Roseville Property Swap Approved by Supervisors

The Placer County Board of Supervisors approved an exchange of West Roseville properties last week that stands to benefit both the county and the Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District.
 
The school district received 5.3 acres of county property located south of the site where the district plans to build Morgan Creek Elementary School. The two adjoining properties are located south of Vineyard Road and west of Cook Riolo Road.
  
The county had at one time intended to develop a park on the 5.3-acre site. However, with the nearby 34-acre Dry Creek Community Park nearing completion, another smaller park is now not needed. 
 
In exchange for the 5.3-acre Morgan Creek property, the county received an 8.5 acre parcel of open-space on Cook Riolo Road next to Creekview Ranch Middle School. Much of the open-space site is a riparian habitat located alongside Dry Creek.   

Placer County Supervisor Jack Duran requested that deed restriction language be included on the parcel the county gave to the school district to ensure the land is utilized for school-related purposes only and cannot be developed for other purposes anytime in the future.
 
“This is a common-sense deal that offers significant benefits to the county, school district and the public,” said 1st District Supervisor Duran. “District officials approached us because the exchange will give the district a bigger site for its future elementary school. That opens up the door for additional recreational facilities that will serve students during school hours and the public when school is not in session. For the county, acquiring the open-space parcel is consistent with our long-term efforts to preserve our county’s valuable open space resources.”   
 
In a report to the board, the county Facility Services Department emphasizes the 8.5-acre property the county received:

• Is designated in the proposed Placer County Conservation Plan (PCCP) as a potential reserve area that would be protected from development because of its importance as a riparian habitat. After final approval of the PCCP, preserving the open space property could gain the county conservation or environmental mitigation credits that could be used to offset impacts on natural resources in areas where development is allowed.
• Provides a potential site for a segment of a proposed 75-mile bike path loop that would connect an existing Dry Creek trail with Roseville, Granite Bay, Folsom Lake and Sacramento.
• Middle school students will continue to have access to the property’s riparian habitat for educational purposes.