The Community

The North Auburn—Bell Road Opportunity Area straddles the State Route 49 corridor, north and south of the Bell Road intersection. It covers just under 660 acres at the transition from one of the most intensively developed areas in unincorporated Placer County (around Bell Road) to the suburban and semi-rural areas on the northern edge of the Auburn area. The land use mix in the North Auburn—Bell Road area is rich, including a blend of regional and local retail shopping centers, major healthcare providers with ancillary medical offices, and a range of housing types. The Placer County Government Center lies immediately adjacent to the west, between Bell and Atwood Roads, and the Auburn Airport lies to the northeast.

The area benefits from outstanding transportation access to SR 49 and Bell Road, a major arterial roadway that links SR 49 and I-80, approximately three miles to the east. Bus transit routes follow these major corridors, providing some of the best transit service in the unincorporated county. Placer County Transit’s Highway 49 route provides service and stops along the SR 49 corridor and through adjacent areas with significant ridership generators (e.g., Placer County Government Center, the Auburn Airport area, Auburn Greens, Auburn Plaza shopping center). The Highway 49 route also provides links to regional services at Auburn Station (e.g., Capital Corridor train, Placer Commuter Express bus). There are Class II bike lanes along the full length of SR 49 within the area and there is a continuous sidewalk along the eastern curb of SR 49 south of Rock Creek Road, with sporadic sidewalks along the western side, mostly adjacent to parcels with recent development activity.

The Auburn-Bowman Community Plan (1994) governs development in the North Auburn—Bell Road area, with a strong emphasis on working toward a better balance between jobs and housing in the area. The Plan calls for more opportunities for “low traffic generating” primary wage earner employment (with an emphasis on industrial uses) as well as more affordable housing. Recognizing the need for sufficient land to address the County’s fair share of affordable housing, the County Housing Element (2021) identifies several commercially-zoned parcels along the SR 49 corridor as candidates for rezoning to accommodate new housing.