PLACER VALLEY
EMPLOYMENT POWERHOUSE
SOUTH PLACER COUNTY ’ S ECONOMY IS GOING GANGBUSTERS by Ken Smith
In March , a gift of 300 acres of gently rolling grassland in unincorporated Placer County was accepted by the California State University Board of Trustees . At that moment , the nearly 20-year effort to create Sacramento State ’ s Placer Center , a satellite campus potentially serving thousands of students , and Placer County ’ s economic future both took a giant leap forward .
“ I think it ’ s going to be phenomenal ,” says Wayne Wiley , economic development manager for the City of Roseville , of the planned campus . “ We ’ re extremely excited .”
Although growth in south Placer County — the section of the sprawling county below the foothills that includes Roseville , Lincoln and Rocklin — is the result of decades of planning , it accelerated during the pandemic . According to the California Department of Finance , the county was only one of four in the state to see a population increase in 2020 and Roseville ’ s 2.4 % growth last year places it among California ’ s 10 fastest-growing cities .
“ We haven ’ t seen major economic declines , even through any of this pandemic ,” says Placer County Executive Officer Todd Leopold . “ What we ’ re seeing is more people wanting to come to the area than we ’ ve ever seen before .”
Leopold says a significant chunk of that migration is coming from Bay Area residents who discovered during the pandemic they could work remotely and started seeking more affordable housing in an area with good schools and plenty of amenities . That growth , along with the county being less economically reliant on the type of office space that turned other business centers into ghost towns as COVID-19 hit and employees fled home with their laptops , kept Placer County ’ s economy relatively healthy .
“ People are clamoring for warehouse space and manufacturing space , prime areas that are really a fit for us for growth ,” Leopold says . “ It has expedited development far greater than what we anticipated .”
12 comstocksmag . com | 2021