The development site off Highway 49 has a history. Several projects have failed there before, including two attempts to build a WalMart.
Now, the same developer is trying again. The county says it’s a Costco, but the community group opposing the project is convinced it’s another attempt at a WalMart. Either way, says group member Victoria Connolly…
Now, the same developer is trying again. The county says it’s a Costco, but the community group opposing the project is convinced it’s another attempt at a WalMart. Either way, says group member Victoria Connolly…
Connolly: “With a recession in place, now is not the time for any big box store to come to Auburn – let alone at this site where it butts up against a residential neighborhood.”
Connolly’s group prefers a mixed-use project with housing and retail. And it’s now trying to raise money for a legal challenge if the project’s approved.
The county says its analysis suggests a big box store would fit the site best. Gerry Haas is with the county’s planning department.
Haas: “It’s really not visible from the commercial corridor. So it doesn’t really lend itself well to a mall, strip mall type of development or a true mixed-use development. It just wouldn’t do well economically back there.”
Placer County Supervisors will hear the community group’s appeal in September.
