Roseville provides streamlined building approvals to help ease housing shortage, help local economy

Updated September 09, 2021

The City of Roseville is committed to providing suitable, safe, inclusive, and affordable housing for the Roseville community.

Affordable housing is important to the health of the community and the local economy. When members of the community can afford to live in the same community where they work, it improves commute traffic, increases investment in the local community, and improves an employer’s ability to attract and retain employees.

Earlier this year, the Roseville City Council approved the use of Objective Design Standards (ODS) to streamline the construction of qualifying affordable housing projects. The ODS were adopted to be in compliance with State housing legislation.

Projects that comply with the ODS will qualify for the streamlined permit process that bypasses the standard design review, and public notification and hearing processes. These projects can then proceed directly to building permit and engineering permit review, allowing the project to be built more quickly with fewer permitting fees.

Affordable housing projects are not as profitable for developers as market rate housing. The time and cost savings associated with ODS provides builders more economic incentive to build affordable housing projects helping to ease the state’s housing shortage.

 

What are the Objective Design Standards?

The ODS provide quantifiable, objective development and design standards for site design, architecture, and landscaping of affordable housing projects.

State law allows cities to develop standards that are unique to their jurisdiction. Consequently, Roseville tailored the ODS to ensure high-quality development  consistent with the City’s existing Community Design Guidelines. In order to qualify for the streamlined permitting processes, developers will be required to meet the ODS standards. The adopted Objective Design Standards can be found here.

 

How do I find out about these projects?

Design plans for qualified affordable projects using the ODS process will be posted on the city’s website here. By state law, the project review and public input is limited to ensuring compliance with the ODS checklist.

If you have questions about development activity in your neighborhood, please call 916-774-5285 or email [email protected] for further assistance. Find out more about Objective Design Standards here.

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