Planners tell county to reject two proposed RM developments

Published Monday, March 20, 2006

Sacramento County supervisors should reject plans for two development projects proposed for Rancho Murieta, according to reports released Monday by county planners.

The two projects are the first phases of the final “build-out” development proposed by Robert J. Cassano and Gerry N. Kamilos. The development plans have been bitterly opposed by the Rancho Murieta Development Concerned Citizens Committee and others in the community.

The two projects are the Retreats, 95 homes on 30 acres on the Country Club’s North Course, and the Residences of Murieta Hills, 256 units on 145 acres at the northwest edge of the community, between Stonehouse Road and Guadalupe and Puerto drives.

The reports, each running more than 30 pages, advise the supervisors to deny almost all of the developers’ requests for changes to make the developments possible.

In the case of the Retreats, planned as high-end homes for empty-nesters, the report says the community’s master plan calls for multi-family housing on the land, and more than 95 units. The master plan allows 573 units.

With an appropriate number of units, the report notes, the development should be required to include affordable housing.

By building multi-family homes, fewer trees would be disturbed, golf course views could be preserved, and potential problems with expansive soil and naturally occurring asbestos would be lessened, the report says.

Ironically, Cassano and Kamilos emphasized lesser densities in their efforts to sell the community on their plans. Indeed, development opponents wanted even fewer homes.

Cassano and Kamilos plan to build the Retreats homes themselves. They brought in Warmington Homes and Woodside Homes to build the Residences.

The report on the Residences is the more critical of the two.

“The project is not compatible or consistent with the intent of the Rancho Murieta master plan or with other development in the North that has occurred under the master plan,” the report says. “It is also not consistent with good planning practice. The project would not be integrated into the existing community structure. The project would be isolated and separated from the rest of the north Rancho Murieta community.”

The report also criticizes the Residences proposal for its “extensive” grading, its removal of trees, its lack of a plan to link the community’s trails and its use of open space along its perimeter.

“The project consists of housing on lots with little or no regard for the natural contours and constraints of the land,” the report says, adding, “The project should be redesigned to be more accommodating of the natural environment including the use of circle or footprint lots and common open space to allow for clustering of units, and protection for trees and rock outcroppings.”

This project’s 256 units fall short of the 398 allowed in the master plan.

The report says, ”It has been argued by some community members that despite the proposed reduction in units, densities for the project remain too high. … It is the staff’s position that density is not the issue so much as subdivision design.”

As required by the county, the development plan includes three dozen units of affordable housing.

The development plans allow 54 acres of open space in the Residences, while the master plan calls for 24.7, the report says.

The report suggests the plans be redrawn to employ clustered homes on circle or footprint lots with common open space.

The reports – parts of which are nearly identical – also deal with development opponents’ requests for an updated master plan for the community. The reports say there would be value in updating the master plan, but they recognizes the costs and staffing for the county would be considerable.

RMDCCC member Candy Chand wrote a letter to RanchoMurieta.com Monday, applauding the reports and saying they would delay the developers' plans and remake them entirely. Kamilos did not return phone calls seeking his views.

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