Sacramento County Housing Digest

A slowdown in the Sacramento region rental apartment market in the 12-month period ending June 30 has led to the first average rent decline in 13 years, a new report shows. The report said average rent fell 2% in the four-county area of Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Placer counties.

A 250-page report found that a development proposal to build nearly 100 homes at Sylvan Corners would have a “less than significant” impact, as long as various mitigation measures are taken.

Hans Johnson, an expert in domestic migration, housing, and population projections, explains the state’s population shift and how it’s impacted the housing market.

A controversial proposal aimed to create more affordable housing has taken a step forward, but may be two votes too short to pass. The package would put a fundraising measure on the 2024 ballot, make the rent control ordinance stricter, and increase developer fees.

Gov. Gavin Newsom promised $95 million would help undocumented workers rebuild after winter storms and floods. Months later, $18 million is being doled out and there are translation issues with the state’s website.

The developer who turned aging public housing in Sacramento's River District into a mixed-income housing project is getting the nod for an office-to-housing conversion on Capitol Mall.

Many local governments see voter majorities approve bond measures without reaching the two-thirds required. A new effort to reform that system would drastically improve the ability of local governments to fund housing and infrastructure projects.

Cyrene at Meadowlands in Lincoln is part of a relatively new real estate trend in the Sacramento region. While rental property is common here, it is less common to see a developer build out a project with the intention of renting the units rather than selling them.

Residents have begun moving in at a new supportive housing complex on Sunrise Boulevard, with several formerly homeless residents saying they are thankful for the opportunity.

The lack of enough places for everyone to live has sent coastal rent prices inland, removing large swaths of previously cheaper rental units.

Fair Oaks builder Colton Paulhus is plotting an empire of thousands of tiny homes across the U.S. based on his success in the Sacramento region. Since 2019, his family-run Anchored Tiny Homes has built 200 homes in Northern California and has contracts for another 300.

The Planning Commission unanimously voted against a request by a developer to redesign a planned subdivision originally approved by the Galt City Council in 2005. When complete, Morali Estates will comprise 50 single-family units.

For the first time, San Diego has surpassed San Francisco for average rental rates, making the All-American City the nation’s third-most expensive rental market, according to a Zillow report. But San Jose had the nation’s highest monthly rent with $3,411.

The proposed Cornerstone Village project on Bruceville Road, south of Laguna Boulevard, will receive an additional $2 million in loan funding from Elk Grove’s affordable housing fund.

After navigating a pandemic and neighborhood opposition, a San Diego-based developer has opened a 120-unit affordable housing community in North Sacramento. The complex replaced the long-vacant Lumberjack lumberyard.

Despite an overall slowdown in the real estate market, demand for new homes in the Sacramento region remains strong. More than 550 new homes were sold in May, led by robust sales in Roseville, Folsom and Elk Grove.

One of midtown Sacramento’s largest commercial buildings could be replaced by one of its largest housing projects: two 269-unit apartment buildings and 48 townhomes across a large parcel at 21st and Q streets—the site of the former Sacramento Bee headquarters.

Planning commissioners approved floor plan redesigns for the Parlin Oaks subdivision. They also signed off on a building expansion at the Twin Cities Road Walmart location, with provisions to limit vehicle noise for neighbors.

Most of what Californians experience with homelessness occurs along public spaces and city streets. But what happens when a city council member loses her home? Ojai’s Suza Francina is finding out.

After 13 years, developers and city leaders broke ground on an ambitious housing project. The Eastview/Liberty Ranch residential development is slated to bring nearly 1,500 single-family houses to northeast Galt.

Another dilapidated downtown Sacramento single room occupancy hotel is set to undergo a major redevelopment. The Sacramento City Council unanimously approved $3.5 million toward a project to redevelop the Sequoia Hotel.

Thousands of Californians who lost work during the pandemic are struggling with debt. A new settlement makes COVID rent relief available to tens of thousands of tenants.

Wildfires and expensive rebuilding wiped out their profits, California home insurers say. State Farm isn’t the first insurer to retreat from the state, and may not be the last.

California officials depend largely on residents filing complaints to find out about health and safety problems at mobile home parks. Here’s how to file a complaint.

New numbers show that California added to its housing stock at a faster clip than any time since the Great Recession. Over that same period, the state’s population declined, marking the third year in a row that it’s fallen from one new year to the next. Does this mean the state’s perennial housing shortage could finally end? The long answer: “It’s complicated.”

In April, Folsom reported the third-most home sales among Sacramento County communities at 61. Elk Grove came in second place with 63, and Roseville topped the list by far with 172.

The city of Citrus Heights recently reported the largest number of accessory dwelling unit permit requests to date, with 33 filed in 2022. The increase is due in part to relaxed local and state laws.

After decades of incremental steps, construction crews have begun working on a new phase of the Township 9 housing development, between Richards Boulevard and the American River. By next year, the first of 372 garden-style apartments will open.

Peter Cohen is the policy director of Sacramento Housing Alliance, an organization of around two dozen member organizations that works to increase affordable housing supply and bolster the efforts of affordable-housing developers through advocacy and education. He speaks SHA’s advocacy and communications to shape the narrative of housing issues.

According to an update from the city, 33 permits were granted in 2022, marking a 250% increase compared to the previous year and more than a 600% increase since 2017.

The City Council voted 4-1 to extend the closing date for the sale of an 11-acre property at Sylvan Corners. The site of the old Sylvan Middle School, it will be developed into 95 homes.

Officials broke ground today on an affordable housing project in south Natomas that will also provide on-site wraparound services for people experiencing homelessness.