Elk Grove sides against Summer Villas housing as rural residents sweat urban sprawl

The Abridged version: 

• The controversial Summer Villas housing development heads to Elk Grove’s planning commission next week, and city staffers recommend voting against the plans.
• New development and sprawl have posed traffic, wildlife and infrastructure concerns for Sheldon, the rural area northeast of Elk Grove, where Summer Villas would be built.
• Decades-long residents of the rural area encroached on as Elk Grove expands say the development is the biggest “major” proposal they’ve seen.

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Farmer Matt Arnold moved to Sheldon with his wife five years ago, with the understanding that their agricultural land would be protected for years to come. 

Now, what becomes of the nearby property in the rural pocket of Elk Grove is in question as Summer Villas, a proposed development of 499 single-family homes, goes before the Elk Grove planning commission for approval Thursday, Nov. 5. 

“It’s going to open a flood gate,” Arnold said. “Developers can say, ‘If this one’s approved, what can we do here?’” 

Community members found some relief when Elk Grove staffers recommended voting against the project. But that doesn’t mean that developments will stop sprawling into the remaining rural parts of Elk Grove. 

Summer Villas, proposed for a site at Waterman and Sheldon roads, challenges a longtime policy: if approved, the developer would receive an exception to build in an area of otherwise protected rural land. The report also includes wildlife environmental impacts and infrastructure concerns, including how the current two-lane roads will accommodate a growing residential population. 

“We’re at a critical point,” said Christopher Jordan, Elk Grove development services director.

Housing concerns remain

Even though the city recommendation aligns with Sheldon residents, there’s still concern that the project could be appealed or that the city will prioritize its housing goals over rural community member concerns.

“This is the last significant size parcel of land in the area,” Vice Mayor Darren Suen said. “I empathize with the concern about opening the rest of the rural area, however, assembling smaller parcels from several individual landowners and delivering infrastructure to serve a hypothetical assemblage of land is quite difficult.” 

The Summer Villas project isn’t the first development or housing project in the Sheldon area, but it is the largest and most “major,” said George Murphey, a 38-year resident and former planning commission member. 

“I hate to say it, but I always say there’s no small projects out here,” Murphey said.

Residents point to smaller border-adjacent developments like Elliott Homes, which is already adding to traffic congestion in the area. 

Developer Sheldon Business Park Limited is a familiar name in the area, Murphey said, as the Summer Villas timeline trails the developer’s smaller project, Summer Flats, which was approved by the planning commission and is on its way to the City Council.

“This is not like he’s coming from out of town and he doesn’t know the rules and he doesn’t know the folks,” Murphey said. “He knows all the folks, he knows all the rules.”

Preserving rural Elk Grove

Murphey is part of the Save Rural Elk Grove advocacy group, along with his “partner-in-crime,” 43-year Sheldon resident Eileen Conwell, who is president of the Greater Sheldon Road Estates Homeowners Association. They live on different sides of Sheldon — east and west — but agree, and have come together to show, that Summer Villas is the biggest threat to the rural Elk Grove they seek to protect. 

Since January, the group has advocated for preservation with a weekly series, Rural Roots Sunday, Conwell said. In an August planning commission meeting, the group presented a booklet with the stories to show the boundaries upon which Summer Villas would encroach. 

Despite the staff’s recommendation, Conwell said the call to attend the planning commission meeting remains strong. 

“We want a full house,” she said.

The pushback is “reactive,” Murphey said. He and Conwell said the developer did not approach the community groups to explain intentions or run the idea past them, unlike past experiences they’ve had with other developers. 

“If you know what’s coming down the pike, you’re less likely to fight it,” Murphey said. “You may want to tweak it a little bit. But at least you know, they set aside this for low-income housing.” 

Arnold, farmer and moderator of the Save Rural Elk Grove Facebook group, said the position naturally opens up conversations to connect Elk Grove, Sheldon and other neighboring communities.

“But for me, it wasn’t just about Summer Villas,” he said.  

Working with the city to grow

Through civic programs like Elk Grove 101 and civilian police academy, Arnold, the concerned farmer, said when he moved to Sheldon, his time was dedicated to learning more and bridging the gap between residents and city goals. Rather than resisting growth, he hopes that residents can present creative solutions back to the city. 

While Summer Villas still remains on his mind as a threat, Arnold sees rural preservation as a public benefit. He suggested farmers like himself could help provide food to homeless shelters or plant trees on their land to offset tree removals. 

“I think what I’m doing — I can help the city itself grow,” Arnold said. “But I can’t do that if they keep taking the land around us.”

Correction: This story was updated at 7:05 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, to correct the date of the planning commission meeting. The meeting takes place Thursday, Nov. 5.