Help us provide better customer service! Take our 5-minute Website Improvement Survey at www.shra.org A crowd of about 100 community members cheered as a bulldozer dealt a crushing blow to the Washington Market in Oak Park on April 14 following the City Redevelopment Agency’s decision last year to tear down the 2nd Avenue liquor store. The action ends the chronic problems of crime, drug activity, prostitution and other blighting problems that gravitated to the corner market. A new single-family home will be built in its place and will be offered for sale to a low-income owner occupant. The celebration continued as members of the Oak Park Neighborhood Association and the Second Saturday Clean Up Program joined residents in a one-and-a-half mile march to the Days Market on 20th Avenue where residents pulled the liquor store sign off the building in a symbolic gesture to mark the pending demolition. Officials from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA www.shra.org) replaced it with a sign noticing it as the future site for a single-family affordable home. “This is really about recovering the fabric of healthy neighborhoods,” said Anne Moore, executive director of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Both properties were non-conforming uses in primarily single-family neighborhoods. In light of many complaints, widespread community support called for the redevelopment and reuse of the properties. The Agency expects to select a developer for the single-family homes by the end of the summer and as the process moves forward, construction is expected to begin by spring 2008. Agency officials say redevelopment activities have made a positive impact in the Oak Park community. Residents are increasingly involved in meetings to discuss redevelopment activities and projects, property values have increased 75 percent since 2001, and homeownership is on the rise. For information on community meetings to prioritize and plan future Oak Park projects, contact Assistant Community Development Director Chris Pahule at (916) 440-1322. SACRAMENTO ACRAMENTO HOUSING OUSING AND AND REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY ACTIVITIES CTIVITIES NEWSLETTER EWSLETTER VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 SPRING 2007 The mission of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency is to provide affordable housing opportunities and to revitalize communities. Read About… In Sight Page 1 Oak Park liquor stores demolished The View From Here Page 2 Agency seeks grant for Historic Locke Boarding House Community Spotlight Page 3 Community Empowerment Center opens in Phoenix Park Snapshot of Success Page 6 Resident Training Program brightens future Welcome Home Page 7 Citrus Heights funds public housing modernization project On the Horizon Page 7 Ten-Year Plan achieves first units through development Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency 630 I Street Sacramento, CA 95814 Phone: (916) 444-9210 Fax: (916) 441-1197 www.shra.org Please email this newsletter to a friend. To unsubscribe or comment, email ajones@shra.org. “One Community, One Vision” www.shra.org IN SIGHT IGHT OAK AK PARK ARK COMMUNITY COMMUNITY CELEBRATES CELEBRATES AS AS CITY ITY REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY DEMOLISHES DEMOLISHES TWO TWO NUISANCE NUISANCE LIQUOR LIQUOR STORES STORES The troublesome Days and Washington markets in Oak Park were torn down on April 14 in a community celebration. A bulldozer demolished the liquor stores and residents joined in to tear the sign off one of the buildings. Two new single family homes will replace the stores and will be for sale to lowincome buyers. Newsletter Contributors Anne M. Moore, Executive Director Angela Jones, Editor Chris Pahule, Diana Sasser, Cindy Cavanaugh, Jim Hare, Gregory Wessel, Christian Punsal, Sandy Piekarski, Christine Weichert, Richard Marsh, Nick Chhotu, Raul Carrillo, Colleen Clark, Michael Ordonia SACRAMENTO ACRAMENTO HOUSING OUSING AND AND REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY PAGE AGE 2 COMMUNITY OMMUNITY VISIONS ISIONS “One Community, One Vision” www.shra.org RIBBON IBBON CUTTING UTTING OPENS PENS DOORS OORS AT AT GRIZZLY RIZZLY HOLLOW OLLOW IN IN GALT ALT A new housing community has opened its doors in Galt where 53 low income families now have an affordable place to call home. A dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting took place on May 4 at Grizzly Hollow Phase III. The rental housing project was developed by Mercy Housing California and contains one and two bedroom duplexes and three-bedroom single family homes. It has open spaces with park-like settings and a playground for children. A great feature of the community is that 18 of the units are reserved for farm-worker households. Amenities include a community building, management and social services offices, and a Head Start childcare center. Because of funding support for this project from the Agency and a number of other sources, Grizzly Hollow will be affordable to low income families for 55 years with 19 units set aside for extremely-low income families earning up to 30 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), 14 units for very-low income families (up to 50 percent of AMI), and 20 units for low income families (up to 55 percent of AMI). For more information, contact SHRA Housing Finance Analyst Richard Marsh at (916) 440-1298. THE HE VIEW IEW FROM FROM HERE ERE AGENCY GENCY SEEKS SEEKS GRANT GRANT TO TO HELP HELP RESTORE RESTORE HISTORIC HISTORIC LOCKE OCKE BOARDING OARDING HOUSE OUSE The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) has applied for a grant from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment (CCHE) to support continuing efforts to preserve the Boarding House in the historic town of Locke. The $300,000 grant requires an equal amount of matching funds to create a rehabilitation budget of $600,000. