SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A community meeting was held in Oak Park to talk housing with residents and answer their questions.
On the agenda, Aggie Square and the potential for a new future in Oak Park as the project moves further along in the process.
Aggie Square is a $1.1 billion project set to expand U.C. Davis' Sacramento campus.
"Aggie Square is a huge opportunity for local jobs; we already see from the construction," said Vice Mayor Eric Guerra.
Project represntatives say Aggie Square started as an idea in spring 2018 and broke ground about a year ago. It's antiicpated to open in about two years and will include a teaching and training center and lab.
Plans for new housing along Stockton Boulevard, including student, senior and mixed income housing, are also in the works.
However, not everyone is on board with the plan.
Some residents brought their concerns regarding the project to representatives at an Oak Park Community Center meeting Thursday night. It was set up to tell residents about housing programs for people living near the site and answer questions.
Locals were concerned over gentrification, parking, code enforcement and existing homeowners getting priced out.
"I think the Oak Park neighborhood has been taken advantage of by the city," said W. Ray White.
W. Ray White said he's been living in Oak Park since the 60s and came to community meetings for 10 years, back when there were previous plans to redevelop the area.
"Everything we used to do has been undercut by Aggie Square, and they make all these promises about jobs in the area and it may happen but I don't know. I don't see it," he said.
ABC10 asked project representatives what's being done to ensure people aren't priced out of the area as the expansion and development becomes a reality.
Sacramento's Economic Investment Manager says the city will do what they can to make sure residents can stay there.
"We want to support residents that are here, so we're creating some pilot programs for home repair, first-time home buyers assistance, homeless prevention, so we can continue to build a community based on the residents who are here," said Leslie Fritzsche, City of Sacramento Economic Investment Manager.
Programs outlined to the community at Thursday's meeting included the partnerships with Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army and other agencies will total more than 2 million in assistance for Oak Park.
"I see this as a positive change, and I'm rightfully surprised because in the beginning, it was not alright. But they're trying to pull people back," said Lavinia Phillips, with the Oak Park Neighborhood Association.
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