the area is expected to attract more businesses.
“A lot probably depends on the economy and also the need for commercial space,” Hay said.
With new development in Sutter County limited due to almost 70% of the county falling in FEMA designated floodplains, the development area at the county’s southern border provides one of the only and most viable options to add residents and bring in new businesses.
“We absolutely have to get economic development in Sutter County,” said Sutter County Supervisor Mat Conant.
