Depending on how this works out, and on how well Elk Grove cares for the Cosumnes River it appears to be eyeing, this good be a very good thing as the city of Elk Grove appears to be in a much better financial situation to care for precious natural resources in its boundaries than the county; given its stewardship of the American River Parkway.
Elk Grove eyes big move south
City officials say it's just good planning, but Galt is concerned.
By Loretta Kalb - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Friday, January 26, 2007
The city of Elk Grove, known for record population growth, has launched a plan to grow even larger by absorbing thousands of acres outside its southern boundaries.
In a move likely to heighten tensions with Galt and environmentalists, the Elk Grove City Council late Wednesday night, in a 5-0 vote, gave the green light to city staff members to begin groundwork for a master plan that could dictate the destiny of land as far south as the Cosumnes River.
It also could upend Sacramento County's longtime ban on providing urban services south of Kammerer Road.
The precise size of the annexation, or whether it occurs at all, will be dependent on many factors, including the public planning process and Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission approval. But expectations are high that as the process unfolds over the next decade, at least some, if not all, of the land under review will become part of Elk Grove, which now is 42 square miles.
Elk Grove council members Wednesday night were enthusiastic about the recreational opportunities that the Cosumnes River might offer the city. The river is one to two miles from the city's current southeastern border at Grant Line Road.
"There's a possibility of creating a jewel amenity that is unlike anything else in the region," Councilman Pat Hume said Thursday, noting that the area could include an interpretative center, recreation, nature preserve and open space.
