SACRAMENTO, California — Three state-owned buildings on Capitol Mall will soon become affordable housing apartments.
It's welcome sight in a state where finding an affordable home isn't always easy. According to Zillow, the median rent in Sacramento is just over $2,000.
The extreme shortage of affordable housing is why the state is converting state-owned buildings into hundreds of housing units.
Secretary Amy Tong, of Government Operations, said it is part of Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-06-19.
“This is not our first state property to be leveraged for housing, and it will certainly not be the last,” said Tong.
The Employment Development Department building on Capitol Mall will soon be home to 400 affordable housing units. It’s part of three building complex that will be remodeled.
Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez, of Consumer Services and Housing Agency, said a lack of affordable housing is an issue across the state and the nation.
“For every 100 low-income working households, there are only 30 affordable and available homes,” said Castro Ramirez.
Jason Kenney, with the Department of General Services, said this is all part of embracing a post-COVID world where many employees are now working from home.
However, they are also making the best of development restrictions in Sacramento.
“In Sacramento, many of our buildings are historic or qualify as historic. They are subject to some degree of height limitations, but we are in the process of analyzing many of our buildings for reuse potential. So when the time comes and we know we have free space, we can proactively solicit years in advance,” said Kenney.
This concept was also used for the Sonrisa affordable apartments off 13th and O streets in downtown Sacramento. The 57 unit complex opened in January.
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty has been supporting the idea since it first came about.
“Bring some life downtown. During the pandemic, Midtown was thriving. Downtown not so much... more housing brings more life to the downtown core,” said McCarty.
There are 5,500 units being developed. The department is looking at several other buildings in the downtown core.
The department said they plan to announce a new site soon in the San Joaquin Valley, Fresno and San Diego.
“The San Diego project is located in downtown San Diego at the nexus of the various districts, Little Italy and the Government District,” said Kenney.
The new government building will be finished in 2025. Once the employees are moved out, the remodel will start. The hope is to have the remodel complete within two years so residents can move in.
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