Housing projects added to Yuba master plan

Yuba County supervisors voted Tuesday to add proposals for thousands of new houses to the county's General Plan update, on the promise the associated projects would attract jobs.

The Woodbury and Magnolia Ranch projects became part of the plan update on a 4-1 vote, with supervisors saying the county's beleaguered economy needs action over words.

"Though these are challenges for the board, they present opportunities," said County Administrator Robert Bendorf before the vote, taking note that representatives for both projects gave strong assurances the county's job base would benefit if they were built.

Woodbury, which would be between highways 70 and 65 south of Erle Road, would do so by building enough industrial, light industrial and commercial centers within its boundaries to create a ratio of 1.8 jobs to every new home built.

Magnolia Ranch, east of Bradshaw Road and south of Ostrom Road, would do so with infrastructure investments up front that would spur development of job centers nearby, though the project itself is mostly housing.

In presentations to supervisors before the vote, representatives for the projects painted their plans as nothing but beneficial to the county, if not vital.

"It might take until 2050 for buildout, but when it does, it'll be an economic engine for Yuba County," said Greg Forest, a representative for Magnolia Ranch's developers. The project would ultimately create 60,000 jobs, he said, as well as include about 5,000 homes.

Randy Collins, speaking on behalf of Woodbury's land owners, said that project's first phase would create nearly 7,300 jobs. "If you can include us in your update, we can build a project Yuba County can be proud of," he said.

But Kevin Mallen, director of Yuba County's planning and community development department, pointed out both projects also have their drawbacks.

The commercial center in Woodbury, for example, could simply take jobs and tenants from planned commercial centers elsewhere in the county, he said. And even without either project, Yuba County still has planned housing on its books that could far exceed what the market demands, he added.

County residents raised other concerns. Wheatland resident Richard Paskowitz took issue with glowing visions put forth by the representatives of developers.

"Does this developer care about a quality project? I don't think so," Paskowitz said. "Do they care about profit? Yes!"

A South Beale Road resident, Frank Webb, submitted a petition of about 175 residents opposed to Magnolia Ranch because it's outside any previously designated area for development.

"We believe this is leapfrog development, which is an inefficient way to develop," he said. "The infrastructure is not there."

The petition was part of what convinced Supervisor Roger Abe to cast the sole vote against including the projects in the General Plan update.

He said he was concerned about adding more houses when there's no guarantee economic trends will support it. "It's a really difficult thing," he said after the meeting.

But during the discussion before the vote, Supervisor John Nicoletti said the county's unemployment rate, among the highest in the state, made the case for doing whatever was possible to attract jobs.

"The fact of the matter is, we can do nothing, but that doesn't mean the marketplace will do nothing," he said. "If we're going to push this back to another time, we've failed our people and our families."

In voting for the inclusion of Woodbury and Magnolia Ranch, supervisors also asked county planners to consider rezoning areas near the projects' specific plans away from agricultural uses.

They also asked county staff to designate more areas in and around the projects for job growth. Planners will return with a modified plan update at a meeting later in the year.

PROJECTS DETAILS

Yuba County supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to add the Woodbury and Magnolia Ranch projects to the county's ongoing General Plan update. Here are some specifics about both projects:

Magnolia Ranch: Would be located south of Ostrom Road and east of Bradshaw Road. About 5,000 homes at buildout, developers said infrastructure improvements partially paid for by them would help create about 60,000 jobs.

Woodbury: Would be located south of Erle Road, between highways 70 and 65. About 4,800 homes at buildout, with a jobs to homes ratio of 1.8 to 1, according to developers. Includes commercial, light industrial and business parks.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ben van der Meer at 749-4709 or bvandermeer@appealdemocrat.com. For more Yuba County news, see Ben's blog "Yuba County Insider" at appealdemocrat.com.