Placer County completes more than 5 percent of housing element in first year

The Placer County Board of Supervisors received an overview of the county's housing program and progress on the current housing element during its March 22 meeting. The 2021-29 housing element has allocated 7,854 units the county will need to plan for based on the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). According to Shawna Purvines, deputy director with the Placer County Community Development Resource Agency, 44 units of affordable housing were constructed and 468 permits were issued in 2021 for 14 low-income level units, 30 moderate-income level units and 424 above moderate-income level units. Purvines' presentation notes the county has completed 5.9 percent of the housing element. Purvines shared the county's progress with accessory dwelling units (ADU), noting 57 permits were issued and 31 units completed construction between July 2021 and February 2022. Purvines also shared the county conducts an annual ADU survey to gauge what the units are used for, which received a 30-percent response this year. "It came back by and large that these units are being used by family and friends who are in need of housing and when rent is being charged, it is at that lower income level," Purvines said. "This was important data to our housing element because we were one of the few, if only at this point, in the state that was allowed to include a policy that allowed for our ADUs to be counted as lower income, and it's because of our analysis that we continue to do annually that shows that's really what they're being used for." Purvines shared other efforts the county is taking to develop affordable housing, including feasibility review for 25 opportunity sites identified by the Housing Development Advisory Taskforce for affordable/multifamily housing and developing materials for outreach to property owners to acquire land for affordable workforce housing. According to Purvines, the county will see increases in the very low-, low- and moderate-income levels in future years with projects such as Gateway Commons in Auburn, Hopkins Village in Martis Valley and Dollar Creek Crossing in North Lake Tahoe. The board took no action on the item. Purvines confirmed a progress report of the first year of the eight-year period will be submitted to the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the Governor's Office of Planning and Research. Purvines said if the report is not filed, the county would be precluded from sources of funding on housing, transportation and parks.