27 acres along Dry Creek near Roseville will never be developed. Here’s why
A 27-acre stretch of land along the Dry Creek corridor will be permanent and protected open space after the Placer County Conservation Program recorded a conservation easement.
The land was set aside by the developers of Creekview Ranch, a housing subdivision that borders Dry Creek on the north side of the project, Placer County officials said in an announcement. The land will now become part of a “reserve system” network of permanently protected lands set aside to offset environmental impacts from development.
Dry Creek is a salmon-bearing stream federally designated as critical habitat for Central Valley steelhead. The corridor on the property includes dense vegetation that provides key habitat for wildlife.
Taylor Morrison, the developer of Creekview Ranch, designed the project to avoid the most sensitive areas and requested that the 27 acres along Dry Creek be dedicated for conservation.
County officials said the land dedication allows the developer to offset part of its required mitigation fees. The 27-acre easement provided a credit of $246,513.12 toward the project’s mitigation costs.
“We are excited to add another 27 acres to our growing reserve system,” said Gregg McKenzie, the program’s adminstrator. “This easement exemplifies the PCCP’s overarching goal to balance growth and conservation.”
Within its roughly 201,000-acre program area, between 50,000 and 60,000 acres are expected to become protected habitat, including vernal pools, oak woodlands, grasslands and aquatic corridors such as Dry Creek.
