Folsom Preparing Largest Housing Project In Sacramento County Since Recession

FOLSOM (CBS13) — It is a big dig that will change Folsom forever.

"It's a giant piece of land," Folsom Ranch spokesperson Ian Cornell said.

Folsom's massive new development is 3,500 acres in size, with 10,000 new homes planned. Post-recession, no housing development in Sacramento County compares to the project.

"I don't think there's anything coming online, this size, right now," Cornell said. "This is probably the largest."

The development is timed with reports that show Folsom's housing inventory is at an historic low.

"It's actually developed into kind of a problem," Cornell said.

Besides housing, the development plans also call for a new town center. And a business campus.

All were approved by the Folsom City Council, but not without concerns from Folsom residents.

"What I'm concerned about, is we really want to keep the history," Heritage Preservation League President Beth Kelly said. "We really want it to be small town."

Kelly is concerned for the city's water needs, and traffic congestion. And she's fearful Folsom's charm as a small city is at stake by building across Highway 50.

"You're just sort of splitting everybody up and does everybody still have the Folsom vision," Kelly said. "If you have an issue over here do people over there care?"

"The plan area was designed by dozens of community meetings with hundreds of Folsom residents," Cornell said.

Developers say they've addressed water needs by paying to make water delivery more efficient. They're building interchanges for traffic. And they're keeping the new neighborhoods consistent with those already in Folsom.

"It will feel like Folsom," Cornell said.

A big change for a small city, expanding its boundaries.

The first homes are expected to be on the market in 2018.