City leaders in Chico are being asked to upzone an area allowing an apartment complex to rise on a site set aside for single family homes.
Without the Camp Fire, the proposed 23-unit apartment complex would almost certainly be a tougher lift. But after the loss of 15 percent of all housing in Butte County, and resulting price spikes in both purchase and rental housing, opposition may be harder to muster.
The proposal, with some elements topping out at three stories, would rise on a vacant lot west of Marsh Junior High School and adjacent to Little Chico Creek.
What makes the project different is that the area was long ago zoned for single family homes. The city council would have to re-zone the area, bumping it from low density to medium-high density residential.
The building and the rezoning initiative were approved by the planning commission in June.
A public hearing will be held tonight in council chambers.
Also on the agenda, the council considers a request from Fire Chief Steven Standridge to use nearly $300,000 in unexpected budget savings to help pay for remodeling a fire station. Bids received from contractors were more than double the city’s estimate and amount allotted.
Additionally, vice mayor Alex Brown requested an inventory of city owned property as potential sites for affordable housing.