The Urban League moves forward with plans to build housing, retail and office space next to its headquarters in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights.
Author: Ben van der Meer, Senior Reporter, Sacramento Business Journal
Published: August 15, 2023
After years of planning, the Greater Sacramento Urban League has filed a formal
application for a project of housing, retail and office space next to its headquarters in
Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights.
The six-story building at 3711-3721 Marysville Blvd. would have retail space on the
ground floor, office space on the second floor and 64 apartments on the top four floors.
“Del Paso Heights is a dramatically underserved and underinvested community,” said
Greater Sacramento Urban League CEO Dwayne Crenshaw, noting in particular a lack of
community-serving retail and new housing. “We are taking that on.”
Crenshaw said the project is being called “Hub in the Heights,” with a goal of being not
just new development but a frequent site of activity in the neighborhood.
On the ground floor, about 3,500 square feet could house retailers such as a coffee shop,
nail salon, bank or dry cleaner. The second story has about 3,175 square feet of leasable
space that could house a law or real estate office, Crenshaw said.
A community room, also on the second floor, would be available for meetings and
events. “We think it’ll be an important component of an incredibly overdue
development,” Crenshaw said.
According to the application, the upper floors would have eight studios of 461 square
feet each, 48 one-bedroom apartments of 651 square feet each and eight two-bedroom
apartments of 662 to 707 square feet each. Three-fourths of the units would have a rent
subsidy, according to the application.
There would be 20 on-site parking spaces and eight parking spots on nearby streets. The
building’s interior on the residential levels would have a breezeway/courtyard with
planters, open to the sky.
Along with the entitlement review, Crenshaw said, the Greater Sacramento Urban
League will push for investors and other financing to get the building off the ground.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Crenshaw said, the estimated project cost was about $24
million; now, he believes it could get done for $30 million or less.
Some funding, including Golden 1 Credit Union’s recent commitment of a $10 million
investment in Del Paso Heights, is already planned toward the project.
If all goes well, site work could get underway as soon as early 2024, Crenshaw said.