Rocklin's City Council is weighing whether to give the developer behind the 200-unit Estia at Rocklin apartment complex two more years to get the project moving, after offsite construction costs came in higher than expected. The council placed the request on its regular meeting agenda for Tuesday as a formal public hearing item, with the extension pushing design review approval out to October 2028.
A Two-Year Buffer, Not a New Plan
According to the Sacramento Bee, the extension request would not change any of Estia's approved plans. The project remains a 200-unit apartment community planned for roughly 20 acres near University Avenue and Highway 65, featuring a mix of single-story and two-story buildings, a swimming pool, a dog park, walking paths, recreation areas, and a clubhouse. The council is considering the two-year extension before the current design approvals lapse, per the same account.
The action item recommends the council formally sign off on the extension so the developer, Homes by Towne, does not lose its design review approval outright, according to the City of Rocklin. Curtis King, a principal engineer representing the applicant, is listed as the project representative in city records tied to the request, the Bee reports.
Rising Costs For Roads Behind The Delay
Homes by Towne has faced higher-than-expected costs for offsite improvements, the station's report notes, and the developer has pursued multiple improvement plan submittals while coordinating with city staff to manage the expense. The company has also explored cost-saving measures, including a possible modification to the project's planned on-site stormwater management plan, per the same account. Improvements to University Avenue and Sunset Boulevard began earlier this year, and the developer has received approval for that offsite work along with grading approval for the site itself.
Despite the added costs, the developer has continued working toward construction, the report states. Homes by Towne has obtained state and federal permits and completed submission of improvement plans, and the company expects to begin grading this fall, with construction slated to start in spring 2027.
How Estia Got Here
The Rocklin City Council originally approved the Estia project in a narrow 3-2 vote in September 2022, according to Gold Country Media. Early project presentations described a design emphasizing single-story detached layouts rather than traditional multi-story apartment blocks.
The original approval covered 181 apartments, but the council approved changes in 2023 that added 19 more units, bringing the total to 200.
A Sister Project And A Commercial Neighbor
Homes by Towne and partner Zilber Residential Group already have a working model for the Estia brand nearby. The two companies completed and opened Estia Roseville in June, a 209-unit sister community of single-story bungalow rentals on Baseline Road, as Hoodline reported at the time. That Roseville community features one- and two-bedroom detached units with private fenced backyards ranging from 709 to 1,083 square feet, according to REBusinessOnline.
A separate 10-acre development, University Square, is being developed as a mixed-use retail center adjacent to Estia. Plans for that companion project, according to Roseville Today, include a 123-room Hilton Garden Inn, more than 20,000 square feet of retail space, drive-thru restaurants, and a daycare facility.
Housing Development Context
The extension request lands amid a broader push to build housing across Placer County.
For now, the extension request itself would not propose any modifications to the approved Estia project and would not result in new or more severe environmental impacts beyond those already analyzed in the mitigated negative declaration, per the Bee's reporting. If the council approves the resolution, Homes by Towne will have until October 2028 to keep the current design review alive while it works through the offsite cost pressures that have slowed the timeline so far.