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are a possible source for the matching funds if the grant is awarded. The State of California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks) owns the Boarding House. The Agency and the State Parks Department are also working closely with the Locke Management Association to receive input and provide historical guidance. The project will be completed in two phases. Phase one is currently underway to stabilize and weatherize the building with $950,000 in grant funds awarded to the Agency ($450,000 from the National Park Service’s 2004 Save America’s Treasures Grant and $500,000 from the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation 2002 Resources Bond Act). The CCHE grant would be used for Phase Two to make improvements such as fire protection, interior doors, wood floor and ceiling, handicapped accessibility, pedestrian bridge, restrooms, display cases, and any appropriate mechanical, electrical and plumbing repair or upgrades. In the early 1900’s various immigrant groups lived at the Boarding House while working to develop the Delta. Once the rehabilitation is complete, the Boarding House will serve as a museum that will highlight the historical impact of the Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, and more recently Chicano contributions in Locke and the rest of the Delta region. For more information, contact Christine Weichert, Assistant Community Development Director at (916) 440-1322. Grizzly Hollow Phase III is a newly constructed affordable housing community that recently opened in Galt featuring 53 rental houses and duplexes for low-income families. Developed by Mercy Housing in partnership with SHRA, the development offers an onsite social services office and a Head Start program located in the Community Center. The Locke Boarding House is under rehabilitation to create a museum that preserves the historical contributions of immigrants in the Delta region. SACRAMENTO ACRAMENTO HOUSING OUSING AND AND REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY PAGE AGE 3 COMMUNITY OMMUNITY VISIONS ISIONS COMMUNITY OMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT POTLIGHT CITY ITY CELEBRATES CELEBRATES NEW NEW COMMUNITY OMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT MPOWERMENT CENTER ENTER PARTNERSHIP PARTNERSHIP WITH WITH MAGIC AGIC JOHNSON OHNSON FOUNDATION OUNDATION Two plots of land in Del Paso Heights owned by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency will be turned over to the Health Education Council (HEC) under a lease agreement for use as community gardens. The parcels are part of a vacant strip of land on Alvarado Boulevard that runs underneath a series of power lines making the property unsuitable for development. Similar parcels are popular with residents in Del Paso Heights who enjoy cultivating gardens. The parcels will help accommodate the community’s large Hmong population by providing a place to grow native vegetables and herbs. The HEC currently manages three successful gardens in the community and offers classes in nutrition, gardening, health and parenting. Twice a year, gardeners celebrate their harvest with a potluck. “One Community, One Vision” www.shra.org Councilmember Bonnie Pannell (top photo, center right) and Magic Johnson cut the ribbon to officially open the Community Empowerment Center at the Phoenix Park Resident Activity Center on March 21. Open three days a week, the center is one of only three in the state of California. Empowerment Centers serve as a comprehensive one-stop facility to provide youth and adults with access to technology and educational resources designed to improve academic performance and enhance career opportunities. Sacramento city and redevelopment agency officials welcomed NBA legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson on March 21 in a celebration to cut the ribbon and open the doors to a new computer technology center in South Sacramento. "We want the children and adults of this community to feel connected, to feel empowered, and to feel that they, too, can change the world," said Mayor Heather Fargo. The City of Sacramento, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (www.shra.org) and Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (SETA) have established a partnership with the Magic Johnson Foundation (www.magicjohnson.org) to set up a Community Empowerment Center at the award winning Phoenix Park housing community on Franklin Boulevard. The center is one of 23 that Johnson has opened across the country and the third in California in addition to centers in Oakland and Los Angeles. City Councilmember Bonnie Pannell represents District 8 where the computer center is located. She sees the partnership with the Magic Johnson Foundation as a win-win opportunity for South Sacramento. "The Community Empowerment Center will create opportunities for youth and adults to develop and improve their technology skills, provide convenient access to job training and employment resources, and provide local businesses with more qualified applicants to support their workforce." The Magic Johnson Foundation provided 25 computers, software, and