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Planning director reports: Board upholds Nueva Vista approval; staff working on zoning updates and local training
Summary
Planning Director Todd Smith told the Planning Commission that the Board of Supervisors upheld the commission's approval of the Nueva Vista project, staff are reviewing pending state legislation and the department plans local training on housing and related laws.
Planning Director Todd Smith reported at the March 10 Sacramento County Planning Commission meeting that the Board of Supervisors unanimously denied an appeal and upheld the Planning Commission's prior unanimous approval of the Nueva Vista project in South Sacramento.
Smith said the county has not received further appeals and that the project "should be moving forward." He also told commissioners the department is reviewing a large set of pending state legislation provided by the California State Association of Counties and is spending time updating the county zoning code and procedures to reflect statutes enacted in 2024.
Smith described a planned in-house training for commissioners and staff focused on local implementation topics such as the Housing Accountability Act, density bonus provisions and affordable housing financing mechanisms. He said the training may include a session on wireless facility law and that staff may invite representatives from entities such as the Sacramento Housing Redevelopment Agency to explain multifamily lending and project financing.
Why it matters: Smith said recent changes in state law have constrained some local discretionary authority on housing projects, and commissioners expressed interest in clarifying where the county's decision-making remains ministerial versus discretionary. The training aims to clarify those distinctions for commissioners and for public understanding.
Quote and context
"We're spending a lot of time right now on updating our zoning code and other procedures to reflect all the legislation that happened last year," Smith said. "If something unusual pops up, we'll be sure to let you know."
Next steps
Smith invited commissioners to provide input on the training topics and said staff will tailor sessions to commissioners' requests. He also confirmed the next Planning Commission hearing is scheduled for March 24, 2025.
Ending
The director's report concluded without formal action; commissioners thanked staff and attendees for recent participation in an outside planning and legislative academy.
