This new growth is the result of a thoughtful planning effort and efficient environmental permitting process that has made western Placer County a desirable location for new business. 

“Developers in California are competing for business with developers in other states, like Nevada, where the environmental regulations aren’t as strict. Placer County wouldn’t have secured some recent development without the Placer County Conservation Program,” said Sheridon Evans, owner of Evans Development Consulting. He helps companies navigate the complex regulatory process for securing environmental permits for projects in California. 

Western Placer County is expected to grow significantly, transforming 30,000 acres of land into new communities and businesses. The Placer County Conservation Program provides a 50-year roadmap that balances new growth with maintaining the county’s rural character and open spaces for wildlife.

“The program provides a locally-managed process for developers and landowners to secure state and federal environmental permits needed for private construction or public infrastructure projects,” said Gregg McKenzie, administrator of the Placer County Conservation Program. 

The Placer County Conservation Program reduced the timeline for the 2,200-acre Placer One project enabling Domeyko Taylor Holding Company to start work in just one year of purchasing the land.  Photo courtesy of Placer County

Traditional permitting processes require developers to submit applications to multiple state and federal agencies and secure environmental permits one-by-one. But the program in Placer County, known as a habitat conservation plan or natural communities conservation plan, enables a county or city-based agency to issue environmental permits on behalf of the state and federal agencies if the proposed project meets specific criteria. The program’s efficient permitting process helps developers meet growing demand for occupiable buildings faster, which translates into cost savings. 

“The longer developers have to hold onto undeveloped land, the more costly the project gets. With the Placer County Conservation Program in place, projects become operational on a shorter timeline,” said Evans.  

The launch of the program was welcome news to developers who had been closely watching its development for over a decade. 

“When we heard that the Placer County Conservation Program was going to be approved, we knew that we would have a clear roadmap to get a project permitted. Without the program in place, we would be looking at 10-year process instead of two,” said Joe Livaich, senior vice president of Development and Entitlements for Buzz Oates Construction. 

In the five years the program has been in place, more than 100 projects have received environmental permits through Placer County or the City of Lincoln. Notably, two major developments have tapped into the streamlined permitting process to get their projects off the ground faster. These projects will bring new jobs to the area, provide essential services and improve the quality of life for Placer County residents. 

Placer County, California is expanding rapidly. The with the Placer County Conservation Program in place, new growth is balanced with maintaining the county’s rural character and open spaces for wildlife. Photo courtesy of Placer County

The Placer Commerce Center, a major business park located off Athens Avenue and North Foothills Boulevard, west of Highway 65, will attract between 3,500 and 5,000 new jobs in research and development, warehousing, distribution, e-commerce fulfillment and flex spaces among other uses. Buzz Oates anticipates investing $750 million to $1 billion over the next 20 years as it builds a number of facilities for companies, including a distribution center for Proctor and Gamble. 

“Through the Placer County Conservation Program, our site had already been identified for future urban development and qualified to use the program’s environmental permitting structure. The program sets clear expectations for development and provides certainty around environmental mitigation. That information helped us close the deal with Proctor and Gamble,” said Livaich. 

The certainty and efficient approval process provided by the program also helped the Placer One project (formerly Placer Ranch) move forward. This project, spanning more than 2,200 acres between West Roseville and the industrial area of Rocklin, will be developed into 5,500 new homes and multifamily units, a 200-acre town center and a 300-acre satellite campus for California State University Sacramento. 

“We were able to start construction on Phase 1 and get all of the infrastructure installed in two and a half years. That would have never happened on this timeframe had we gone through a traditional permitting process,” said Kate Hart, general counsel Domeyko Taylor Holding Company, the parent company of Taylor Builders. 

The university campus will include a 30,000 square foot forensic crime lab, providing hands-on experience and training to students while providing investigative services to law enforcement agencies across the northern part of the state.   

“The land use entitlement of the Placer One project took almost a decade. With the Placer County Conservation Program in place, we were able to start work in just one year of purchasing the land,” said Hart. 

In addition to identifying areas for urban growth, the program also identifies areas for permanent conservation. The program aims to conserve 47,000 acres of wildlife habitat and working ranchlands to offset urban growth. When wetlands, oak woodlands or vernal pools are impacted by new construction, developers either pay land conversion fees or dedicate land containing high quality wildlife habitat in-lieu of paying fees. 

“These fees go directly to purchasing, restoring and conserving properties containing healthy wetlands, streams, woodlands or and vernal pools in other parts of western Placer County,” said McKenzie. “This centralized approach to land conservation ensures habitats are linked together and create wildlife corridors instead of creating a checkerboard of conservation.” 

Developers agree that the mitigation fees in the Placer County Conservation Program area are usually higher, but the cost is offset by the certainty in timelines and mitigation.   

“The Placer County Conservation Program is a win for everyone. It’s a win for the developers, a win for the community and a win for local conservation,” said Hart.