Regional Partnerships Support Rural Affordable Housing in the Sierra Nevada

The result of regional partnerships and the use of disaster recovery funds, Cashin's Field is a 51-unit affordable housing development in Nevada City, California that addresses the challenges of rural housing in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Photo credit: Nevada County, California

From geographical constraints to the reliance on regional partnerships, affordable housing in rural California looks much different from the way it does in the state's urbanized communities. In Nevada City, a small, historic mining town in Nevada County in California's Sierra Nevada region, sites suitable for development are rare because of the town's steep topography and mining contamination. In 2019, however, Nevada County identified a flat parcel at the southern edge of Nevada City that seemed ideal for development that would help the town meet its affordable housing needs. Following a multiyear effort by the city, state, and regional public housing agency to secure funds and find a developer, Cashin's Field opened in 2023. The 51-unit project is the city's first affordable housing development in decades and is projected to meet Regional Housing Needs Allocation requirements, part of California's state housing planning process, for years to come.

Building a Regional Housing Trust

State disaster funds released in the aftermath of the Wind Complex Fire in 2017 provided the impetus for development of Cashin's Field. With more than 33 houses destroyed in the fire, Nevada County qualified for the state's Disaster Recovery Tax Credit, a $2.5 million tax credit bonus that required the county to allocate the funds to a project within 2 years. At the same time, a new state initiative levied an additional charge on real estate transactions, with 70 percent of the proceeds allocated to the Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) program. Under this initiative, the county received $1.2 million over 2 years, which the state matched dollar for dollar for a total of $2.4 million. With the availability of funds, the county created a memorandum of understanding with other local jurisdictions to create the Western Nevada County Regional Housing Trust Fund, which combined funds from the PLHA program and the state's disaster tax credits.

While the county pooled funds into the trust, the Regional Housing Authority (RHA), the area's public housing agency, completed the entitlement process and issued a request for proposals (RFP) to select a developer for the 5-acre site. Working in tandem with RHA, the county transitioned into the RFP evaluation phase, selected the Affordable Housing Development Corporation and Building Better Partnerships as the developers, and allocated the trust funds to Cashin's Field. In addition to the RFP process, RHA obtained 22 project-based vouchers from HUD.

Cashin's Field

Located at the gateway to the city's historic downtown area, Cashin's Field embodies a mining-style aesthetic exemplified by features such as angled metal roofs. The project's six 2- to 3-story buildings offer a mix of one- to three-bedroom apartments. Twenty-two of the 50 affordable housing units are reserved for tenants with housing choice vouchers, and the remaining units house families earning no more than 60 percent of the area median income. One unit is available for delivery of behavioral health services to ensure long-term housing stability. Residents also have pedestrian access to a grocery store, a pharmacy, two bus stops, and schools.

The town's residents initially were concerned that the project would attract people from Southern California. When the units became available, however, nearly 90 percent of people who applied were current county residents. Cashin's Field serves people who are leaving higher-rent properties to improve their financial situation. Cashin's Field also has attracted families, and the town's schools have welcomed more than 30 new students.

Securing Quality Housing

As the city's first affordable housing development in decades, Cashin's Field highlights the value of forming a multijurisdictional partnership to create and sustain affordable housing in rural California. The city supported the project with fee deferrals and helped the developer secure local housing allocations while benefiting from the utility improvements that came with the new construction. In small rural communities, providing water connections, potable water, and sanitation can be challenging. The development of Cashin's Field helped address these challenges. By creating affordable housing, this project not only provided housing sustainability and reduced living costs but had a broader impact on quality of life for rural Sierra Nevada households.