The Folsom City Council advanced a significant housing and infrastructure-related project Tuesday night, approving a consent calendar item tied to the proposed Emblem Empire Ranch Apartments development near Iron Point Road and Highway 50. The action confirmed an earlier Planning Commission approval connected to a parcel map waiver for the project and effectively allowed the development process to continue without additional City Council hearings.
The project, proposed by Quarterra Multifamily Properties, the multifamily development division of homebuilder Lennar Corp., calls for construction of a 180-unit market-rate apartment community on a portion of a nearly 20-acre site located at the southeast corner of Iron Point Road and Empire Ranch Road within the Empire Ranch Specific Plan area. According to city documents, only about 7.55 acres of the property would ultimately be developed with apartments, while the remaining roughly 11.7 acres would be conveyed to the City of Folsom for future transportation improvements associated with the planned Empire Ranch interchange project along Highway 50.
Tuesday’s action did not approve the apartment complex itself, which had already been unanimously approved by the Folsom Planning Commission on April 29. Instead, the council formally received a required report from the Community Development Department regarding the Planning Commission’s approval of a parcel map waiver connected to the land conveyance. Under Folsom Municipal Code, the City Council had the option to initiate a separate review and public hearing on the waiver but chose not to do so, allowing the Planning Commission’s decision to stand.
The parcel map waiver is tied specifically to the division and transfer of land needed for future roadway and interchange improvements. City staff stated in the report that the waiver applies to the portion of land being dedicated to the city for public infrastructure purposes, including right-of-way improvements connected to the future Empire Ranch interchange project.
According to planning documents, the development site is considered one of the last remaining undeveloped parcels within the Empire Ranch Specific Plan area. The property currently consists largely of disturbed land with rocky soils and sparse vegetation. The future apartment complex would sit adjacent to existing residential neighborhoods and planned roadway improvements, including the future extension of Empire Ranch Road and a future westbound Highway 50 off-ramp.
Plans submitted to the city show the apartment community would consist of six residential buildings ranging from three to four stories in height and include a mix of one- and two-bedroom units. The development would feature 96 one-bedroom apartments and 84 two-bedroom apartments, along with amenities such as a clubhouse with kitchen space, fitness center, pool, spa, cabana, barbecue areas, parcel room, bicycle storage, and an off-leash pet run area. LPAS is listed as the project architect in planning materials submitted to the city.
Parking plans for the project include a combination of garages, tandem driveway parking, carports and surface spaces totaling 288 parking stalls, exceeding the city’s minimum parking requirement for the site.
City planners noted that the project design was shaped heavily by the unusual configuration of the remaining developable land after accounting for future interchange needs. Residential buildings are concentrated toward the northern and western portions of the site, away from the future interchange area, while parking areas and stormwater facilities are planned closer to Highway 50.
Access to the development would come from a new driveway along Iron Point Road aligned with Dry Creek Road. The project also includes an emergency vehicle access route requested by the Folsom Fire Department. Planning documents state that the current three-way stop intersection at the site would eventually transition to a four-way stop, while future city interchange work could ultimately replace the intersection with a roundabout.
Architecturally, the project is designed around a Mediterranean and Spanish-influenced theme intended to complement surrounding Empire Ranch neighborhoods. Plans call for plaster finishes, tile roofing, earth-tone colors and decorative metal and masonry elements throughout the site.
The project also represents part of the city’s broader effort to accommodate additional housing under state housing requirements. Planning staff noted that while the site had originally been identified in the city’s Housing Element as having potential for lower-income housing capacity, the city still maintains enough remaining housing inventory elsewhere to meet its Regional Housing Needs Allocation obligations even with the approval of this market-rate apartment project.
Environmental review for the project was previously completed under state housing and CEQA consistency provisions. City staff concluded that no additional environmental review was required because the project is consistent with existing zoning, specific plan standards and previously certified environmental documents.
With Tuesday’s consent calendar approval, the council formally accepted the Planning Commission’s action and declined further review of the parcel map waiver, allowing the project approvals already granted by the commission to remain in place.
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