Within weeks, grading could begin on a long-awaited master plan in unincorporated Sacramento County, now with a new name as well.

Braden, formerly known as Cordova Hills, could see its first lots turned over for housing construction in early 2026, said Rachel Bardis, chief operating officer of development firm Somers West.

“For what I do, being part of on a scale such as Braden is inspiring,” said Bardis, a veteran of residential development and construction in the Sacramento region who joined the project six months ago. “What was inspiring to jump over was the plan itself.”

Approved 11 years ago as Cordova Hills, Braden would have 8,000 homes at build-out and has about 270 acres at its center planned for a higher education campus, on 2,700 acres southeast of Rancho Cordova.

Although the project has faced both skepticism in the development community and criticism from environmental groups as “leapfrog development,” it’s far from a traditional project for the region, Bardis said.

Homes in Braden will be alley-loaded, as an example, and the plan calls for more commercial development upfront to create natural places where the first residents can meet and start forming community, she said.

Sidewalk widths, 18 to 24 feet, are also bigger than traditional for the same reason, Bardis said, adding the goal is to deemphasize the car and promote walkability.

In concept, the plan is like an infill project such as Sutter Park or McKinley Village in Sacramento, she said, but on a much larger scale. The first village “Town Center,” which Somers West has applied to start grading work for, would have 968 homes in a variety of styles and densities as well as 900,000 square feet of commercial space.

The latter could take the form of shops, stores, farmers markets, restaurants and workspaces. A central tree-lined boulevard, an extension of Chrysanthy Boulevard from the north, would be the principal geographic feature.

Bardis said the project’s planners took inspiration from similar “new urbanism” projects such as what’s now called Central Park in the Denver area. “This is the antithesis of everything that’s been done before in Northern California,” she said.

Somers West is also hopeful of landing a higher education partner to center the project around, she said, though she acknowledged there’s not one on board yet.

Other initial Braden features would include a community building, dog park and trail system, she said. Braden, which is an Irish word meaning a “wide valley,” was renamed from Cordova Hills to give a sense of wide-open possibility, Bardis said.

“You never have these major roads that you have to cross,” she said. “They talk about the missing middle housing, this is the missing master plan.”

Read full article from the Sacramento Business Journal

IT’S ON SACRAMENTO. The 2,600-acre property known as Cordova Hills, quiet since its 2013 approval for development, is waking up. With a new name. And a radically new approach that addresses some of our state’s — and world’s — toughest issues. From unaffordable housing to climate change.

The time is right, believes property owner Somers West. Because in the two decades that the Sacramento-based developer has owned the property, growth has reached its borders. So have major cultural shifts in how we live, work and gather — trends accelerated by the pandemic. The developer’s own experiences at its sister company, in a very different industry, also inspired the transformative community plan.

SBM Management Services is a worldwide provider of building management solutions. While serving some of Silicon Valley’s largest and highest profile businesses, SBM saw up close their challenges in attracting and retaining employees. This led to the creation of Somers West, which is breaking from the traditional developer mindset. Shaping Braden to improve Californians’ quality of life by addressing housing inequity, traffic and loss of talent. Even helping to reduce the carbon that is warming our planet.

Braden is designed as a true mixed-use community, where every part of your day is no more than 10 minutes away. Bringing a healthier balance to Californians’ lives with less time behind the wheel. More time on bikes, EV shuttles and walking in nature. Homes will come in a wide price range, accessible to everyone from CEO to entry-level. And with this higher quality of life, Braden will help retain California talent — and their employers. Kicking off the “new California town,” Braden’s first phase will include a town center with homes, green spaces and workplaces — traditional and very not, for the diverse ways we work today. As well as great places to eat, shop and even learn at a neighborhood K-8 school.

“We’ve designed a community where the car really takes a backseat,” says Denise Gammon, Community Developer at Somers West. “They’re people-centered streets. Whether you’re biking to a food hall, walking to school with your kids, or working at the town center, everything’s all right here.” Eventually Braden will include 8,000 residences, 6 mobility hubs and a vast nature preserve in the middle of it all.

Somers West has assembled a team with some of the country’s top talent. Starting at the Irvine Company, Gammon has 35+ years of experience in developing high-profile projects from coast to coast, including the acclaimed, sustainable development of Stapleton in Denver (now known as Central Park). The team also includes world-renowned planner Peter Calthorpe of HDR/Calthorpe and town planner for the Stapleton redevelopment. And award-winning Lake Flato Architects.

Somers West plans to break ground for Phase 1 later in 2022. The company is currently pursuing collaborative partners for Braden’s innovative commercial and residential projects.