The discrepancy between Placer County's 'vision' and reality

Placer County is currently engaged in crafting "A Vision for Placer County's Future." However, the proposed draft reads more like a marketing brochure than a sincere, policy-driven roadmap. Unfortunately, it fails to reflect the lived reality of residents or the challenges the county faces – particularly in housing. Housing, both market-rate and affordable, is one of the most critical and pressing issues confronting Placer County today. According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, the county is significantly underperforming in meeting its state-mandated housing goals. Yet, the county's proposed vision statement barely mentions housing, let alone addresses the scale of the crisis. Instead, it relies on broad, aspirational language such as: * "Development is responsible and carefully managed." * "Our distinct rural communities retain a friendly, small-town atmosphere and quiet pace of life." * "Our resilience is strengthened by careful stewardship of our pristine water, clean air, thriving forests, biodiverse habitats ..." These slogans are difficult to square with reality. Placer County has a requirement that developments with more than 100 units include 10 percent affordable housing. According to the Governor's Housing Accountability Unit, more than 12,315 units have been built in Placer County since 2019. Yet, according to the county's own data, zero of these units have fulfilled the 10-percent affordable housing requirement. Instead, the county has consistently allowed developers to sidestep these requirements – by granting exemptions, accepting in-lieu fees, trading parcels or simply not enforcing the rules. In response to being called out by the state, the county introduced a new zoning designation – RM-30, or Residential Multi-Family up to 30 units per acre. But instead of using this zoning strategically to integrate affordable housing into already urbanized areas, the county has chosen to rezone rural parcels hoping they face minimal opposition. This allows developers to concentrate affordable units in isolated, high-density projects far from jobs, schools, services and infrastructure. Sort of a train wreck in the making. One glaring example is the Hope Way Apartments in Penryn – a project of 12 three-story buildings and 240 units, housing potentially more than 1,300 people, plunked down in a rural community with a current population of about 1,000. There's been no credible plan to address the impact on traffic, schools, fire services, jobs or the overall rural character of the community. The project's scale is wildly out of sync with its surroundings. How does this square with the county's so-called "vision"? It doesn't. If the Board of Supervisors intends to adopt a vision that residents can believe in, it must first acknowledge the disconnect between its stated principles and its actual planning decisions. A real vision for Placer County should: * Acknowledge the housing crisis clearly and candidly. * Commit to meeting affordable housing goals – not in word but in enforcement. * Protect rural communities from over-densification by placing high-density projects where services and infrastructure already exist. * Balance housing development with the preservation of open space, biodiversity and community character. * Ensure public input is not only heard but meaningfully incorporated into planning decisions. Residents don't need another vision statement full of advertising buzzwords. We need leadership that aligns action with values. We need policies that prioritize both responsible development and the preservation of what makes Placer County unique. We must not be lulled into complacency with a comfortable "vision" while developer and county insiders prevent the "vision" from having teeth to enforce what the people of Placer County are clearly asking for. It's time to close the gap between reality and rhetoric. Please revise the proposed vision to reflect the lived experiences of Placer County residents and to promote a future grounded in fairness, sustainability and genuine community stewardship. Don't tell us what the "vision" is advertised to be. Practice what you preach and set forth specific priorities saving our rural communities, open spaces and biodiverse habitats while planning growth in a consistent and fair manner that actually hears public input and prioritizes the very values you set forth. Brian Myers is chairman of Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights