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Rancho Cordova has grown more than 50% since becoming a city 23 years ago. On Wednesday, the mayor gave her vision of what the future holds in the annual State of the City address. Some of those future plans include building a new arena and creating a new artificial intelligence high-tech hub. "Rancho Cordova is going to be the city that you no longer go through but the city that you go to," Mayor Siri Pulipati said. Rancho Cordova recently overtook Roseville to become the hottest new housing market in the region. "We are one of the top five growing cities in all of California," Pulipati said. 'We have a lot of new residents moving in." The city is partnering with a private developer to build new hotels, an outdoor plaza, and a 7,500-seat arena that will host indoor soccer and other events. "I'm a soccer mom myself, and having an indoor men's and women's professional soccer here in Rancho Cordova is something that our kids are super excited about," Pulipati said. The developer says it should take about two years to build. "Our goal is November 2027, so we're moving fast and the city has been a great partner for us to get there," said Josh Wood, CEO of Kozpure Development. Rancho Cordova is also spending $5 million to create a new artificial intelligence and robotic economy that will bring in high-paying jobs. "There's an innovative spirit and we have a history of being rocket scientists and developers, so part of it is getting back to our roots," said Sadie St. Lawrence, CEO of Human Machine Collaboration Institute. "What we're going to do is going to be absolutely amazing," said Diann Rogers, CEO of the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce. '"t's going to be great for our residents, great for our business community." Some people may be concerned about growth creating more traffic and impacting neighborhoods, but the mayor said plans are in place to make sure the city is ready to meet future demands. "We're investing in our infrastructure for that," Pulipati said. "In fact, we just approved $20 million improving our streets and sidewalks." Unlike some neighboring cities facing financial challenges, Rancho Cordova has a balanced budget with no layoffs or major program cuts.
