Housing Related Code Amendments

Project Description

The County’s purpose in adopting the General Plan, Zoning Ordinance and Community Design Guidelines Manual update is to provide a better framework for future housing development in the County that takes into account population growth, economic factors, demographics, and community needs and wants. This project represents a component of a larger effort to implement elements of the Placer County Housing Strategy and Development Plan. The primary objectives of the Housing Related Code Amendments:

• Increase the availability of a mix of housing types in the County for existing and future residents, students, and employees whose income cannot support the cost of housing in the County;
• Improve the County’s overall employment growth by assisting County employers in reducing critical shortages of skilled workers in part driven by a lack of available housing;
• Reduce Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) per capita by shortening commute distances for those who commute within Placer County for education or work, or other metric for VMT as determined appropriate by the County under SB 743 legislation, and
• Bring County housing policies, ordinances, standards, and guidelines into conformance with recent changes in State law.

Project Objectives

This project is intended to implement the following objectives in addition to those of the Placer County Housing Strategy and Development Plan:

• Implement adopted General Plan policies that support efficient, resilient and sustainable housing development patterns that can be achieved through higher density, mixed use, transit oriented and infill development projects; and
• Align Placer County General Plan and Zoning Ordinance housing related land uses, development standards and implementation methods with recently adopted specific plans, community plans, and area plans.
• Implement County adopted Strategic Plan (November 20, 2018) which supports new housing construction that provides a mix of housing types for people of all income ranges through for existing and future residents.