Rocklin delays vote on 281-unit affordable housing project again. Here’s why

A proposed 281-unit affordable housing development in Rocklin faces another delay as City Council members continue to raise concerns about traffic, parking and the city’s authority under California housing laws.

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The City Council voted 4-1 to postpone a decision on the Midas Apartments project without setting a new hearing date, with Mayor Dave Bass casting the lone dissenting vote.

The council previously delayed a decision in August after residents raised concerns about traffic, parking, emergency access and safety. The latest postponement followed the developer’s submission of additional traffic information and changes to the parking plan.

The project, planned for a vacant 7.1-acre site at the northwest corner of Midas Avenue and Pacific Street, would include three four-story apartment buildings, parking, a community facility and a playground.

The developer added 25 parking spaces, bringing the total from 379 to 406. To make room, the revised plan eliminates 20 landscaped areas and narrows each parking space by 6 inches.

The developer also proposed an alternative design for the Pacific Street entrance with separate left- and right-turn lanes. That design would eliminate five parking spaces, leaving 401.

City engineering and fire officials reviewed the alternative entrance design and reported no concerns, according to city staff.

The project would still include 281 apartments. The developer said reducing the number of units would not be financially feasible because of construction costs and other expenses associated with the site.

Traffic remains a concern

Council members questioned how much traffic would use each entrance and whether the analysis adequately accounted for trips by parents driving children to school.

The developer’s traffic analysis assumes 20% of project traffic would use the Midas Avenue entrance, which would permit only right turns into and out of the complex. The other 80% would use the Pacific Street entrance, which would allow vehicles to turn in either direction.

A traffic engineer said those estimates were based on assumptions from an earlier city-approved study of the property. The engineer also clarified that the developer had not completed a full, updated traffic study for the current project.

Councilmember Jill Gayaldo questioned whether the estimates reflected school-related trips rather than typical commuting patterns alone.

Residents also raised concerns about existing traffic, school drop-offs, pedestrian safety and trains blocking nearby railroad crossings, causing traffic to back up on surrounding streets.

Some residents argued the proposed changes would not adequately address those issues.

“There is so much traffic there. You’re adding so many units that it will make it extremely difficult for the people who live here,” said Rocklin resident Michael Laidlaw.

Others spoke in support of additional housing in Rocklin.

“To me, the development of affordable housing is an opportunity for young adults such as myself to stay in the city that I’ve grown up in and cherish deeply,” said Rocklin resident James Getzen.

State housing laws complicate the decision

Another issue facing the council is the extent of the city’s authority to reject or require major changes to the project under California housing laws.

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During the meeting, the developer’s representatives discussed state laws limiting local governments’ ability to deny certain housing developments or impose requirements that would make projects financially or legally infeasible.

Gayaldo warned that a prolonged dispute could jeopardize the city’s control over zoning.

“While we’re fighting it, we stand to lose zoning for the entire city,” she said. “Then builder’s remedy kicks in while we’re fighting it, and they can put any project in that they darn well want to.”

The council must consider whether its concerns can be backed by evidence sufficient to meet the legal standards for denying a housing project, including requirements involving specific public health and safety risks.

Gayaldo said Rocklin faces a difficult balancing act because it must accommodate additional housing despite having limited land available for development.

“We’re not proposing this project, we’re not funding this project,” she said, noting that the property owner has the right to pursue development permitted under zoning regulations and state law.

No new hearing date set

Mayor Dave Bass expressed frustration with the lengthy process but emphasized the need to make the right decision.

“This project obviously means a lot to the city and to everyone that’s up here,” Bass said. “So, in the event that we want to keep having this back and forth, we will continue to do it to get to the right conclusion.”

Bass also reminded attendees that council members cannot meet privately as a group to discuss the project without complying with public meeting laws.

“We’re prohibited from doing that, and so part of this long process is because the laws are not put in place for us to be able to come our best foot forward and have a conversation like we’re having right now, but then also be able to make sure that we’re not doing the wrong thing,” he said.

Bass likened the situation to “dog law.”

“You don’t even know you’ve done something wrong until your nose is rubbed in it, and I’m doing my best to make sure that tomorrow we don’t wake up with our nose rubbed in it,” he said.

Council member Bill Halldin said new information and questions continued to emerge as the city reviewed the proposal.

“I think we just need more time to consider all that information, ask more questions,” he said while moving to continue the hearing.

The council did not approve or deny the project, and members did not set a date to resume the hearing.

The council voted 4-1 to continue the hearing, with Bass casting the lone dissenting vote.

The developer said the repeated delays had affected its financing schedule. It is now aiming to secure funding and tax credits in the first quarter of 2027, with construction potentially starting by the end of that year.

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