Board of Supervisors hear Placer County housing status update

Published on March 07, 2018

The Placer County Board of Supervisors on March 6, conducted a public hearing on the 2017 Annual Housing Element Implementation Progress Report, satisfying a requirement before its submittal to the state of California. The report details Placer’s efforts last year to address the county’s affordable housing needs.

Required by the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, the annual report provides a status and progress report on Placer County’s efforts in implementing the housing section of its General Plan. The report must be submitted on or before April 1 of each year.

2017 proved to be a busy year for housing in Placer, as the county implemented a multi-departmental Housing Unit, managed by the County Executive Office and includes the Office of Economic Development, Department of Facilities and Public Works, Community Development Resource Agency and Health and Human Services. The Housing Unit is dedicated to finding ways of getting affordable homes constructed throughout the unincorporated areas of Placer County.

The Placer County Community Development Resource Agency also implemented a new Housing and Economic Unit to focus on policies and regulations as they relate to housing. Policies developed by the Housing and Economic Unit will help facilitate the development of a variety of housing opportunities and expansion of choices necessary to meet existing and future residents and employer needs.

Additionally, the county also kicked off several housing projects in 2017 including a Master Plan to re-envision the Placer County Government Center in North Auburn, which proposes the incorporation of up to 80 affordable housing units. Workforce housing in North Lake Tahoe also made strides with Placer’s support of a grant application for a proposed workforce housing development in Martis Valley, which would see the construction of a 56-unit apartment housing complex as part of the Schaffer’s Mill subdivision.

Other notable accomplishments from 2017 include:

● The 2018 legislative platform was updated to include housing and homeless initiatives;
● Placer’s participation in the Tahoe Truckee Mountain Housing Council;
● Updates to Placer’s secondary dwelling ordinance to help increase the housing supply;
● A new housing program was established to waive or reduce impact fees for secondary units that are deed-restricted for affordable housing;
● Extension of the emergency shelter in North Auburn;
● Placer’s Whole Person Care Program acquired property that will provide
permanent housing for participants in Placer’s Health and Human Services programs and
● The first annual Housing Work Program was approved by Board of Supervisors, which aims to address the housing crisis.

Progress reports are available on Placer's Housing Programs website.