Rocklin City Council demands bridge over troubled project

Rocklin City Council made it clear this week that the Granite Lakes Estates will get a Secret Ravine Creek bridge before any more homes are built in the 80-acre subdivision. The Granite Lakes Estates subdivision is located in southeast Rocklin at Greenbrae Road. Phase one, 48 single-family home lots, was completed two years ago. Following City Council action Tuesday, the remaining 71 lots can't be developed until the Monument Springs Drive bridge over Secret Ravine Creek has been built for another entrance to the neighborhood. There was some previous consideration to allow up to four model homes built before the completion of the bridge but Rocklin City Council ultimately held firm due to traffic concerns. "I think the message is very clear. We need that bridge," said Councilmember Jill Gayaldo. Greg Janda, who cast the only no in the 4-1 vote to amend the construction agreement said that he did not think he could support it. "I for one am very happy about the direction the council is moving in, so thank you very much," said Jim Clifford, a Granite Lakes resident since 2014. Lonetree Apartments In other business, Rocklin City Council took several actions to greenlight the 237-unit, multi-family Lonetree Apartments in Stanford Ranch. The project site is two undeveloped parcels northwest of the West Oaks Boulevard-Lonetree Boulevard intersection and south of Atherton Road. The council action Tuesday merged two lots into one 11.6-acre parcel and removed a "no vehicular access" easement on the site's West Oaks Boulevard frontage, staff said. The project would include parking, landscaping, indoor and outdoor amenities such as a clubhouse, children's play area and swimming pool. The plan calls for one-, two- and three-bedroom units offered among 18 three-story apartment buildings. The Lonetree buildings will conform to guidelines outlined by the Rocklin University Architectural District that the project lies in, according to senior planner Nathan Anderson. The Stanford Ranch General Development Plan allows a maximum building height of 50 feet, staff said. As part of the Rocklin Corporate Center General Plan amendment and rezone project, the site was redesignated last year from "light industrial" to high-density residential. It was also rezoned to planned development-residential, 24 units per acre minimum to conform with state housing requirements, including Senate Bill 330, staff said. The site does not contain any oak trees but staff noted a perennial drainage along the western boundary and a series of seasonal wetlands and vernal pools scattered across the property. The riparian area within a 50-foot setback from the top of creek will be set aside as open space, with no construction or development to be allowed within the boundary. Therefore, no impacts to the creek area are anticipated, staff said. Sunset Hills Rocklin City Council also approved one-year time extensions for the Sunset Hills Townhomes project and the South Whitney mixed-use project. The Sunset Hills item also includes a two-year time limit for the tentative subdivision map. The Sunset Hills 11.2-acre property is generally located at the northwest corner of Sunset Boulevard and South Whitney Boulevard. The plan calls for 26 residential lots and 148 condominium units, one common area lot for circulation, recreational facilities, landscaping and one common area lot for open space/conservation. Staff said the proposal includes cutting down up to 51 oak trees across the property. Gayaldo mentioned current signage on the Sunset Hills project. "It looks really terrible right now," she said Tuesday. Meanwhile, the South Whitney project is located across the street on the south side of South Whitney Boulevard between Sunset Boulevard and Bryce Way. The project calls for removal of 22 oak trees and subdividing the 2.8 acres into 20 townhomes and three common lot areas, staff said. Earlier in Tuesday's meeting, the council commemorated June 19th as the Juneteenth holiday celebrating the end of slavery in the U.S.A. Rocklin will host the second annual Juneteenth event at noon Saturday at Rocklin's Johnson-Springview Park, 5480 5th St., Rocklin.