The Abridged version:
- The Rocklin City Council voted to move forward with Midas Apartments, a 281-unit affordable housing project that has drawn backlash from local residents over potential safety and infrastructure strains.
- City officials said that though concerns remain, state housing law severely limits their ability to reject a project, reduce its scale or require more parking.
- Some proposed ideas to mitigate potential stresses on traffic and parking conditions, including introducing permit-only parking and new school bus services for a nearby elementary school.
Rocklin is moving forward with the Midas Apartments affordable housing development after months of contentious debate.
The 281-unit Downtown Rocklin development, which would sit between Midas Avenue and Pacific Street, secured a design review and California Environmental Quality Act exemption from the City Council in a 3-2 vote Tuesday night. The vote follows lengthy discussion between officials, developers and community members, who have largely expressed opposition over infrastructure strains in an often-congested part of town.
Some City Council members said they voted to advance the development because state affordable housing mandates leave them little room to say no. But they still want to fight for infrastructure changes that will mitigate how some large housing developments could affect the community, including new transportation options and roadway modifications.
“I hope that the community knows that we’re going to do everything we can to make this better for people,” Councilmember Jill Gayaldo said. “It’s hard to say I support the project, but I would be able to vote to approve the project with those conditions.”
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The development would serve households making between 30% and 70% of the area median income, including those designated very low and extremely low-income. In project plans, developers said that future Midas Apartments inhabitants will receive several nonprofit amenities, including youth services and adult education programs.
A variety of concerns
Throughout the public hearing process, residents have cited a variety of reasons for their opposition to the housing plan, including its proximity to a pipeline and railway, potential ingress and egress problems, increased traffic congestion and insufficient parking onsite.
Developers have repeatedly emphasized changes they’ve made to address concerns over traffic safety and parking, including creating new turning pockets, modifying driveway plans and adding over 50 new parking spots. Currently, Midas Apartments would have 406 spots — something developers say will be sufficient, since they do not expect all households to have multiple cars.
Some residents still aren’t buying it.
“This is a project that is going to completely change Rocklin,” resident Shaun Peterson said. “Is this the legacy you want to leave for Downtown Rocklin? This will be the overarching project of the entire strip.”
Gayaldo and vice mayor Bill Halldin, who both recently won reelection to the City Council, each told Abridged by PBS KVIE earlier this week that they want to shape affordable housing plans in a way that reduces negative impacts on the community.
Possible solutions
Among other ideas that could reduce traffic on Midas Avenue, Gayaldo floated a potential partnership with the local school district that would add more school bus options. Halldin added that because the City Council is unable to require more parking spots due to state housing law restrictions, he would support permit-only parking in nearby neighborhoods if they are negatively affected by the influx of new vehicles.
The two council members who voted against the development, Ken Broadway and mayor Dave Bass, cited their dissatisfaction with the project’s scale and traffic issues. Bass said he appreciated the community standing up for itself, but that the city has little power in these situations.
“We don’t have the ability to do much other than browbeat a developer and try and get something out of them,” Bass said. “I don’t object to affordable housing or the rule of law, but the unequal enforcement of housing law … I have to object to a project like this.”
Rocklin has received multiple communications from California’s Housing and Community Development agency in recent years. Bass has often sounded the alarm over the agency’s relationship with the city, especially given targeted legislative carve-outs that have allowed other places to reject similar developments.
The city currently faces a lawsuit from community members and a local school over another affordable housing development.
