Oroville mayor says city growth, mapped lots point to housing development opportunities

David Pittman, mayor of the city of Oroville, told the City Council during public comment that Oroville’s population has grown from roughly 7,000 when he first began working with the city to more than 20,000 and that about 9,000 lots established on maps since February 2008 create space for new single-family and market-rate housing.

“Right now, we have a tremendous amount of real estate available for single family homes and market rate housing,” Pittman said. He also described Oroville as “affordable and one of the last places in California that you'll have the old flavor of California living.”

Pittman, who identified himself as a fourth-term council member and the city’s elected mayor, said residents voted to provide funding for “the security and the protection of your investment,” a point he raised to emphasize investor confidence. He said the city is the fifth generation of his family’s home community and framed the lot inventory and population growth as reasons to consider investing in Oroville.

The remarks in the transcript were delivered during the meeting’s public-comment portion; the transcript does not record any council motion, vote or formal action tied to Pittman’s comments. The speaker did not provide specific locations of the mapped lots, timelines for development, or details on the security funding mechanism beyond saying voters approved funding for it.

Council materials or subsequent agenda items would need to be consulted for parcel-level details, proposed projects, permitting timelines, or any council-directed steps to facilitate housing development.