Placer County to focus on affordable housing, home ownership for housing needs

The Placer County Board of Supervisors received the annual update on the county's housing program during its Sept. 27 meeting. Since 2017, the county has supported the creation of 480 units of affordable housing and provided more than $34 million in housing assistance, Deputy Director of Placer County Community Development Resource Agency Shawna Purvines said. The county has also had a 33-percent increase in permitted housing units, with 18 percent of those being affordable units. Purvines also shared Placer's progress on its Regional Housing Needs Assessment for the 2021-29 Housing Element. Purvines said permits have been issued for 14 low-income units, 30 moderate-income and 424 at the above moderate-income level, reaching 5.9 percent of the 7,854 units that need to be identified by 2029. According to Purvines, the Housing Development Advisory Taskforce has identified more than 50 opportunity sites in western Placer that have potential for affordable and/or multi-family housing development. "They really hit the ground running," Purvines said of the taskforce, which was appointed by the board in June 2021. For the 2022-23 housing work plan, Purvines said major initiatives the county will work on are housing that has been identified at the Placer County Government Center, round three of the Homekey project, predevelopment of the Dollar Creek Crossing site near North Lake Tahoe, the short-term rental program, updating the Auburn Bowman Community Plan and the first-time homebuyer and workforce housing preservation program. Purvines confirmed the 2022-23 work plan has a total cost of $4.4 million, with $3 million already budgeted or awarded and $375,000 pending award. Purvines said $1 million has yet to be funded. The board received two comments, one of which Jeff Short, legislative director with North State Building Association, asked the board to continue to think creatively about housing and affordable housing to facilitate construction on attainable and market-rate housing. The board approved the work plan for 2022-23 for the housing program in a 4-0 vote. District 2 Supervisor Robert Weygandt was absent.