'Back-up' park for Folsom Ranch in case Aerojet parcel isn't ready

Folsom officials came up with a backup park plan for Folsom Ranch in case the toxic Aerojet Area 40 parcel is not ready soon. The Folsom Planning Commission unanimously approved two alternate sites last week for the 48-acre "Community Park West" planned for the former rocket plant land south of Highway 50. Area 40 is northeast of the intersection of White Rock Road and Prairie City Road, used by Aerojet operations in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Designated a Superfund Site in 1983 by the Environmental Protection Agency, the area soil and groundwater are contaminated with Cold War rocket fuel. Authorities are detoxifying the area under state and federal supervision, a years-long process. Under the Folsom Ranch plan, part of the Area 40 property is to be developed into Community Park West once the area is down to safe levels. The two combined backup sites north and south are needed on paper until the current site gets environmental clearance, said Folsom Planner Jessica Brandt. "We've heard from the EPA that there's still a few more years before this is cleared and ready for development as a park," said Folsom Planning Manager Desmond Parrington at the March 18 public hearing. Parrington said certain residential milestones must be addressed with public parks in the works, like 1,200 home units in the neighborhood. Toll Brothers at Alder Creek submitted a map last year for 1,422 residential lots on about 464 acres, he added. Aerojet Rocketdyne and the City of Folsom have entered into a series of development agreements to outline timing and regulatory clearances. "Right now, this is kind of a paper exercise. If this moves forward as an actual park because the current site here is not ready, then this will have to go to the Parks Commission, it has to go to you all (Planning Commission), and it has to go to the City Council," explained Parrington. The move doesn't include any changes to zoning or allowed uses. Any subsequent land-use approvals are required before any development can occur, staff said. The alternates must accommodate planned amenities for the original park. That includes a synthetic turf field, plus lighted youth baseball, senior baseball and softball diamonds. A dog park is also required, along with lighted basketball and tennis courts, lighted sand volleyball, shaded playground, spray park, skate park, group picnic pavilion, rest rooms, parking lot and a 5,000 square-foot community clubhouse. The city and developers pegged a 26.6-acre parcel on White Rock Road to the south and another 31.4-acre parcel by the freeway north as combined alternates. Staff determined the areas can handle all the amenities. The north site was marked for a huge winter sports complex last year, but developers decided recently to instead pursue a Sunrise Mall location in Citrus Heights. As the acreage must match the previous park plan, the 58 total acres of the two backup parcels include another nine or so acres that can otherwise be developed, said Parrington. "I'm a fan of getting two for the price of one," said Commissioner Justin Hurst. "I particularly like that the southern alternative is still in close proximity to the school district. I think that gives us a lot of opportunities."