Environmental groups are suing to try and prevent Elk Grove from expanding its boundaries.
Earlier this year the city got permission to expand its sphere of influence southwest by around 1,100 acres. It sets up the city for annexing and building on the land west of Highway 99 and south of Kammerer Road.
“It's probably going to be the most important economic development corridor within the city of Elk Grove,” says City Councilmember Patrick Hume. “We're really targeting this area for significant future job growth."
But the Environmental Council of Sacramento and the Sierra Club have filed a lawsuit challenging the decision.
“This is classic leapfrog development where you are building on green fields instead of brown fields,” said Alexandra Reagan with ECOS.
Reagan says the city should develop existing land within its boundaries. She also says there are 14 impacts that are unavoidable with the project moving forward. They include altering where migratory birds forage and depletion of groundwater resources.
“We feel like those should be addressed before any next steps for planning growth,” Reagan adds.
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