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A controversial proposal to build up to 499 senior homes in rural Elk Grove is set to be heard by the city’s Planning Commission in November.
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The Summer Villas project, proposed for an undeveloped parcel southeast of the intersection of Sheldon and Waterman roads, seeks to amend the city’s general plan to remove the site from the rural area and allow higher-density housing.
Elk Grove’s general plan designates approximately 5,265 acres as rural land, which lacks urban and suburban infrastructure under a policy intended to protect the area’s rural character, something the plan identifies as “a priority for the community.”
The general plan specifies that new residential lots in the rural area must be at least two acres, and homes and businesses are not connected to public sewer or water systems. Rural roads lack curbs, gutters and sidewalks, and small farms with livestock are allowed and encouraged.
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The Summer Villas project is proposed for 115.9 acres, with up to 349 homes in an eastern neighborhood spanning about 40 acres and 150 homes in a western neighborhood spanning 31.3 acres,
That would allow roughly one home per quarter-acre, much smaller lots than the current rural area plan allows. The project is estimated to bring more than 1,500 new residents to the area, according to the Planning Commission’s notice of public hearing.
An additional 39.7 acres would be designated for open space, including recreational amenities, a floodplain and wildlife habitat. A pedestrian bridge is planned to connect the two neighborhoods, and a clubhouse would be located on the property.
According to the Sacramento County Assessor’s Office, the land was purchased by Sheldon Business Park Ltd. in 2022.
Rural residents say approving the project would threaten the future of their community, raising questions about what other changes could be made to the city’s general plan if the development were allowed to proceed.
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Although the city’s general plan states that it does not prohibit a sewer or water agency from constructing lines through the rural area to serve other areas, county water and sewer services would require construction in the rural area to serve the retirement community, raising concerns among some residents, according to previous Bee reporting..
The city could potentially modify rural roads to accommodate increased traffic, residents said.
Eileen Conwell, a rural Elk Grove resident, said she opposes the project because it would remove protections for rural neighborhoods.
Conwell is president of the Greater Sheldon Road Estates Homeowners Association, a group founded in 1989 that works to protect rural Elk Grove “from the encroachment of urbanization,” she said.
Conwell said she would be “devastated” if the project was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission and later approved by the City Council.
“This has no business even coming forward in the first place,” Conwell said. “It’s in the wrong place.”
The project is set to be heard by the city’s Planning Commission on Nov. 5, and a staff report has not yet been released. The Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council, which will decide whether to approve the project.
This story was originally published October 22, 2026 at 6:00 AM with the headline “Controversial 499-home project in rural Elk Grove heading to Planning Commission.”
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