SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento County supervisors this week unanimously approved one of the largest housing developments proposed in the region in decades, authorizing a 9,300-home project west of Natomas that supporters say reflects California’s changing approach to housing production.
At the same time, the contentious debate surrounding the Upper Westside Plan underscored a competing reality: even as state housing laws increasingly push local governments toward approving new development, lawsuits, environmental concerns and local resistance continue to slow the construction of desperately needed homes.
The Upper Westside Plan would transform approximately 1,532 acres of largely agricultural land between Natomas and the Sacramento River into a mixed-use community featuring more than 9,300 homes, 3 million square feet of commercial development, educational facilities, parks and open space. Sacramento County supervisors approved the proposal Tuesday on a 5-0 vote following years of public debate and opposition…