News

What many in Natomas have known for years is finally getting front-page “above the fold” exposure: Natomas is in dire straits in terms of fire protection, particularly for those of us on the west side of Interstate 5.

In today’s Sacramento Bee, reporter Phillip Reese chronicles the disappointing status of fire protection in our community.

Highlights of this in-depth article include:

• Chilling video of the Silva family home on Stilt Court engulfed in flames that sent four firefighers to the hospital;
• How Capt. Helvin thought he was going to burn to death after his attempt to find victims upstairs and how he briefly considered ending his life by smoke inhalation to avoid that fate;
• Testimony from city officials about the stark realities of inadequate fire department response times in our part of the city; and
• How the fire department captain responsible for tracking response times for the department “would not live west of Interstate 5.”

Alleghany Properties, llc, met with Witter Ranch Community Alliance to present and answer qustions about a proposed development east of Interstate 5, mostly south of Arena Blvd., and west of East Commerce Way at its February meeting. The development is an extension of what is known as “Natomas Crossing” and specifically includes what is designated as Quadrants B, C, and E.

The proposed development consists of a full-fledged hospital at the southernmost end, medical office buildings to the north of the prospective hospital site, an expansion of a retail zone at the southwest corner of Arena Blvd. and East Commerce Way to make way for a large retail complex, and a rezone of the northwest corner of Arena Blvd. and East Commerce Way from office space to retail.

Plans and renderings were presented for the retail development on the south side of Arena, but not the north side.

The developer would not name the company committed to the hospital and medical offices project.

The anchor of the retail complex is Lowe’s Home Improvement. There had previously been numerous other smaller retailers and restaurants on board on the project, but they have all pulled out due to market conditions / economy.

Feedback from community members was generally positive about the project, but there were some concerns, including the extent of rezoning necessary to accommodate the project, given how the Natomas Community Plan has gotten shredded over the years; trading higher paying office jobs for lower paying retail jobs; and questions about traffic.

The traffic study is not yet available but will be soon as part of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to be published soon.

Alleghany Properties LLC has applied to develop a series of parcels along the east side of Interstate 5 at Arena Blvd. and is tentatively scheduled to present its development proposal to Witter Ranch Community Alliance at its monthly meeting on Monday, February 23.

The two-phase development proposal calls for a hospital, office buildings, and retail stores, including a home improvement center. Some have heard that Lowe’s Home Improvement is the anticipated anchor tenant.

The proposal calls for amendments to the General Plan, the Natomas Community Plan, Rezone and Schematic Plan, and PUD Guidelines.

Some details of the proposal are available, but residents are highly encouraged to attend the meeting to hear from the developer directly and to ask questions of Alleghany’s representative.