SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The City of Sacramento says it is looking to revitalize Stockton Boulevard with plans led by the community and is looking for input on how to stop the displacement of the people and businesses already in the area.
The Stockton Boulevard Plan is looking at bringing housing and more economic growth to the corridor while still maintaining the culture in the area.
A virtual meeting was held Wednesday to talk about anti-displacement strategies.
Organizations that participated in the discussion included the Sacramento Native American Health Center, Habitat For Humanity, Rebuilding Together and others.
The topic of the Stockton Boulevard Plan has already been a concern for many as development on Aggie Square, also on the corridor, continues. The Aggie Square project is a UC Davis extension that city officials say could bring 10,000 jobs to the area but with that project and the Stockton Boulevard Plan, comes concerns from neighbors and businesses about being priced out of the area.
The lead city planner on the Stockton Boulevard Plan says that keeping the culture of the area intact is key to the plan and the purpose of the Wednesday anti-displacement meeting.
“There's a lot of interest in ‘what does [the plan] look like?’ To keep someone in the neighborhood or what does it look like to make sure that they have what they need so that they are not being forced out,” Boyd said, “I think we're going to have a really open and honest conversation.”
At Wednesday’s virtual anti-displacement meeting, concerns about tenants in the area were brought up.
“I think right now what we need is an eviction help center so we can protect tenants,” said Michael Benjamin with Oak Park Cares, “A lot of times they don't know tenant law. They don't know landlord-tenant law. And so they get caught up in trying to fight these battles.”
Benjamin says making sure residents in the area know that services like that are around to help is critical and the word about them will have to be spread by going door-to-door.
“We keep hiding behind creating services and then expecting people to come and run to our services and resources," Benjamin said, “It doesn’t work like that because the information is not there and there needs to be that cultural competency.”
Talks at the meeting also turned to ways those already living along the corridor will be hired for the new jobs the Stockton Boulevard Plan could bring.
“I think it's about job creation. I think it's also about folks that need that transportation or that childcare,” said Conrad Crump, who also participated in the discussion. “That job training so that way they can access those jobs within the area and stay.”
A follow-up conversation to the anti-displacement discussion will be held virtually July 1 at 6 p.m. focusing on community ownership. For more information, click here.
To view the entire June 23 anti-displacement strategy discussion click here.
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