Placer Supes approve potential assignment authorization for North Auburn cohousing project

The Placer County Board of Supervisors approved authorization March 12 for assignment approval or termination of the Exclusive Right to Negotiate agreement with Charles Durrett of The CoHousing Company for the proposed cohousing community in North Auburn. Cohousing communities are neighborhoods with a shared open space, garden and various facilities such as a dining hall, guest rooms or pool. Durrett, a cohousing architect, is working with Auburn Cohousing, LLC to build a community on a 4.6-acre property off Atwood Road in the southwest corner of the Placer County Government Center. The board approved a two-year extension of the agreement in March 2023 with the requirement of staff to demonstrate Durrett's progress in confirming the financial feasibility of the project. Karyn Boulais of Placer County Real Estate Services confirmed Durrett provided staff with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with EAH Housing, a nonprofit benefit corporation, to investigate the potential development of the project site. "They (EAH) do have through July 1 to either accept an assignment from Mr. Durrett that is approved by the county or that the term of the MOU will expire on that date," Boulais told the board. According to the staff report, Durrett and EAH would need to request the assignment or the agreement will be terminated. District 2 Supervisor Shanti Landon asked if both parties made the request as of the time of the meeting. Placer County Counsel Karin Schwab confirmed both parties had not. "... In anticipation and considering the time frame, staff brought it today to ask … if the board would entertain giving staff the authority to accept an assignment of that agreement provided both parties to that MOU request that assignment," Schwab said. Schwab also confirmed whether an assignment is accepted or not, the exclusive right to negotiate agreement would expire in March 2025. District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes asked if there was still an affordable housing component to the cohousing project. Boulais confirmed the developer would plan on doing 100-percent affordable housing at the site. "I'm supportive of attempting to go down this road and allow for approving the assignment and hopefully by July we see some movement," Landon said. District 1 Supervisor Bonnie Gore added, "I would agree with them bringing in an entity that actually does this type of work and can try to figure out how it might work as far as making it work financially, especially if it's an affordable housing project or portions of it are affordable housing or senior or IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities). I think it's really important that we provide some type of housing like that so I would like to see them bring back information to see it workable and then if not, then it would be time to move on because it seems like they've been working really hard to see if they can get a project to work." The board approved the authorization in a unanimous 4-0 vote. District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson was absent.