Rural Roots Sunday - Elk Grove Residents Value the Rural Area

…The Rural Area is valued in our community for its aesthetic and cultural significance, as well as the economic and educational opportunities that agriculture provides. Our commitment to maintaining the Rural Area is clear and codified in core planning documents…” Elk Grove General Plan, December 2023

Hello. I’m a 5th generation Lodian who currently does not live in the rural portion of Elk Grove but in the city limits for the last 16 years.  I grew up in a farming family who produced cherries, bok choy, corn, and both table and wine grapes.  

I have five children, all of whom have been active members of 4-H and Elk Grove High FFA.  As a busy homeschooling mom, being able to participate in 4-H and FFA right here in Elk Grove is amazing!  The rural area is an asset that the city should continue to support for the benefit and quality of life for all Elk Grove residents. 

We know once an asset is sold and used in an unintended manner, it is permanently gone.  It can never be brought back or used for its original intended purpose.

It also permanently alters the look of the community, removing views and quite literally, putting up walls where walls were never meant to exist.  Those who decided long ago the area shown in the General Plan should be zoned for agricultural/residential use are some of the originals who remember what Elk Grove used to look like and how it used to function.  

When we erase history in the name of progress, to make something it was never intended to be, we take steps backward.  We create congestion and stress where peace and harmony once stood.  

Oftentimes, our decisions are based on money and not logic.  I hope logic wins in this situation because without it, Elk Grove’s rural roots and promise to preserve them will become quickly eliminated, similar to other building projects we’ve seen.  Approving this unprecedented project, Summer Villas SPA, will have an effect. 

Elk Grove should continue to keep the Rural Area rural.

Heather S.

EG Resident, Rural Area Supporter