Affordable housing in Placer County is scheduled for a vote. What’s its impact?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Planning Commission will vote on Hope Way apartments, final approval pending appeal.
- Residents and Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights mobilize over schools, traffic.
- District and fire officials report capacity concerns but say services remain manageable.
Holli Tamas commanded action at a town hall earlier this month to defeat a controversial Placer County housing complex: Stay organized. Get on social media. Talk to everybody. Donate.
“It takes a military strategy and genius,” Tamas said at Del Oro High School after county officials and a developer presented their plans for the Hope Way Apartments.
The affordable housing development in Penryn, an unincorporated community in Placer County, has drawn heavy opposition from dozens of area residents. They have protested how tenants occupying a 240-unit, three-story housing complex will impact schools, grocery stores, traffic, environmental concerns and public safety. The units will range from one story to four-story apartments.
Placer County’s Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on the project’s approval Thursday, the last hurdle for the project to be approved. The decision can be appealed by a person who provided public comment during the hearing or provided their remarks in writing. That appeal must be filed within 10 days of the decision, and the filing party must pay $752, said county spokesperson Keith Reid.
A group called the Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights is leading the charge against the housing complex at the intersection of Penryn Road and Hope Way. They worry about how Penryn, an area with about 1,000 people, will manage with an influx of people.
“We’re not opposed to our share of housing,” said Brian Myers, who represents this group. “But to overwhelm a community with twice its current population, straining all the limited resources that Penryn has is a ridiculous idea.”
The group is asking for the county to build the housing community in a separate location or reduce the number of units possible, said Donna Delno, a member of the organization.
The opponents’ concerns are largely related to schools, fire safety, environmental impact and traffic.
School Districts
The Loomis Union School District will serve students, but “insufficient space at any of the schools” will lead to students being overflowed to another school in the district, said Kevin Roche, an assistant superintendent with the district. The Placer Union High School District said it “does not have the full financial capacity to construct, modernize and furnish” the school facilities created by the news development. A district spokesperson said the school has the capacity to accommodate students.
Penryn Fire Protection District
There are no ladder trucks with a full staff in the Auburn area, said Placer Hills Protection District Chief Mark D’Ambrogi. He added this project will have “minimal impact” on the district and his crew can handle the fire services for this new project.
“It will have an increase in call volume but not overwhemingly,” he said.
Traffic
The Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights organization has raised concerns about a sole evacuation route that runs through Penryn Road, right where the apartment complex is located.
Penryn Road, a two-lane road, will become a roundabout near the apartment complex, the group said. That design will slow traffic and will impede an emergency response.
“Without mitigation, the roundabout represents a clear, adverse impact on public health and safety,” the Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights wrote on its website.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 11:12 AM.