On April 9, 2025, the Portola City Council got together for their annual review of the Development Agreement tied to the 'Portola Highlands' project—also referred to as 'Woodbridge at Portola.'
This agreement goes back to January 24, 2007, when it was first approved. It covers the development of a 398-acre mixed-use area. Since December 2014, the Schomac Group, Inc. has taken over the project. Their plan includes everything from residential housing—189 low-density units, 522 medium-density, 234 high-density, and 60 mixed-use apartments—to 170,000 square feet of commercial space, like retail, office, and light industrial areas.
They’ve also mapped out 19.6 acres for parks, 112 acres of open space, and 2.6 acres for public or quasi-public use. Per the agreement, Schomac is expected to contribute affordable housing, a 15-acre public park, water supply fees, and road upgrades.
At the meeting, the council had a few options on the table: they could mark the review as complete and note that Schomac was keeping their end of the deal, ask for more info to better assess compliance, or reject the review and begin looking into legal solutions.
This project has been through a lot of scrutiny over the years. It’s had environmental and zoning reviews, map approvals, and more since 2007. From 2012 to 2013, things looked on track. But in December 2013, the property was foreclosed and handed to RE Future, LLC. A year later, Schomac picked it up. Another review was approved in 2014.
After taking over, Schomac and the City worked together between 2015 and 2016 to try and amend the agreement and make the project more financially doable. They even held a public workshop in December 2016 to go over the proposed changes. Still, they couldn’t get everyone on board, and by October 2017, talks had fizzled out.
There was supposed to be another review in 2019, but it got put on hold when a potential buyer showed interest. Since then, Schomac hasn’t really communicated with the City about next steps.
Back to this April’s meeting—Dan Gallagher from Schomac gave a presentation. He talked about the struggle to find investors and touched on funding issues. Schomac also developed Nakoma Golf Resort and the Feather River Inn, which locals know have had their share of problems. The council brought up a valid concern: why build more homes when plenty already sit unsold in town? Gallagher admitted it’s been tough to find the right partner but said they’re still hopeful.
City Attorney Steve Goss pointed out something interesting. He referenced a December letter from Schomac’s Ryan Schaaf, where they mentioned needing to shift focus away from Woodbridge and toward other properties like Nakoma and the Feather River Inn. Goss noted that while tonight’s presentation seemed to suggest a willingness to stay involved, the letter made it sound like Schomac was ready to back out due to limited resources.
During public comments, local real estate broker and Nakoma developer Mimi Gardner weighed in. She pushed for more senior housing, low-income options, and a solid plan. She was skeptical of Gallagher’s intentions to make this another Nakoma-style development. Instead, she emphasized that locals and seniors need affordable, accessible homes. She even mentioned she has developers from Las Vegas visiting soon who specialize in senior housing.
Gardner suggested selling off the subdivided parcels—starting with land behind the courthouse—to see what developers might be interested. She also proposed saving the high-elevation lots with nice views for future profit. Her message was clear: Portola should be focusing on innovative, inclusive housing—not expensive gated communities.
She didn’t hold back about the Feather River Inn either, saying it’s been closed off to the public for years and that locals want access again. 'We haven’t seen anything happen since 2007,' she said, adding that people from outside the area shouldn't be the only ones enjoying it.
In the end, the council decided to hold off and revisit the review in another year to see if there’s any actual progress.
This agreement goes back to January 24, 2007, when it was first approved. It covers the development of a 398-acre mixed-use area. Since December 2014, the Schomac Group, Inc. has taken over the project. Their plan includes everything from residential housing—189 low-density units, 522 medium-density, 234 high-density, and 60 mixed-use apartments—to 170,000 square feet of commercial space, like retail, office, and light industrial areas.
They’ve also mapped out 19.6 acres for parks, 112 acres of open space, and 2.6 acres for public or quasi-public use. Per the agreement, Schomac is expected to contribute affordable housing, a 15-acre public park, water supply fees, and road upgrades.
At the meeting, the council had a few options on the table: they could mark the review as complete and note that Schomac was keeping their end of the deal, ask for more info to better assess compliance, or reject the review and begin looking into legal solutions.
This project has been through a lot of scrutiny over the years. It’s had environmental and zoning reviews, map approvals, and more since 2007. From 2012 to 2013, things looked on track. But in December 2013, the property was foreclosed and handed to RE Future, LLC. A year later, Schomac picked it up. Another review was approved in 2014.
After taking over, Schomac and the City worked together between 2015 and 2016 to try and amend the agreement and make the project more financially doable. They even held a public workshop in December 2016 to go over the proposed changes. Still, they couldn’t get everyone on board, and by October 2017, talks had fizzled out.
There was supposed to be another review in 2019, but it got put on hold when a potential buyer showed interest. Since then, Schomac hasn’t really communicated with the City about next steps.
Back to this April’s meeting—Dan Gallagher from Schomac gave a presentation. He talked about the struggle to find investors and touched on funding issues. Schomac also developed Nakoma Golf Resort and the Feather River Inn, which locals know have had their share of problems. The council brought up a valid concern: why build more homes when plenty already sit unsold in town? Gallagher admitted it’s been tough to find the right partner but said they’re still hopeful.
City Attorney Steve Goss pointed out something interesting. He referenced a December letter from Schomac’s Ryan Schaaf, where they mentioned needing to shift focus away from Woodbridge and toward other properties like Nakoma and the Feather River Inn. Goss noted that while tonight’s presentation seemed to suggest a willingness to stay involved, the letter made it sound like Schomac was ready to back out due to limited resources.
During public comments, local real estate broker and Nakoma developer Mimi Gardner weighed in. She pushed for more senior housing, low-income options, and a solid plan. She was skeptical of Gallagher’s intentions to make this another Nakoma-style development. Instead, she emphasized that locals and seniors need affordable, accessible homes. She even mentioned she has developers from Las Vegas visiting soon who specialize in senior housing.
Gardner suggested selling off the subdivided parcels—starting with land behind the courthouse—to see what developers might be interested. She also proposed saving the high-elevation lots with nice views for future profit. Her message was clear: Portola should be focusing on innovative, inclusive housing—not expensive gated communities.
She didn’t hold back about the Feather River Inn either, saying it’s been closed off to the public for years and that locals want access again. 'We haven’t seen anything happen since 2007,' she said, adding that people from outside the area shouldn't be the only ones enjoying it.
In the end, the council decided to hold off and revisit the review in another year to see if there’s any actual progress.
