The Sacramento City Council recently approved $1.25 million in funding to support a project that aims to address the housing crisis for seniors on fixed incomes in Oak Park.
“This project aligns with the city’s broader efforts to revitalize the Oak Park neighborhood by increasing access to affordable housing, particularly for older adults and individuals with supportive service needs,” the City of Sacramento wrote in an email statement. “By adding new affordable units and integrating on-site services, the development contributes to long-term neighborhood stability, supports vulnerable populations, and enhances the overall quality of life for Sacramento residents.”
Donner Field Senior Apartments, located on 4501 9th Avenue, will be a 67-unit development by Eden Housing. It will feature two buildings: a single-story community building and a U-shaped, two to three-story residential structure. Each unit must be occupied by at least one resident who is 55 years old or older.
The Sacramento Housing Redevelopment Agency has owned the plot of land since the 1980s, according to councilmember Caity Maple, who represents District 5, which includes Oak Park.
“That is way too long… in an area that really desperately needs more affordable housing for a plot of land to stay vacant,” Maple said.
Maple said that many people are becoming seniors, but the new housing development presents an incredible opportunity for the community.
“I think that the community really wants to see this happen,” Maple said. “I’m always really proud of the Oak Park community, for embracing this because sometimes communities don’t embrace affordable housing. They want more spaces for their neighbors to live comfortably, and I think that’s a great thing. So I’m looking forward to more projects like this.”
According to a press release, 48 of the 67 units will be reserved for households earning 50% or less of Sacramento County’s Area Median Income, and 18 will be designated for people earning 30% of the AMI or below.
Eden housing will be developing the project which has amenities that will include a bocce ball court, shared kitchen, BBQ area, community garden, laundry facilities and multipurpose room.
UC Davis unveiled a $1.1 Billion Aggie Square campus in Oak Park in May that will have biotechnology, medicine, and academic research.
According to the associate director of the Eden Housing Charles Liuzzo, they chose seniors for the affordable housing because there’s a lot of concern about displacement and the pressure that Aggie Square is going to put on the neighborhoods.
“We chose seniors specifically with the idea that folks who have spent the last decades living in this neighborhood, they’ll be able to stay in this neighborhood,” he said. “Or stay in this area as they get older, so that there’s more housing options, and if there is any displacement, kind of carving out an area for folks who have lived in this neighborhood to continue to live.”
According to a press release, 17 units will be supported by Project-Based Vouchers from SHRA and will serve people experiencing homelessness with mental health or behavioral needs.
He said 75% of the project will be for seniors and 25% of the project will be for seniors experiencing homelessness.
“We’re trying to make a carve-out for seniors who are maybe at risk of homelessness or in that system, give them a safe place to get them off the street, so that’s a focus,” he said.
The project is also funded by a mix of state and federal grants including almost $12.5 million from the state through the Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program.
Construction is said to begin later this year in October or November, according to Liuzzo. The project is to be completed early 2027.
Maple said this new project aligns with the city’s broader affordable housing strategies in “every way, shape and form.”
“It’s a quickly gentrifying community. We’re seeing people being priced out of housing, and we know that there’s a lot of seniors that live in that community,” Maple said. “So my hope is that we’ll be able to keep some seniors that have grown up in the neighborhood, love the neighborhood, and be able to stay in it while still having housing that they can afford.”
Keyshawn Davis is a communities reporter at CapRadio. CapRadio is a partner of The Intersection and CVJC.