Nevada County housing plan workshop next Tuesday – all about zoning

NEVADA CITY, Calif. Sept. 26, 2026 – Nevada County will hold a community workshop Tuesday, Sept. 29, on its 2027-2035 Housing Element Update, the state-required plan that shows where new housing could go in the unincorporated county over the next eight years.

The workshop runs 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Board Chambers of the Eric Rood Administrative Center, 950 Maidu Ave., Nevada City. Residents can learn about the update process, preview key pieces of the plan and give input. It follows the county’s housing survey, which closed in September.

What a housing element is – and isn’t

Every California city and county must have a general plan. The mandatory elements for all jurisdictions are land use, circulation, housing, conservation, open space, noise, and safety. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) reviews and certifies each housing element.

The state assigns each jurisdiction a number of new housing units it must plan for, called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, or RHNA. For unincorporated Nevada County, the 7th-cycle number is 3,712 units, according to the state. A share of those must be affordable to moderate- and lower-income households.

To meet that number, the county has to show it has enough land zoned at densities that allow those homes, including multifamily housing. If it doesn’t, it has to rezone parcels to allow higher density.

That is where the plan stops. The county doesn’t build the housing, and property owners don’t have to either. “Cities and counties do not generally build housing – that is the function of private developers,” the county’s FAQ states. Sites listed in the housing element are available for future housing, but owners “are not required to build housing within the next eight (8) years or any time in the future.”

What the county does control is zoning, general plan policy, development standards and fees. Those decide what can be built where and how much permits etc cost.

The plan covers only unincorporated areas. Grass Valley, Nevada City and Truckee each have their own housing elements and are updating them on a similar schedule.

Next Steps

The county expects to post a public draft in early October. It will include the list of potential housing sites and any rezoning plan, and will be open for 30 days of public comment before going to HCD.

After the HCD review, the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors will hold adoption hearings, expected in spring 2027. State law requires adoption by May 15, 2027.

More information, including the full FAQ: nevadacountyca.gov/housingelementupdate. Questions go to David Nicholas, senior planner, at 530-265-1257 or David.Nicholas@nevadacountyca.gov.