other supporting equipment valued at $100,000 with donations from corporate sponsors Verizon and Freddie Mac. Classes have already started with more people showing up to use the computers than the center can accommodate. The center is currently open three days a week. SETA provides staff support helping adults to write resumes and prepare for job opportunities. Youth and children can work on homework assignments after school and the center has open access in the evening. The center hopes to expand hours of operation in the near future. For information about sponsorship opportunities to support ongoing operations at the Community Empowerment Center, call (916) 443-3800. VACANT ACANT AGENCY GENCY PARCELS PARCELS WILL WILL BECOME BECOME COMMUNITY COMMUNITY GARDEN GARDEN SITES SITES COBBLESTONE OBBLESTONE HOMES HOMES READY READY FOR FOR SALE SALE UNDER UNDER COUNTY OUNTY’ S AFFORDABLE FFORDABLE HOUSING OUSING PROGRAM ROGRAM Syncon Homes (www.synconhomes.com) is developing a new 100-unit subdivision located on Elk Grove-Florin Road in Sacramento County’s Vineyard Community Plan area. To comply with the County’s Affordable Housing Program, 15 single family homes will be offered to low-income first time homebuyers. The three-bedroom, two-bath homes will be priced in the low $200,000s. Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) staff will be assisting the builder by income-qualifying prospective homebuyers and referring families to homebuyer education courses. All eligible homebuyers will be entered into a lottery to be conducted by SHRA as the affordable units are made available. Available homes and first-time homebuyer information is available on the SHRA website (www.shra.org) under “Affordable Housing and Homeownership/Homebuyer Programs.” In effect since 2005, the County’s Affordable Housing Program is intended to achieve balanced communities by providing housing opportunities for households at all income levels. In general, developers provide affordable opportunities in 15 percent of their development. Smaller developments may pay a fee and some developments may choose to dedicate land to SHRA where affordable rental housing will be built. The high volume of new homebuilding activity in the County has resulted in over 200 market rate developments subject to the Ordinance. While the majority of these developments have not reached the entitlement phase, developers have proposed to construct an impressive 1,200 affordable homeownership units over the next several years. Interested homebuyers should contact the marketing and sales staff at Syncon Homes at (916) 826-4988. For information about SHRA’s First-Time Homebuyer loan programs and lotteries, call Susan Perry at (916) 264-1500. For more information about the Affordable Housing Program, contact Cindy Cavanaugh at (916) 440-1328. SACRAMENTO ACRAMENTO HOUSING OUSING AND AND REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY PAGE AGE 4 COMMUNITY OMMUNITY VISIONS ISIONS “One Community, One Vision” www.shra.org WALNUT ALNUT GROVE ROVE SHERIFF HERIFF ’ S DEPARTMENT EPARTMENT SAFETY AFETY CENTER ENTER CELEBRATION ELEBRATION HOUSING OUSING AND AND REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY SEEKS SEEKS PUBLIC PUBLIC INPUT INPUT TO TO IMPROVE IMPROVE WEBSITE WEBSITE The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency is inviting the public to take an online survey to help improve its website as a way to provide better customer service. "People are increasingly going to company websites to get information and do business," said SHRA Public Information Officer Angela Jones. "We want to make sure this valuable communication tool is effectively and efficiently meeting our customers' needs and the best way to find out is to ask." The public is invited to fill out the short Website Improvement Survey by going to the Agency's website at www.shra.org and clicking the survey link in the left hand list on the homepage. In order to ensure privacy and confidentiality, no personal information will be collected or shared. Agency research indicates that most website visitors are interested in information about low-income housing and homebuyer assistance programs, job openings, bidding contract opportunities, and financial assistance for affordable housing developers. The survey takes about five minutes to complete. Respondents will be asked about their experience using the current website and will be able comment on what types of features, functions and information they would like the new website to contain. For more information, call (916) 440-1355. A ribbon cutting event was held on April 14 in Walnut Grove to mark completion of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department Safety Center expansion project. SHRA provided $466,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for land acquisition, design, planning fees, including property improvements such as a parking lot, lighting, landscaping, curbs, gutters and sidewalks. Image courtesy of Syncon Homes Agency staff joined affordable housing developer New Faze Development and North Sacramento community members in a groundbreaking celebration on April 18 to mark the start of construction on the fifth phase of the Del Paso Nuevo new subdivision. Among the gathering were eight of the ten residents for whom some of the new streets in the community will be named. This phase will create 95 new three- and four-bedroom homes at Ford Road and Taylor Street near Northgate Boulevard of which 48 will be affordable to people with incomes between 51 to 80 percent of the area median income. Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) partnered with New Faze Development to build two previous phases of DPN. The Agency created the Del Paso Nuevo Homeownership Zone in the 1990’s as a community with many units available to low- to moderate-income homeowners. Before redevelopment, the community that is now Del Paso Nuevo was a blighted, sparsely populated area with inadequate infrastructure and irregularly shaped parcels that contributed to uneven and poorly planned development. Small, dilapidated homes were situated on large, poorly maintained lots. Illegal dumping, crime, and disinvestment were the norm. Homeownership rates were dismal – only 38 percent of the units were owner occupied compared with an average of 58 percent for the Sacramento region. Today, redevelopment activity has transformed the Del Paso Nuevo community: • 77 homes have been built and sold to new homeowners, including 40 low-income homeowners • Walkable, lighted and landscapes streets have been created • Major street and utility infrastructure has been installed • Two new parks have been developed • Homeownership rates have climbed to 48 percent Nuisance and crime problems have largely vanished Work is underway to develop the next phase of Del Paso Nuevo. The Agency expects to identify a developer by the end of this year to construct an additional 70 homes. For more information about this project, contact SHRA Management Analyst Diana Sasser at (916) 440-1322. DEL EL PASO ASO NUEVO UEVO PHASE HASE V CELEBRATION CELEBRATION BREAKS BREAKS GROUND GROUND FOR FOR 48 48 NEW NEW AFFORDABLE AFFORDABLE HOMES HOMES SACRAMENTO ACRAMENTO HOUSING OUSING AND AND REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY PAGE AGE 5 COMMUNITY OMMUNITY VISIONS ISIONS “One Community, One Vision” www.shra.org AFFORDABLE HOUSING & HOMEOWNERSHIP First-time Homebuyer Program $5,000 to $25,000 for down payment and closing costs or reduce the amount of a first mortgage American Dream Down Payment Initiative $10,000 for down payment and closing costs for first home purchase Mortgage Credit Certificates Tax credit on mortgage interest to reduce federal taxes and qualify for a larger mortgage Do you know someone who’s dreaming about becoming a homeowner? Call Homeownership Services at (916) 264-1500 and find out how to make the dream come true! Del Paso Heights community members prepare to dig the first shovel of dirt on April 18 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Del Paso Nuevo Phase V housing development. The project will create 95 new homes, including 48 units that will be available for sale to low income buyers. Meeting Calendar Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission 1st & 3rd Wednesdays @ 6 p.m. 600 I Street Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Tuesdays @ 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays @ 9:30 a.m., 2 p.m. & 6 p.m. 700 H Street Sacramento City Council Tuesdays @ 2 p.m. 915 I Street SACRAMENTO ACRAMENTO HOUSING OUSING AND AND REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY PAGE AGE 6 COMMUNITY OMMUNITY VISIONS ISIONS “One Community, One Vision” www.shra.org CATALYST ATALYST PARCEL PARCEL ON ON DEL EL PASO ASO BOULEVARD OULEVARD SLATED SLATED FOR FOR MIXED MIXED-USED USED DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT A new $16.9 million mixed-use development on the Del Paso Boulevard corridor is expected to help revitalize commercial activity and stimulate private investment in the North Sacramento Redevelopment Area. The Agency has entered into an Owner Participation Agreement (OPA) with New Faze Development that will enable the developer to construct a six-story mixed-used building. The proposed project will contain a ground floor full service upscale restaurant, commercial office space on the third floor that will be occupied by New Faze Development, five live/work lofts, and 22 residential units on the fourth through sixth floors. The residential units will offer studios, one-bedroom and twobedroom condominiums. Under the OPA, New Faze Development will restrict seven units to sales prices that are affordable to buyers earning 120 percent of Area Median Income ($57,530 for a family of two). Agency officials say the development will have a major impact on the Del Paso Boulevard corridor since the infill project will assist in the elimination of blight. It also has a high likelihood of encouraging additional property investments in the surrounding area and increasing the demand for retail development along Del Paso Boulevard. New Faze Development anticipates breaking ground by fall 2007 and expects to finish the project by winter 2008. For more information, contact Assistant Community Director Chris Pahule at (916) 440-1322. SNAPSHOT NAPSHOT OF OF SUCCESS UCCESS RESIDENT ESIDENT TRAINING RAINING PROGRAM ROGRAM LEADS LEADS TO TO BRIGHT BRIGHT FUTURE FUTURE Cynthia Jackson has a reason to celebrate. Just two years ago, she faced many challenges as a single parent and Housing Authority program participant. It was difficult to balance work and support her children’s school activities. Then she decided to take advantage of the Housing Authority’s Resident Training Program which enabled her to improve her work skills and self-esteem and build a solid reputation of having a good work ethic. Cynthia is a shining example of what happens when opportunity meets motivation. She says working in the Resident Training Program helped her discover that she must have purpose to her life. “My desire is to provide hope to those less fortunate,” says Cynthia. “If I had a dream job, I would be an advocate for persons with disabilities.” Today the future is looking bright for her and her family. In March 2007, she was offered a position with a private property management company and her new position comes with a significant pay raise plus benefits. The Housing Authority is not only committed to providing decent, safe housing, but also to helping families achieve economic independence. Across the country, housing authorities have increased their areas of focus beyond assisting program participants with their basic housing needs to now include help with employment skills and on-the-job training. The Resident Trainee program has become a valuable resource to families who are working hard to achieve self-sufficiency. Because the program is voluntary, participants tend to be highly motivated and focused individuals who achieve success and the program has achieved positive results. Since its inception, more than 100 residents have been placed in full time SHRA training positions. For more information about the Resident Training Program, contact Michael Johnson, Housing Choice Voucher Supervisor at (916) 440-1399 ext. 1303. Check out the Agency’s Calendar of Events and Meetings on the website at www.shra.org. WELCOME ELCOME HOME OME CITRUS ITRUS HEIGHTS EIGHTS INVESTS INVESTS $2.2 $2.2 MILLION MILLION TO TO MODERNIZE MODERNIZE TWO TWO AFFORDABLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING HOUSING COMMUNITIES COMMUNITIES Two affordable housing communities owned and managed by the Sacramento Housing Authority will undergo a major facelift with $2.2 million in funding approved by the City of Citrus Heights. Last fall, the City Council approved the allocation of State housing trust funds, redevelopment set-aside housing funds and City general funds to complete a full modernization of 44 units at 7500 Tiara Way and 6250 Mariposa Avenue. Housing Operations Director La Shelle Dozier said the support from the City of Citrus Heights provides gap funding that cannot be covered by housing subsidies that are insufficient to support the Housing Authority’s operational costs. “This funding will help us complete a major project that we would not otherwise be able to accomplish on our own.” The funds represent more than half of the City’s $4 million in available Housing and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for 2007. The modernization project includes site work (fencing, parking lot improvements, landscaping and grading improvements, etc.); exterior repairs to buildings (stucco, new windows and doors, deck repairs, new architectural accents, new multi-color paint scheme, improvements to laundry building, etc.); interior repairs and renovations as budget allows flooring paint and countertops; site lighting improvements; exterior plumbing improvements (shutoffs and cleanouts) and signage. In addition, a new administrative office will be constructed at the Mariposa property. Work is scheduled to begin in July on the Tiara property; September for Mariposa. Renovations to both properties should be completed by April 2008. For more information Assistant Director of Public Housing contact Nick Chhotu at (916) 440-1399, ext 1334. SACRAMENTO ACRAMENTO HOUSING OUSING AND AND REDEVELOPMENT EDEVELOPMENT AGENCY GENCY PAGE AGE 7 COMMUNITY OMMUNITY VISIONS ISIONS “One Community, One Vision” www.shra.org ON THE THE HORIZON ORIZON ARDENAIRE RDENAIRE PROJECT PROJECT CREATES CREATES TEN EN-YEAR EAR PLAN LAN’ S FIRST FIRST UNITS UNITS THROUGH THROUGH DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT SHRA and Mercy Housing have collaborated in a project that will create the first housing units through development under the City and County’s Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the City Council approved the plan in September 2006. With ‘housing first’ as its central strategy, the plan is focused on moving disabled homeless individuals quickly off the streets and out of shelters and into permanent housing. Once housed, individuals will be provided flexible support services to help them maintain their housing and increase their self-sufficiency. The Ardenaire Apartments rehabilitation project will set aside 19 of 52 affordable units for extremely low-income individuals who are chronically homeless and have special needs and/or a disability. Mercy Housing California will develop the project in partnership with Turning Point, a local service provider who will provide case management services to the chronically homeless special needs/disabled tenants. Before After Ardenaire Apartments consists of one and two-bedroom units. The building will undergo exterior improvements such as siding, roofs and balconies. Interior upgrades will be made as needed including appliances, sinks, cabinets, fixtures and floor coverings. The rehab work will also create a community room with a kitchen, classroom and meeting space, computer stations and space for staff and an onsite half-time social service coordinator. Other amenities include an onsite picnic and barbeque area. Financing for the project includes $8.3 million in tax-exempt mortgage revenue bond funds provided through the County Housing Authority and an Agency HOME loan of $3.11 million. The Agency also approved grant funding up to $800,000 in Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Program funds for the project. For more information about this project, contact Jim Hare, Assistant Community Development Director, at (916) 440-1328.