Six-story apartment project in East Sacramento faces pivotal vote

The Abridged version:

• Developers are looking to fully redevelop a block of Alhambra Boulevard in East Sacramento to make way for a 332-unit apartment complex.
• Two vacant warehouses, including the former Mary Anne’s Bakery, are currently on the proposed project site.
• Debate over the project is already kicking up with vocal opposition and support from nearby residents.

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A proposal for a new six-story apartment complex that would reshape a full block of East Sacramento is set for a pivotal vote this week before a city commission.

Demas Enterprises has its sights on largely demolishing and redeveloping the city block bounded by Alhambra Boulevard, 30th Street, C Street and D Street. The proposal will go before the city of Sacramento’s Planning and Design Commission for a vote on Thursday.

Plans submitted to the city include 332 housing units, a six-level parking garage and space for a coffee shop on the southwest corner of the site. The housing units include a mix of studio apartments, one-bedroom units and two-bedroom units ranging from 505 square feet to 1,100 square feet. All of the units would be rented at market rates.

A pair of vacant warehouses is currently on the site, which formerly housed Mary Anne’s Bakery. The site could be eligible for historic preservation listing, according to a city staff report. Between 1927 and 1969, the warehouses were also home to the Pureta Sausage Co., one of the city’s largest meatpacking factories.

Architectural renderings for the site show that most of the historic brick facades would be kept and added to the lower floors of the building.

Three homes and a duplex are also on the site, three of which are owned by developer John Demas, according to a city staff report.

Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum, who’s district includes Alhambra Boulevard, said the site is unique as there aren’t many infill projects of this size available in East Sacramento

“This project, it’s like the third project idea that’s come through, this has been tried several times,” Pluckebaum said. “The whole Alhambra corridor is ripe for these kinds of infill investments.”

Project elicits strong feelings from neighbors

Vocal opposition and support have been stirring up around the project and Thursday’s meeting is expected to see a lineup of neighborhood groups voicing both opposition and support.

Two neighborhood groups have retained a public relations firm, Perry Communications, to help organize their opposition to the project. The groups include The East Sacramento Preservation Neighborhood Association and the Casa Loma Terrace – East Sacramento Neighborhood Association.

At least six neighborhood associations and organized groups wrote letters to city planners about the project, as well as dozens of individual residents.

Larry Pilgrim works near the site and was among the dozens of residents who wrote to city planning staff voicing “mixed feelings” about the project and raising issues with its scale.

“I think something other than the abandoned factory would be great and great for the neighborhood,” Pilgrim wrote. “To cram that hideous behemoth of a building in between single-family, one-story homes a block from one of the city’s most beloved parks, is not appropriate. “

Tricia Stevens, president of the East Sacramento Community Association, urged that many residents are “experiencing intense competition” for a limited number of homes in the neighborhood.

“This project meaningfully responds to that reality by adding new housing choices in a connected, infill location, and provides housing choices for those desiring to enjoy the benefits of all East Sacramento has to offer,” Stevens wrote.

Pluckebaum said that state housing laws, which are intended to lessen California’s housing crisis, pose an uphill battle for opposition campaigns.

“We would have to make public health and safety findings in order to say ‘no,'” Pluckebaum said. “The bad news is the easiest way to kill a project is to make it take longer and cost more.”

If the Planning and Design Commission votes in favor of the project, the project could face an appeal from residents who are in opposition. At that point, the project would go before the Sacramento City Council for an additional vote. If the council approves it, the project could still face a legal battle, according to Pluckebaum.

Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.