Sacramento County Proposes Streamlining Multifamily Housing Development | The Locally Times
The proposal aims to reduce project approval timelines by 6 months by removing the discretionary Use Permit requirement for infill developments.
On October 22, 2024, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors reviewed a legislative proposal intended to accelerate the construction of multifamily housing units. The primary objective of this policy change is to eliminate the requirement for a discretionary Use Permit for infill projects located on parcels already zoned for high-density residential use. Currently, the Use Permit process adds an average of 6 months to the development timeline for projects exceeding 5 units. By transitioning these developments to a ministerial approval process, the county expects to lower soft costs by approximately $15,000 to $25,000 per unit. Data from the Sacramento County Planning Department indicates that 82% of recent multifamily applications were approved without significant modifications after the public hearing process. Under the proposed amendment, projects that comply with existing zoning codes and design guidelines will bypass the Planning Commission review stage, which currently costs developers $5,000 to $10,000 in application fees per filing. The county aims to increase the annual production of affordable housing units by 15% over the next 3 years. This regulatory shift aligns with California Senate Bill 330, which limits the number of public hearings for housing projects to 5. In the 2023 fiscal year, the county processed 42 applications for multifamily infill developments. Officials estimate that removing the Use Permit requirement will reduce the administrative burden on county staff by 20% per project cycle. The proposal also includes updated objective design standards to ensure that projects maintain neighborhood character without requiring a 100% discretionary review. If the Board of Supervisors adopts the ordinance by December 31, 2024, the new rules will take effect in the first quarter of 2025. The county has allocated $200,000 from the general fund to update the zoning code and train planning staff on the new ministerial procedures. These changes are intended to address the current housing vacancy rate, which remains below 4% in several urbanized areas of the county. By streamlining the process, the county hopes to attract $50 million in private investment for infill projects over the next 5 years. The Planning Department will continue to monitor the impact of these changes through a biannual report starting in June 2025.