BLOG: A Plea to Protect Our Fair Oaks Neighborhood

Regarding the Talmont Townhomes Project:

First, a history: A number of Fair Oaks neighborhoods spent years negotiating with Sacramento County and a developer regarding the development of the Gum Ranch property at the corner of Madison and Kenneth. A plan for a total of 350 single-family homes on the property known as Gum Ranch was agreed upon and approved. A subdivision of Gum Ranch, named Lot A, was to have 89 single-family homes. MBK Homes, the current developer, put development activity on hold in late 2007 due to deteriorating market conditions. They are again working with County planners and have put forth a plan to build 282 townhouse rental units on Lot A. This lot is immediately adjacent to a Fair Oaks treasure – Bella Vista High School. And 282 units on the 17.1-acre Lot A is wildly inconsistent with the surrounding neighborhoods.

On the evening of Oct. 3, the developer’s plan was presented to the Fair Oaks Community Planning and Advisory Council and a standing-room only crowd of Fair Oaks residents. The crowd was unanimously opposed to rental townhouses on Lot A. It is expected that MBK Homes will continue to push, over the next year or so, to obtain approval from the County Board of Supervisors for 282 rental townhouses on Lot A. To the best of my knowledge, none of the builders, their advocate or persons involved in making this decision live in our Fair Oaks community.

The design for Lot A is extraordinarily dense. The design is also outdated and incorporates none of the principles of new urbanism, which have been widely embraced by thoughtful developers.  There is virtually no green space, one small swimming pool and no place for children to play.  Use by seniors and the handicapped will be limited because of the multi-story townhome design with staircases connecting living spaces.  Public transportation is weak at best.  There is no easy access to light rail and only two buses per day run past Lot A on Madison Avenue.  Pedestrian access to services is poor.  There are no grocery stores within reasonable walking distance, unless the 7-Eleven suits your requirements.

Developer representatives have stated that the units will eventually be available for sale as condominiums. It is far more probable that the townhouses in Lot A will be purchased by investors and will be rental units for as long as they exist - right next to Bella Vista High School.

At the corner of Madison and Kenneth (and, to a lesser extent, the corner of Kenneth and Greenback), traffic is already difficult during peak driving times. The Lot A development will add in excess of 500 cars to the Kenneth and Madison area, making existing traffic problems miserable.

To all of my wonderful neighbors, I offer this plea:

Please help us oppose the new plan for Lot A.  And to those who we trust to make good decisions for us, please do not approve this. To those of you who do not live here, please consider what you would do if someone came into your neighborhood and proposed a project inconsistent with every aspect of your neighborhood life.  Possibly you have already experienced this.  What did you do? 

Do any of those involved in this breach of trust know our neighborhoods? Do they understand our community? Do they truly value our community’s best asset – Bella Vista High School? Do they understand our fondness for the sounds of our high school stadium in the evening, or even roosters crowing in the morning? Will they attempt to change, willfully or otherwise, the lifestyle we value?

We are not NIMBYs! We agreed to 89 single-family homes on Lot A, even though the 89 creates a housing density that is considerably higher than that of most of the surrounding neighborhoods. Once Lot A is developed, we want our new neighbors to be able to appreciate and value our Fair Oaks community.  We want families who chat with their neighbors and watch their children playing in the front yard.  We want people who are invested in our community, who care about Fair Oaks.

If this developer has their way with Lot A – what will become of the remaining Special Planning Area? The existing unit total for ALL of Gum Ranch is 350. If MBK is allowed to more than triple their units on A – a precedent is set. Could we then see a tidal wave of apartment complexes congested along the south branch of Arcade Creek? Beware the slippery slope, not the creek – the developers who have no stake in Fair Oaks!

We hope you will take an interest in what is happening here.  As local residents, voters and taxpayers, we trust our elected representatives and public servants to act on our behalf.

To help ensure that they do so, you can contact them at:

Susan Peters, Sacramento County Supervisor, District 3
susanpeters@saccounty.net
(916) 874-5471
Chief of Staff: Howard Schmidt

Roberta MacGlashan, Sacramento County Supervisor, District 4
macglashanr@saccounty.net
(916) 874-7583
Chief of Staff: Ted Wolter

Tricia Stevens, Principal Planner, Sacramento County Planning
Steventst@Saccounty.net

Brian Holloway, Chair of the Subdivision Review Committee of Sacramento County
brian@hlandco.org
(916) 996-2019