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The Rocklin City Council is set to resume consideration Tuesday of a proposed 120-unit affordable apartment complex on Wildcat Boulevard that has generated both support and opposition, largely over its proximity to a charter school.
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The Sierra Wilds Apartments project, proposed at 1800 Wildcat Blvd., would occupy about 4.67 acres of a 6.34-acre property partially occupied by St. Augustine of Canterbury Episcopal Church.
The proposal calls for four three-story apartment buildings, a community center, swimming pool, tot lot, barbecue area, dog park and 180 surface parking spaces.
Of the 120 apartments, 118 would be affordable to households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income, with an average affordability level of about 60%. The remaining two apartments would be for managers.
City staff identified the property as Site 1-13 in Rocklin’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation inventory, meaning the project would count toward the city’s state-mandated housing goals.
The project had been under review for months and was returning to the council after a May 12 hearing was continued to allow additional public comment, questions and deliberation.
At that hearing, council members asked the applicant for more information on traffic during school drop-off and pickup, pedestrian connections, construction noise and air quality, wildfire evacuation, emergency access, fencing, a proposed concrete masonry wall and the potential relocation of a school garden.
Traffic and school access
One of the main questions surrounding the project was how 120 new apartments would affect traffic, especially because Maria Montessori Charter Academy is next door.
A traffic study completed in January found the apartments would add about 577 vehicle trips a day. The study estimated 60 of those trips would occur during the busiest morning hour and another 55 during the busiest afternoon hour.
The analysis found nearby intersections should still be able to handle the traffic after the apartments are built.
City officials reanalyzed the traffic after discovering that the original morning count at the school was conducted on a teacher workday, when students were not in class.
The new analysis estimated the school’s typical traffic and also examined a more conservative scenario in which students were dropped off individually and school employees drove separately.
Even under that scenario, the traffic study found nearby intersections would continue to operate at acceptable levels.
The developer also said residents would have two ways to enter the apartment complex, including a new entrance from Wildcat Boulevard. Access to the school driveway through the apartment property would be limited to emergencies.
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School raises concerns about construction
Because the proposed apartments would be built next to the school, construction impacts were another focus of discussion.
The developer proposed measures to limit construction impacts on the school. They included shifting some construction activity farther from the campus, providing off-site parking for construction workers, installing fencing and screening and controlling dust and noise.
City staff also recommended that the developer prepare a detailed construction plan before receiving building permits.
The plan would have to address construction traffic, parking, noise, dust, pedestrian safety and other issues that could affect the school and nearby residents.
The project’s studies found construction noise and air pollution would not rise to the level of significant environmental impacts.
According to the project’s noise study, the loudest construction work could reach about 75 decibels at the school. The study compared that number with an 80-decibel construction standard used by the Federal Transit Administration and concluded the impact would be less than significant.
The project’s air-quality study also found that construction would not create a significant health risk for students or school employees.
School garden could be relocated
The project would also affect an existing school garden located on church property.
The developer said it was willing to help relocate the garden. Possible locations included another part of the church property or nearby city park land.
City staff also began exploring whether the garden could be moved to the nearby park. No final agreement had been reached.
The future location of the garden remained unresolved between the school, church, developer and city.
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Developer proposes new fencing
The developer also changed the project’s fencing plan after concerns were raised about the apartment complex being visible from the school playground.
The new plan called for an additional fence along the southern side of the property, including a solid wood section with a lattice top to provide more privacy between the school and the apartments.
City staff supported the change and included it in the proposed conditions for the project.
Emergency access
The council also asked how firefighters and other emergency crews would access the area if the project were built.
City staff said emergency routes would remain available. A proposed 14-foot-wide gate would meet the city’s fire requirements, staff said.
The main entrances to the apartment complex on Wildcat Boulevard would remain ungated, allowing emergency vehicles to enter if needed.
The developer also proposed letting the school use an emergency access route through the apartment property.
School, developer have not reached agreement
Some disagreements between the school and developer involved private property agreements.
The developer proposed a new walkway connecting the church parking area to the school and changes to existing agreements involving access to the property.
But as of the city’s latest report, the school and developer had not reached a final agreement.
City officials said they encouraged the two sides to continue working together but noted that the city generally could not resolve private legal agreements between property owners.
State housing law could limit the city’s options
The project also fell under provisions of California’s Housing Accountability Act.
Because 118 of the 120 proposed apartments would be affordable to households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income, and the property was included in the city’s state-required housing plan, the project qualified for protections under the law.
The law limits cities’ ability to reject qualifying housing projects unless they meet specific standards, including those involving public health and safety.
Under the act, the city would need to show that the project would create a specific, adverse impact on public health or safety and that there was no reasonable way to address the problem without making the project financially infeasible.
City staff said it does not believe those conditions apply to Sierra Wilds.
The California Department of Housing and Community Development, which oversees state housing requirements, also told Rocklin that the project qualified for those protections.
The environmental review has also changed
Environmental review has also been a point of disagreement.
The developer initially participated in a city environmental review process. Later, the developer argued that the project should be exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act, commonly known as CEQA, because of the site’s housing designation and the project’s affordability.
The city and developer disagreed on that legal question.
The latest staff report recommended the City Council approve a Notice of Exemption as part of its environmental decision.
State housing officials told Rocklin that they agreed with the developer’s position that certain affordable housing projects on designated housing sites could be exempt from traditional CEQA review.
Support and opposition remain
City staff said it has received more than 60 letters and other pieces of public correspondence about the project, with support and opposition generally split evenly.
Supporters pointed to Rocklin’s need for affordable housing and the site’s inclusion in the city’s state-mandated housing plan.
Opponents, including officials from Maria Montessori Charter Academy, raised concerns about traffic, student safety, construction noise, air quality, emergency access and the potential loss of the school garden.
At its April 21 meeting, the Rocklin Planning Commission voted 3-1, with one member absent, to recommend approval. Commissioners also asked the developer to continue working with the city and school on fencing, the school garden, construction impacts and property access agreements.
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