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A 120-home project in east Elk Grove is headed to the City Council after the Planning Commission recommended approval despite residents’ traffic concerns.
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The Summer Flats project is proposed on just over 27 acres along the east side of Waterman Road between Bond Road and Elk Grove Boulevard.
The Planning Commission voted 3-1 on Thursday to recommend that the city certify the project’s environmental impact report, approve amendments to the general and community plans, and approve the project’s subdivision map and design review.
The project will require amendments to the general and community plans to change the land designation from low-density residential to medium-density residential, according to the city staff report.
The project would also require increasing the maximum number of residential units allowed under the east Elk Grove community plan by 91 to 4,416.
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The project is being developed by Sheldon Business Park Limited, the same developer behind the controversial Summer Villas proposal to build up to 499 senior homes in rural Elk Grove.
Tim Denham, who represented engineering firm Wood Rodgers, said the project intends to provide “entry-level medium density housing product for young professionals in east Elk Grove.”
“What we’re trying to provide is workforce housing desperately needed in this market today,” Denham said.
The project was first heard by the Planning Commission in September, when commissioners voted to continue the discussion due to concerns about traffic at the nearby intersection of Waterman Road and Rancho Drive.
A traffic study found that the project “would not result in roadway safety impacts” at the intersection and did not warrant a traffic signal or traffic-calming measures at this time, according to the staff report.
The Elk Grove Police Department reported four collisions at the intersection over the previous five years, including one in the past year, according to the staff report.
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The project is required to widen the nearby section of Waterman Road to a four-lane divided road with a center turn lane and bike lanes, according to Denham.
The city added a new condition of approval requiring speed-control measures on Waterman Road, which could include a radar speed-feedback sign, according to the staff report.
The city’s roadway fee program, which collects fees from new developments in the city, includes funding for a future traffic signal at the intersection. However, the signal is not currently identified as a priority in the city’s five-year capital improvement program, which is reviewed annually, according to Antonio Ablog, a city planning manager.
The project will contribute $13,000 to $15,000 per housing unit, totaling $1.5 million to $1.8 million, in roadway development fees to the city, according to the staff report. However, the money does not have to be spent directly on roads affected by the development.
Residents said the development would bring more traffic to what they described as an already busy and dangerous road. Traffic is especially heavy during funerals at nearby Hilltop Cemetery, other residents said.
Commissioner Sandra Poole, who cast the sole vote against recommending approval, said she had “great concern” about the traffic study’s results after hearing from residents who live in the area.
She said she was concerned about the lack of a firm commitment to install additional traffic measures in the future, though she said she “firmly believes” the city needs more housing for middle-income young people.
Commissioner Suman Singha also said he saw a “disconnect” between the traffic study and what residents were reporting, though he ultimately voted to recommend approval.
The Elk Grove Unified School District also opposed the project ahead of the Sept. 17 meeting, saying the district was “overcrowded” and in “a school housing crisis.” It argued that it does not have the immediate funding to build new schools and that the development will have “a negative impact upon the district’s existing school facilities.”
The project will next go before the City Council for final approval, though a hearing date has not yet been announced.
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