Sustainable Station Sacramento Valley Station will include residential spaces, hotels and offices.
PLAN TURNS HISTORIC TRAIN DEPOT INTO ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY HUB
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he City Council recently approved the Sacramento Valley Station Area Plan, which will turn Sacramento’s historic train station at 401 I St. into one of the most sustainable public places in California. “This plan is more than four years in the making,” says project manager Greg Taylor. “The plan positions Sacramento as a regional center for sustainable transportation and a leader in sustainable design technologies, which will help combat climate change.” The plan has already earned the prestigious Living Community Challenge Vision Plan Certification for environmental innovation, making Sacramento the first city in the world to receive the designation.
JL By Jessica Laskey Out & About
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The plan is designed to connect pedestrians and transit users to infill development areas within the central city that include residential spaces, hotels and offices. All the buildings within the development will run on 100-percent renewable energy. The city hopes to begin construction by 2026.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING The City Council recently voted to commit $10 million to a new affordable housing complex on Stockton Boulevard. It’s the first expenditure from the $31.5 million housing fund created in the mid-year budget at the request of Mayor Darrell Steinberg that will come from the general fund and Measure U dollars. The planned 220 affordable apartments and townhomes will help fulfill the city’s commitment to invest at least $50 million in affordable housing along the Stockton Boulevard corridor to prevent displacement that might occur as a result of the new Aggie Square innovation district. Seventy-five percent of the units will be reserved for low-, very low- and extremely low-income tenants. Another
25 percent will be priced for those with moderate incomes (up to $60,410 for a family of four). In addition to the $10 million from the city, another $5 million from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency will round out a $15 million loan to Mercy Housing to build the complex. “This investment is the first of many housing commitments made to neighborhoods surrounding the Aggie Square project and communities around Stockton Boulevard,” says District 6 Councilmember Eric Guerra. “Addressing the housing crisis head-on and offering job opportunities is the only way we can help our neighbors find economic freedom and help them realize their dreams in this city.”
TWENTY TWENTY The award-winning nonprofit literary performance series, Stories on Stage Sacramento, is celebrating the publication of its first anthology, “Twenty Twenty: A Stories on Stage Sacramento Anthology,” inspired by a year like no other.
The book contains 43 essays and short stories written by Northern California and guest authors, including Karen Bender, Anita Felicelli, Joan Frank, Debra Gwartney, Sands Hall, Pamela Houston, Vanessa Hua, Joshua Mohr and Peter Orner. Join SOSS on Friday, July 23, at 5 p.m. on Zoom for a book launch and readings by professional actors. On Wednesday, Aug. 11, from 1–4 p.m., SOSS hosts an in-person book launch reception at Capital Books on K Street. Sales from the anthology will support the nonprofit’s ongoing programming, including paying authors and actors for their work. For more information, visit storiesonstagesacramento.org.
EAST SAC IN BLOOM Have you noticed “East Sac in Bloom” signs scattered throughout the neighborhood and wondered what they were about? Well, you’re in good company! East Sac in Bloom is a new neighborhood event celebrating beautiful front yard spaces. Sponsored by Friends of East Sacramento, Inside
