The City of Sacramento has about 5,000 vacant lots in Oak Park, Del Paso Heights and other old neighborhoods.

City planner Aaron Sussman says under a new pilot program, the city will offer builders pre-approved house plans. "Rather than having these lots sit vacant, we’d like to see development occur on these lots. So this is a way for us to streamline the process."

Sussman says it normally takes a builder 2 months to get trough design review and the building permitting process. "We hope with these plans that people will actually get out of the process in under a week."

The pre-approved architectural drawings are also cheaper - $1,500, compared to about $8,000 for equivalent professional designs. The city will hold several public meetings in the coming months to get community input on the house plans.