PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — On Tuesday, more than 100 people packed the Placer County Board of Supervisors meeting to speak out against an affordable housing rezoning throughout the county. After an hours-long meeting, the Board of Supervisors made their choice.
The program itself would rezone properties throughout the county to allow low-income housing. The option supervisors chose was one that removed sites 71 and 72, increased the yield for Site 26 to 246 units and rezone sites 1 and 2.
The option addresses a shortfall in affordable housing and exclusively involves willing participants and incorporates two sites in the Dry Creek area, according to the county staff report.
Many residents strongly opposed the rezoning, citing infrastructure concerns and that the program doesn’t add the affordable housing the community has been asking for.
Outside of the more than 100 people in the building, another hundred joined online.
More than 80 people lined up to make public comments, some saying they were finished being "bullied by developers" and were going to fight back. Some also spoke who wanted their property rezoned.
The contention goes back to Placer County's affordable housing problem. It needs about 1,200 additional units to be in compliance with the state.
Reverand Alexander Da’Silva Souto said affordable housing is a crisis in desperate need of a solution.
”We need teachers, restaurant workers, medical assistants. We need blue collar workers, so where are they going to live if they have to choose between securing housing and feeding their children,” said Souto.
The proposed housing would be built at sites across the county, from Dry Creek to Penryn, Granite Bay and even Auburn. It would be for families making less than $85,000.
Residents said they have been begging for affordable housing for veterans and seniors.
Holli Tamas has lived in Granite Bay their whole life.
“Give us real affordable housing; something they can actually live in because that’s what we’ve begged for. I’m all for it,” said Tamas.
The rezone would allow for five-story apartment buildings, some just five feet away from existing homes.
Stephanie Barger who lives in Penryn opposes the project.
“We only have 800 people living in Penryn, and they are going to build a project to double our capacity. There’s no jobs, there’s no public transportation. Where are these people are coming from?” said Barger.
Residents are worried about infrastructure, traffic and that emergency and medical services aren’t expanding to meet the new proposed increase in residents.
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