The City Council voted to approve a proposal from Nevada County Habitat for Humanity to develop a 16-unit affordable-housing subdivision on a roughly 2-acre vacant site on Gates Place.

Staff told council the property is currently designated corporate business/ business park (CB/CBP), a designation that generally supports office and professional uses. The applicant asked the council to amend the CBP general-plan text to permit residential-only affordable housing in limited circumstances and to add a RHNA-combining district to the zoning code that would allow residential-only affordable housing where applied.

The project also requires a rezone to apply the combining district to the site, a subdivision into 16 individual lots, a development permit for site and building improvements, and a plan-development overlay to allow flexibility for lot area, coverage and front/side setbacks. Staff said a mitigated negative declaration was circulated for public review Oct. 17–Nov. 16 with no comments, and the Planning Commission voted Nov. 18 to recommend approval to the council.

During council questions staff explained that the plan-development process could reduce setbacks if appropriate, but the applicant proposed single-family units and not a zero-setback design. A nearby resident asked whether a noise-mitigating wall could be required because the site sits near the freeway; staff acknowledged the concern and the public comment was entered into the record.

Council moved, seconded and approved the staff-recommended resolutions and ordinances for the Habitat project by voice vote.