Affordable Housing Opportunity Sites

As part of Placer County's efforts to increase affordable housing development, the County contracted with BAE Urban Economics (BAE) in 2018 to identify affordable housing opportunity sites in the unincorporated area of the County. Sites were identified based on a variety of qualitative metrics that address site suitability, development feasibility, and funding eligibility. In total, BAE identified 76 single family parcels and 119 parcels that could be aggregated for multifamily development.

BAE ranked each opportunity site based on 3 tiers. Tier 1 evaluated site suitability (e.g. size, potential yield, ownership, location), Tier 2 determined eligibility for State and Federal Funding (e.g. proximity to transit, located in a Difficult to Develop area (DDA) or Qualified Census Tract), and Tier 3 evaluated the anticipated marketing feasibility of multifamily residential development (e.g. employment density of the surrounding area, relative rent and for-sale home prices, location within a designated growth area). Based on these rankings, each opportunity site received a numerical score. The higher the score, the better the opportunity site.

Sites that received the best scores were primarily located in the North Auburn area and along the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. The sites in North Auburn ranked well due to their large size, ability to aggregate sites, access to utilities, and proximity to jobs and residential amenities. Sites located along the North Shore of Lake Tahoe ranked high due to their proximity to transit and located within a designated DDA.

To see the complete list of opportunity sites BAE identified and ranked, read the BAE Site Evaluation Tool Memorandum.

Note: Some of the data and opportunity sites in the memo have since changed. County staff has updated the opportunity sites list and added them as a GIS layer on Placer County's Zoning Map.

Housing Opportunity Sites Map: