"You don't imagine a Margaritaville in the rice field in Sutter County," Supervisor Dan Flores told the Sacramento Bee in March, after the Board of Supervisors approved map changes for Lakeside at Sutter Pointe. The project is going up north of Riego Road and west of Natomas Road, in an area covered by the Pleasant Grove fire district. The developer markets it as Latitude Margaritaville Sacramento.
Most of the coverage reads as if homes will be ready soon. The construction work has moved quickly. The county step that decides who provides fire protection, road upkeep and law enforcement on that land has not. That step would also redraw the Pleasant Grove fire district's boundary, and in September it missed its meeting.
Where each piece stands in early October 2026
| Item | What it covers | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside Phase 1 entitlements | About 873 acres, roughly 3,402 single-family and 399 multifamily homes, K-8 school site | Nov. 17, 2020 | Approved |
| U25-0031, Lennar | 5,063-square-foot Latitude Margaritaville sales center on Lot C | Feb. 18, 2026 | Decided |
| Model home allowance | Raised from 3 to 20 model homes | 2026 | Approved |
| U25-0032, Lennar | Phase 1 map changes; parks grow from 8.2 to 14.5 acres | March 24, 2026 | Decided |
| U26-0010, Lennar | Amenity center with restaurant and bar, fitness center, two pools, event plaza | June 17, 2026 | Approved |
| U26-0015 | Third amendment to the Lakeside development agreement | Noticed for Sept. 16, 2026 | Withdrawn |
| CSA-S and CSA-H applications to LAFCO | New urban services and fire service areas | Sept. 10, 2026 committee | Meeting canceled |
The project-level permits in the top rows all went through on schedule. The last row is the one that affects Pleasant Grove most directly.
The construction is ahead of the county paperwork
The Territorial Dispatch reported in April that Phase 1 construction was underway and mass grading was finished. Sound walls, water facilities and subdivision improvements were also in place. That report is six months old, and no newer public source describes conditions on site. The approvals since then follow the usual order for a project getting ready to sell. A sales center came first. Then the county raised the model-home limit from three to 20. The Sacramento Bee described that as four model homes in each of five villages.
The amenity center approved on June 17 would sit on Lot 3 of Phase 1, near Riego and Natomas roads. Plans call for an 8,245-square-foot restaurant and bar, a 10,400-square-foot fitness center, two pools, an indoor entertainment space and an outdoor plaza for concerts and events.
The project's own marketing hasn't moved as far. The Latitude Margaritaville Sacramento page says "Coming Soon!" and asks visitors to sign up for updates. It gives no date for sales, an interest list or model homes. The brand describes it as its first community on the West Coast and calls it a 55-and-better community. According to the Bee, the first phase is planned at more than 1,100 homes, and all of Lakeside could top 3,700.
The model homes are approved, but no public source confirms they have been built. No sales date has been announced.
The filing that would change the Pleasant Grove fire district's boundary
Sutter LAFCO lists the Pleasant Grove fire service as County Service Area D. Under a September county staff report, Lakeside would be served by two new service areas:
- CSA-S, Sutter Pointe Urban Services. It could support law enforcement, park and road maintenance, storm-drain maintenance, transit and sewer service.
- CSA-H, Sutter Pointe Fire Services. It would provide fire protection and emergency medical response. Under this proposal, "identified property" would be detached from County Service Area D, the Pleasant Grove Fire Protection District.
The money is set up to stay inside the project. The staff report projects $6.9 million a year in urban-services costs at full buildout. Funding would come from a Services community facilities district, county revenue generated by the project, and user fees. The applicant covers the county's processing costs under an advance funding agreement, including an estimated $15,500 LAFCO deposit, so staff reported no General Fund impact.
CSA D isn't starting from a weak position. At LAFCO's fire-service review on Sept. 11, 2025, Pleasant Grove representatives described CSA D as operating well and fiscally sound. What changes is the boundary. Once LAFCO approves the detachment, the new homes along Riego Road would be covered by a separate fire service area from the one serving the rest of Pleasant Grove.
The September meeting that didn't happen
The Public Works/Support Services Committee was scheduled to consider sending both applications to LAFCO on Sept. 10. The county's meeting portal shows that meeting as canceled. The committee's Oct. 8 agenda includes a contract amendment for Sutter Pointe consulting work. It does not include the service-area applications or the formation of a Lakeside services district.
That leaves several steps still to come, based on the September staff report:
- The committee reviews the CSA-S and CSA-H resolutions.
- The resolutions and exhibits go to Sutter LAFCO for processing.
- The Board of Supervisors acts on the Services community facilities district, the operating budgets and the related financing agreements.
None of the sources reviewed shows a LAFCO hearing date or a per-home special tax amount for the services district. Those numbers matter for anyone who eventually buys in Lakeside, and they haven't been published yet.
The schedule has slipped before. In March, Sutter County development services director Neal Hay told the Bee that the remaining changes would go to the planning commission in April and to supervisors in May, before building permits for homes could be issued. Some of those changes were approved on March 24. A third amendment to the development agreement was noticed for Sept. 16, and the county now lists it as withdrawn without giving a reason. Winn Communities developer George Carpenter told supervisors the project would "plant a flag." Seven months later, the remaining steps are about how the land will be served, not whether it gets built.
Why this site, and why it has taken so long
The Sutter Pointe Specific Plan covers about 7,528 acres. It is bounded by Natomas Road on the east, Powerline Road and Highway 99/70 on the west, and the Sacramento County line on the south. The Board of Supervisors approved it on June 30, 2009. In 2017 the county approved a wastewater line connecting the area to Regional San's Upper Northwest Interceptor in Rio Linda. The Bee reported that most of unincorporated Sutter County is designated too flood-prone for development, which makes this one of the few areas outside Yuba City where large-scale building is allowed. At full buildout, the plan allows up to 17,500 homes, about the size of a new city.
That scale is why the service areas matter now. Lakeside alone covers 875 acres, and the first design and construction phase covers about 386 of them. The Bee reported that the new service areas would cover Sutter Pointe and "other parts of the southern county." Whatever structure the county sets up first will likely become the model for the rest of the 7,528 acres.
What's happening on Pleasant Grove roads right now
Natomas Road at Riego Road is closed for pipe installation until Oct. 9, 2026, according to a county notice posted Sept. 30. Residents, delivery drivers and businesses on Natomas Road are directed to use the Sankey Road entrance. The notice doesn't say who is doing the work. It is at the corner closest to the Lakeside amenity center site.
On Pacific Avenue, a separate project has been moving through the same county process. On Aug. 19, the Planning Commission voted 5-0 to send a proposed 130,219-square-foot Holt of California warehouse at 7234 Pacific Ave. to the Board of Supervisors. The site is about 0.4 mile south of Sankey Road. The warehouse would replace Holt's operation on the neighboring property at 7310 Pacific Ave. and move its 34 parts and field employees over without adding staff. The item was on the Board's Sept. 29 agenda. The county's meeting record available so far doesn't show the outcome.
Both items show how south Sutter County is changing right now. One is a short road closure with a set reopening date. The other is a local employer moving next door on its own block. The big change for Pleasant Grove, a new fire service boundary along Riego Road, still depends on a committee meeting that hasn't been rescheduled.
If you own land or a home near Riego, Natomas or Sankey roads and want to know how Lakeside's progress could affect your property, Taylor Zapata tracks these county filings and can tell you plainly what has been approved and what hasn't. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
