SANGER – A proposed housing project aims to majorly expand the city’s housing supply, and has so far seen overwhelming support from Sanger’s leaders.
On Sept. 4, the Sanger City Council unanimously approved the first hearing for a proposed 530-unit housing development, and an accompanying park. If passed at the second hearing, the city of Sanger will annex 78 acres of land outside of the city limits, and rezone the site from exclusive agriculture use to single-family residential.
Construction would be split into two phases, with phase one seeing 269 units and a 3.23-acre park built, and phase two bringing an additional 261 units.
“I’m really excited about this project,” said Councilmember Michael Montelongo. “I want to make sure we move this project fast; not skip anything, but definitely move it fast and get it going, and get some of those improvements going as well.”
The other council members shared Montelongo’s excitement, waiving the full reading of the ordinance to quickly approve the project for a second hearing. Prior to the council meeting, some approvals had already been made by the planning commission in an effort to streamline the process.
In addition to the annexation, the ordinance also calls for the zone’s “General Plan Land Use” to be amended, since the zone’s original plan designated 17.5 acres of park or open space. The city’s general plan only calls for 3 acres of park space per 1,000 residents, and since the completed housing development is expected to bring in 1,945 persons, this would only require a total 5.8 acres of park space in the zone.
However, the general plan also allows for the park space requirements to be reduced if the developer invests in improvements to the park that equal or surpass the difference in acreage, in addition to a fee paid in lieu of land dedication.
Thus, staff recommended that the park space dedication be reduced to 3.23 acres, with the developer providing park improvements, landscaping and irrigation as needed, and allowing for a total of 74.77 acres of residential use. According to staff, the cost of improvements to the park will surpass the value of the difference in acreage.
Fortunately, the re-designated 14.27 acres of park/open space remaining from the initial 17.5 acres will not go to waste. It will instead be dedicated elsewhere within the city’s sphere of influence.
Ethan Davis, a contracted planner who has been filling in after the departure of the city’s senior planners, explained to the council that the reason for the project site’s original open space allocation was so big is because it was meant to serve as a placeholder to be distributed across the city as it grows.
Davis also notified the council that city staff is currently working with a consultant to prepare the Master Plan update, which will include a land use component identifying locations where additional park or open space will be needed.
Through the council’s discussion, it was clear that they are largely in support of this project and what it can provide for the city.
“It’s really important that we get more housing,” said Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Martinez. “The state of California is in a housing shortage, a housing crisis, so we certainly do our part in Sanger to encourage and facilitate the building of homes.”
