Developer, opponents of Placer County affordable housing complex file appeals
The developer of a controversial affordable housing project in Penryn — as well as opponents of the project — have taken their complaints to the Placer County Board of Supervisors.
Developer USA Properties Fund, which is trying to construct the Hope Way Apartments on an 11.43-acre lot, appealed on Friday the Placer County Planning Commission’s rejection of the proposed project. That same day, residents opposed to building the complex also filed an appeal seeking to reverse the commission’s approval of the project’s components.
Dozens of residents attended an Oct. 16 Planning Commission meeting to voice opposition to the 12 three-story apartment complex. Three commissioners rejected a design review agreement, with one person abstaining from the vote, halting progress on the apartment complex. One commissioner was absent from the vote.
USA Properties Fund, Inc. appealed the Placer County Planning Commission’s rejection of the design review agreement. The group who advocated to disapprove the Hope Way Apartments, the Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights, appealed the Planning Commission’s approval of several waivers and concessions for the project.
The three commissioners who voted against 240-unit Hope Way Apartments cited, largely, public safety concerns with the construction of the complex at Hope Way and Penryn Road in a community with about 1,000 people.
USA Properties Fund, Inc. argues that voting down the design review agreement violated the Housing Accountability Act, and was inconsistent with the county’s general plan and housing element, according to a letter filed by San Francisco-based law firm Holland & Knight, representing the company.
An influx of residents could cause the Penryn Fire Protection District’s roughly 600 calls per year to double under the worst case scenario, said Chief Ian Gow. However, the chief said he believes his department can handle the increase.
Commissioner Amber Beckler said she remained unconvinced Gow’s resources could sufficiently stretch to handle an uptick in its call volume.
The Placer County Planning Commission also “failed to establish that any adverse health or safety impact could not be feasibly mitigated,” the opponents’ letter said.
The Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights wrote in their letter that “substantial evidence” shows the proposed Hope Way Apartments “poses unmitigated public-safety risks and significant environmental impacts that were never analyzed or disclosed.” The organization seeks for the Board of Supervisors to reject a county staff decision to exempt the Hope Way Apartments from a California Environmental Quality Act review.
The commissioners also approved eight of the nine concessions and waivers, including allowing for 96 units to have porches and decks, ranging from 64 to 70 square feet, according to a staff report.
The Placer Citizens for Neighborhood Rights appealed the commissioners’ approval of these concessions and waivers.
The Placer County Board of Supervisors will vote on the appeals from both sides. A county spokesperson did not answer a question about when the appeal will come up for consideration.
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 2:11 PM.
