Auburn in early stages of creating urban-style redevelopment plan for Domes property
The government is considering redeveloping a well-known property into an urban-style project.
Auburn's well-known public property is being considered for a future urban-style redevelopment.
The current Placer County Government Center at 175 Fulweiler Avenue, also known as "the Domes", occupies 14 acres of land near the city train station and Interstate 80/Highway 49.
Auburn is an area that is very developed and committed. Jonathan Wright, Auburn’s director of community and economic growth, said that there aren't many vacant parcels.
Last month, the board of directors of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments voted to award Auburn a "Green Means Go", $650,000 grant for developing a masterplan for this site. Wright stated that the process has just begun, but the goal is to be the best at infill development.
The city is envisioning a dense urban style development with housing, and perhaps other uses, but with due consideration to not overwhelm the surrounding area. Wright cited Ice Blocks, which is a three block area in Sacramento that combines offices, retail, and restaurants into one complex.
Wright stated that the city had not done a scoping study to determine the maximum number of commercial units or residential units possible on the property.
The city will be issuing a request for proposal within the next six month for developers to create a masterplan for the Domes, which was built in 1966. The unique architecture of the property, as well as its "pod"-like structure for county departments, was a result of futuristic thinking about how cities might look in the future.
Placer County owns the property and invited Auburn to come up with new ideas while it is building a modern, larger county government center in North Auburn outside the city limits.
The exact timing of the Domes redevelopment project is unclear. Steve Newsom, Director of Facilities Management for Placer County in an email statement released by the county, cited that there were other hurdles to overcome first.
He said that while the Placer County facilities master plan includes a future administrative building on the Placer County Government Center Campus, a specific budget, schedule or design for this project has not yet been determined. The Board of Supervisors will also have the final say on future plans for the Domes.