The Abridged version:
- Placer One, an up-and-coming master-planned community north of Roseville, stretches across 2,123 acres, including thousands of housing units, several parks, businesses and a new Sacramento State satellite campus.
- The first phase of development, which is underway, will bring 769 single-family housing lots to the community, some of which have already been occupied by new residents.
- County officials and developers say that the community will help address steep population growth with diverse types of housing, including plans for affordable housing developments in the works.
For nearly four years, bulldozers and construction crews have been working away at a 2,123-acre plot of land just north of Roseville. But what’s going on at the site?
The Placer One community will bring the region over 5,000 units of housing, sites for offices and businesses, parks and open space, and a new Sacramento State satellite campus to be operated in collaboration with Sierra College.
Here are the basics of what community members can expect from the project.
Sign Up for the Placer County Newsletter
Coming soon: A weekly newsletter focused on the stories that matter to Placer County.
The timeline
Plans for Placer One, formerly known as Placer Ranch, were approved in 2019. Construction for the first of the project’s four phases has been underway since 2022, and some new residents have already moved into completed homes.
The first phase of the project includes the creation of 769 single-family housing lots, the start of university campus development, four parks, roadway construction and infrastructure improvements, and more.
Development for future phases will likely go on for decades, according to parts of the project plan.
Different districts
Placer One will have seven districts, according to development plans, hosting different community features.
The Sacramento State Placer campus will be located at the center of the project site, surrounded by residential and commercial development spaces.
Campus Park, which is being constructed along Placer Parkway as part of the project’s first phase, will primarily feature office and research space, businesses and industrial sites, making it the community’s “employment hub.”
Located inside Campus Park and the University districts, the Town Center, described in development plans as Placer One’s “urban core, will act as a downtown area, with shops, apartments and community gathering spaces.
The other four districts — the University Creek Neighborhood, the Campus Arcade Neighborhood, the Active Adult Neighborhood and Foothill Gateway District — are primarily residential, with planned parks and open public spaces. The Active Adult Neighborhood will be entirely age-restricted.
Adding more housing
According to the project’s most recently updated development agreement, 5,636 housing units are planned for Placer One.
Over 3,200 of these units are classified as low density, and the community will also host 872 medium-density units and 1,504 high-density apartments. Housing will be spread across multiple neighborhoods with several “villages,” according to project plans, with most in close proximity to the town center and university campus.
Placer One’s 2019 environmental impact report projected that development would result in a population increase of over 13,200 people and the creation of nearly 15,000 new jobs.
In accordance with state law, 10% of Placer One’s residential units must be designated affordable housing, though specific development plans are subject to approval by county authorities. Most recently, county supervisors approved a preliminary agreement stating they would loan developers $8.9 million for Destination at Placer One, an affordable housing community of 360 units that would be located along Sunset Boulevard.
Destination at Placer One has yet to identify a specific funding source, though officials told Abridged by PBS KVIE that the county and developers were working to find one.
The University
Sac State Placer, dubbed a “communiversity” on its webpage, will take up 301 acres, including a center for Sierra College students planning to transfer to the university.
The campus is expected to host a “blended learning environment” for students attending both institutions, with shared student life and services.
University students will have access to dormitories and apartment housing, a student union, a library, commercial spaces and other facilities. Sports facilities, including athletic fields and a stadium, are also planned.
Sac State will offer some programs not available at the university’s main campus, including a forensic science degree. A 30,000-foot crime laboratory is set to be the campus’s first building, slated to open in fall 2028.
According to project plans, Sac State Placer’s first phase will draw 500 to 2,500 full-time equivalent students, and Sierra College will add 1,000 students during this period. By the end of a 20-year planning period, the campus is expected to serve 12,500 and 5,000 full-time equivalent students at Sac State and Sierra College, respectively.
