special promotional section
Recreation Creation
More than just a place for leisure , parks and facilities are being used for greater economic development and giving residents a higher quality of life in Lincoln , Rocklin and Roseville
by Steve Martarano
Dangling over a 60-foot-deep granite pit , children and adults zoom across a zip line cable and scale and rappel down sheer stone walls . The historical quarry , known as the Big Gun Quarry , is 160 years old , and has been repurposed to be Quarry Park Adventures , a family-friendly , privately owned adventure park in Rocklin . Next to it is the similarly named Quarry Park , which includes an amphitheater , as the city ’ s public gathering spot . Called the Quarry District , the parks are at the center of Rocklin ’ s development plan , with commercial and residential building projects around it coming soon .
Like in Rocklin , the other Placer Valley cities — Lincoln and Roseville — prize and prioritize their park spaces and facilities in their city planning efforts not just as places to recreate , but as places for economic development , attracting residents and businesses who want a quality of life that comes with the benefits and advantages of having these public spaces .
The Placer County cities of Lincoln , Rocklin and Roseville were collectively branded as Placer Valley in 2004 to highlight the area ’ s collective amenities , says Kim Summers , director of marketing for Placer Valley Tourism . Over time , the area grew and the combined population of the three cities became 250,000 .
“ One of the great overall attractions to the Placer Valley is its abundant access to amazing outdoor activities ,” says Rob Haswell , CEO of the Placer County Visitors Bureau . “ We have so much to do within Placer Valley and surrounding foothills — it ’ s phenomenal and a great place for families .”
Partnerships helped drive the construction of a 160,000-square-foot Placer Valley Events Center at the 60-acre Placer County Fairgrounds site in Roseville . Taken over by Placer Valley Tourism in July 2017 and renamed @ the Grounds , it opened in mid-February with site and building renovations that cost around $ 13 million , as well as the addition of a new $ 34 million
2020 | comstocksmag . com 25