Editorial: Closure for Clover Valley

Published 2:15 am PST

An old fight has taken a new twist in Rocklin over the beautiful, undeveloped, oak-studded Clover Valley. While the valley has long been slated for development, its possible preservation has captured the interest of the United Auburn Indian Community.

Suddenly, a poor tribe is becoming wealthy. Thunder Valley, the new casino off Highway 65, is now Placer County's largest employer, making an estimated $300 million a year. The tribe didn't have the financial means to propose buying Clover Valley during a planning process a few years back. Compared with donating money to the California Legislature, preserving important landscapes is surely an appropriate use of tribal funds.

On the development side, builders have already proposed where to build 689 homes in the 622-acre valley. Rocklin envisions an upscale community rivaling Granite Bay. The developers have gone to some lengths to spare the Indian sites as well as many (but certainly not all) oak trees. They are following the established city's vision for this land, whether one likes that vision or not. Residents had a chance to elect council candidates more sympathetic to preserving as much of Clover Valley as possible, but they chose pro-development candidates instead.

Until the tribe came along, however, purchase of the land for preservation couldn't be taken seriously. The opposition now has a potential deep pocket. But how deep is the tribe's interest? It's vital that the developers, the tribe and the city explore possibilities in good faith and see where the discussion might lead. That seems the fastest, healthiest way for Rocklin to come to closure, if it can, on Clover Valley.