ELK GROVE, Calif — The developer for a contentious housing project in Elk Grove's historic district will not be attending what could be the final council meeting to determine the future of the project.
The Oak Rose Apartments is a 67-unit permanent supportive housing program for people at risk of homelessness that would be located in the city's historic district. The proposal was initially denied by the city council more than a year ago, but it has since returned following two lawsuits, one from the developer and the other from California's attorney general.
The project is on the Elk Grove City Council's agenda for Oct. 11. It was recommended for approval by staff on Sept. 27, but following hours of public comment, the city council postponed the vote to try and find a different solution with the developer. They also put an emphasis on trying to get the developer to show up for the next meeting after they didn't attend and bring them back to the negotiating table.
However, Excelerate Housing Group said they still won't be attending.
“We do not believe our attendance at the October 11 Elk Grove City Council meeting is appropriate, given these continuing good-faith negotiations, and the ongoing litigation over the unlawful discretionary review process the city relied on to reject the Oak Rose project. While we hope to resolve this litigation and move forward with building permanent supportive housing in Elk Grove, in partnership with the city, we will not be able to accept the city’s invitation to appear on October 11,” said Dana Trujillo, CEO of Excelerate Housing Group, in a news release.
The City of Elk Grove has previously said they've tried to negotiate a resolution before, with alternative sites and possible incentives, but they couldn't reach an agreement.
Trujillo said her group has been in those conversations with city staff for months, doing "due diligence on alternative sites proposed by the city."
“We recently provided the city with the terms and conditions necessary to make a new permanent supportive housing project feasible at one of these alternative locations," said Trujillo. "We are hopeful that these conversations will be fruitful and that we can come to an agreement as we continue our efforts to build safe, affordable homes to benefit the many Elk Grove residents who desperately need housing.”
Trujillo added that their goal is to build affordable housing for struggling Californians.
An inquiry to the City of Elk Grove regarding negotiation efforts after the Sept. 27 meeting was not immediately returned. An inquiry to the attorney general's office regarding the next outcome of the city council's vote and the impacts on their lawsuit was also not immediately returned.
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