When I think of the proposed Gold Rush Ranch development, I think of two things - how the city of Folsom used to be and how it is now.
Please take a drive through old Folsom and the "new" Folsom to see what I mean.
If Gold Rush is completed, be assured that Sutter Creek will keep all of its unique, natural charm - all 100 yards of it. I spent the first 18 years of my life in Sutter Creek and it is not just the town I grew up in and love, it is my escape. I do not want to come home to traffic congestion, chain stores upon chain stores, and the ever-encroaching sprawl that dooms rural areas into drab suburbs. The local business owners should be concerned the most. The businesses of downtown Sutter Creek will suffer from the new development and the sprawl and strip malls that will likely follow. Few people are going to want a $40 dinner at The Palace when, for example, they can spend $15 at an Outback Steakhouse. I understand that local governments, ours included, are hard up for sales and property taxes that new developments produce. Although America is a hyper-capitalist nation, we have to start putting our natural environment and the quiet streets, safety and comfort of our small town before financial profit.
The Sutter Creek City Council should set an unusual precedent. It should designate the entire proposal as a land preserve. The 300 acres designated as "open space" is an interesting proposal. Giving up almost 1,000 acres to get 300 acres is not much of a deal. It is like stealing my car, but giving me the change in my cup holder.
I often hear people say that growth is inevitable. That is something developers want people to believe. What is the problem with keeping a rural area rural? Do we need to turn every rural town into a sterile, cookie-cutter suburb? No, keep Sutter Creek Sutter Creek. I do not want to one day show my kids the 30 second-long drive through Sutter Creek's past and continue on to a future where rural life is an anachronism. If I sound like an alarmist, it is because I am.
I do not hate the developers or the supporters of Gold Rush Ranch. I believe they think it will be positive for the community. Could Sutter Creek benefit from a paid, full-time fire department, improved sewage treatment and the jobs created from Gold Rush Ranch? Sure, but I am not willing to hand over my hometown's future for these things, some of which would only become essential once a development like Gold Rush Ranch was completed.
Gold Rush Ranch is not a done deal. If people want to preserve our historic community, we need to fight, scrape and claw to protect our town and ourselves because developers have the advantage of carrying the carrot and the stick - money and promises.