Seven in ten Californians view housing affordability as one of the top problems in their community. City officials understand this and are working hard to find solutions that ensure families of all income levels can afford to live in their communities.

A lack of buildable terrain, funding, and skilled labor, as well as the threat of wildfires, makes building affordable, multifamily housing difficult in California’s rural, mountainous communities. Until 2023, Nevada City’s last large, multifamily development was built in 2001. Before that, the 1980s. So, what changed?