CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - The Citrus Heights City Council recently considered whether to approve an application for a 110-unit affordable housing development for seniors over the age of 55. Fair Oaks Senior Apartments would be located at 12057 Fair Oaks Blvd., on the west side of Fair Oaks Blvd. north of Treecrest Ave. The five-acre property is currently the site of a single-family home with an orchard.                          

The developer is Ionic Enterprises Inc., which specializes in affordable housing projects and has developed similar apartment complexes in the Sacramento region. They requested a Design Review Permit and asked that the Council approve an application to rezone the property from RD-10 to RD-20. Rezoning to RD-20 would increase the residential density for the project and allow for 99 units on the site. Because the developer has committed to maintaining the project as affordable housing for 55 years, they also requested a density bonus to allow an additional 11 units.

Ionic Enterprises applied for a Tree Permit to remove numerous trees on the site that are currently in very poor condition and replace them with new trees as part of the mitigation plan. They also requested concessions that would allow for reduced parking and parking within the typically required setback.

The site will primarily be accessed on the east side through a new driveway on Fair Oaks Blvd. across from Walnut Hills Way. An additional entrance/exit on the west side of the property would come out on Celine Dr., which is currently a dead-end street. The Celine Dr. access would be gated to limit access to residents and emergency vehicles, preventing cut-through traffic between Fair Oaks Blvd. and Celine Dr.

During the public hearing, one resident said he lives at the end of Celine Dr. next to the area of the proposed entrance/exit gate. He said for 18 years “we’ve enjoyed a quiet neighborhood.” Although he understands the need for affordable senior housing in the community, he is opposed to an access gate at that location because it will bring an increase of traffic to the area. “We would like to see that be reduced to maybe an exit only or maybe just emergency vehicles only,” he said. He expressed concern that there is already a lot of cut-through traffic in that area and adding more vehicles to the roadway could cause a safety issue.

Another resident agreed with the concerns about increased traffic. She lives west of Celine Dr. at the corner of Kingswood Dr. and Cypress Point Dr, just a block away from the proposed project. She explained that Celine Dr. and Cypress Point Dr. are both very narrow streets; if cars are parked on each side of those streets, two cars traveling in opposing directions can’t pass each other safely without one pulling over to the side. She described the area as “a very dog-walking neighborhood. … It’s a real little residential community.”  She explained that “the cut-through traffic is causing real problems” and “these streets aren’t meant to carry that kind of traffic.”

She further argued that the reduced parking concession could cause even more problems in the neighborhood because although many seniors no longer drive, they still have visitors, cleaners, and caretakers who might be forced to park on the neighborhood streets if the housing development doesn’t offer adequate parking.

Mayor Jeff Slowey said he’s happy to see a proposal for senior apartments: “I think it’s needed, not just in the city but throughout the state. … There’s no doubt there’s a housing crisis. I’m glad to see something proposed that’s going to be affordable.”

Mayor Slowey also said he understands the neighborhood concerns, but these residents have been living on a dead-end street so “anything that goes in there is going to be an increase in traffic. I feel bad about that, but when I look at the street, I also realize the way it’s designed eventually something’s going to go there.”

“If we’re going to create a problem, I want to try to fix it,” said Mayor Slowey. He suggested adding an amendment to the resolution requiring that the developers add stop signs to improve traffic safety along that corridor. He requested a three-way stop where Kingswood Dr. deadends at Celine Dr.

Councilmember Jeannie Bruins agreed: “I think it’s an opportunity to address not only providing senior housing here but to address a traffic problem.” She said that stop signs are “definitely something I’d like to see incorporated in this project.”

Craig Meyers, architect for Ionic Enterprises’ development team, said, “We have no objection to whatever the Council decides. … If it’s three stop signs, that’s fine.”

The Council voted on the proposal and unanimously approved the project with the amendment to require stop signs.