Mere days before the Feb. 1 deadline to end redevelopment, the City Council is faced with two important decisions: what role the city will take in the aftermath, and what will happen to agency staff when redevelopment ends. Although the City Council did not take any action at the meeting Tuesday, City Manager John Shirey outlined the next steps for council members as the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency winds down. Shirey is the former executive director president of the California Redevelopment Association. SHRA is the agency responsible for redevelopment in Sacramento County and the city. An important factor in the process is figuring out what responsibilities the city wil

In what has been called a David versus Goliath victory, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday in favor of Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to disband redevelopment agencies in California, and opponents of redevelopment in Sacramento wasted no time to celebrate the success. “After years of opposition to redevelopment activities, the abuse of government power and confiscation of property for private use, our day finally came,” Moe Mohanna, a local real estate developer, said Tuesday. The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday to uphold the redevelopment “elimination” bill, but struck down the bill that would have allowed agencies to make “continuation payments” to stay in business. The two

At first glance, it seems that the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency may be writing some big checks over the next few months – an estimated $111 million – but the payment schedule going before City Council Tuesday is not as simple as it appears. In a recent case challenging new state redevelopment laws, the California Supreme court directed all redevelopment agencies to compile a list of their financial obligations along with a schedule for making payments and submit them to the state. The payment schedules, called Enforceable Obligation Payment Schedules (EOPS), totals up the “relative obligations” of redevelopment projects and outlines a payment schedule through the end of th

The new California state budget reduced spending by $15 billion and potentially includes an additional $2.5 billion in cuts – but it’s not all bad news for Sacramento. Some of the impacts of the state budget on Sacramento were outlined at the City Council meeting Tuesday, most notably problems stemming from changes to redevelopment, realignment and motor vehicle license fees. “The best thing I can say is that it was an on-time budget,” said David Jones, lobbyist for the city of Sacramento. The budget was balanced using $4 billion in projected revenue increases, Jones said, and about 40 percent of that is “just hopeful thinking and subject to litigation or challenges.” That’s good news

The future of development and affordable housing projects in Sacramento is starting to look pretty grim. Gov. Jerry Brown signed the state budget into law June 29, putting two new bills into effect that significantly impact redevelopment agencies: ABx26 and ABx27. “There is no good news in any of this,” said La Shelle Dozier, executive director for the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). “It’s very detrimental, given the fact that we have an economy that’s struggling.” The two bills go hand-in-hand. ABx26 says redevelopment agencies can opt to discontinue redevelopment activities and be dissolved. ABx27 says that if redevelopment agencies pay a first-year lump sum paymen

Construction has begun on Sacramento's newest single-resident occupancy building downtown. On Monday, a backhoe operator and other construction workers continued demolishing an old foundation at Seventh and H streets. The eight-story, 150-unit mid-rise being built there by Mercy Housing is the first new structure going up in the railyards redevelopment project area. Once completed, the $47.4 million affordable housing project, known simply as “Seventh & H,” will be one of the city's largest permanent supportive housing projects. Half of the units will be reserved for homeless or recently homeless people, and the rest is aimed at downtown workers making $20,000 to $25,000 a year. "Sevent

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to slash redevelopment agencies spurred a protest and press conference at the Convention Center Friday, bringing together Sacramento leaders and about 100 officials from cities throughout the state. Chris McKenzie, executive director of the League of California Cities, said that cities may consider suing the state if it disbands redevelopment agencies. Brown’s office contends that local services, such as schools and public safety, could receive the funding currently used by redevelopment agencies if the agencies shut down. But city leaders in Sacramento and throughout the state argue that ending redevelopment agencies would seriously harm jobs and local develo

Mayor Kevin Johnson and Sacramento City Council members on Tuesday discussed their opposition to Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to de-fund local redevelopment agencies. Johnson said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday morning that Brown’s proposal could interfere with $108 million in local redevelopment funds that have not yet been spent on projects. He said he wanted to examine the option of fast-tracking redevelopment projects in light of Brown’s proposal. “At the end of the day, we’re going to fight like crazy to try to prevent redevelopment agencies from being cut,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to salvage and preserve the dollars that we do have by almost any means necessary.” Counci

A local group that combats homelessness is asking the public for $50,000 to shelter the poor during the winter season. Sacramento Steps Forward needs the funding to continue its new Winter Sanctuary program, which allows homeless people to sleep overnight at certain churches, according to the group’s director, Tim Brown. Volunteers of America is partnering with Sacramento Steps Forward on the program, which started Dec. 1, Brown said. The two groups have raised about $40,000, which will allow the program to run until the end of January, he said. Another $50,000 is needed to continue the program through the end of March, which is the goal. “The churches have really stepped up to open thei

How many public works of art are there in Sacramento? How many can you think of? Which one stands out in your mind or is your favorite and why? These are some of the questions that can be raised and thought about as Sacramento continues to expose its population to those works of art that are available for all to see. Many of these works of art are unique to the community that houses them. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in the next couple of years, will be renovated and input is being sought from the community and artists. (Art Sculpture at Oak Park Community Center) The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) and Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) held a Public

La Shelle Dozier, Executive Director of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency has been named Business Woman of the Year by the Sacramento chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. “I am truly humbled to be chosen for this wonderful award,” said Ms. Dozier. “I feel privileged to be in a position that allows me to make a positive difference for people who are most in need of help to better their lives. I could not have achieved this honor without the support of my wonderful family and the dedication of those with whom I am fortunate to work with SHRA.” Ms. Dozier oversees redevelopment and community development strategies in the City and County of Sacramento, and the

The city of Sacramento and advocates for local governments are cheering the passage of a state ballot measure that bans the state from taking or borrowing local funds.  However, the new measure does not eliminate the $4 million the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency owes the state in May 2011, according to the California Redevelopment Association.  California voters’ approval of Proposition 22  on Nov. 2 helps the city while the state continues to face budget troubles, said Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. The state is now looking at a $6 billion budget shortfall during the current fiscal year, said H.D. Palmer, deputy director of external affairs for the California Department o

A regional dispute over $6.4 million in federal neighborhood redevelopment funds has been kicked up to the national level, where a resolution may be found early next month. Regional officials with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development disagree on the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency's use of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds. The money was provided under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 to help states and communities buy, rehab and sell foreclosed or abandoned homes. HUD awarded $4 billion of those funds in the program’s first phase. The goal was to stabilize or revitalize neighborhoods and prevent home prices from falling. More than $18.6 mi

A group he formed to address homelessness surpassed its target to work with agencies and provide housing for 800 families this year, Mayor Kevin Johnson told the media Tuesday morning. The group, Sacramento Steps Forward, formed last November and worked with other agencies to set up housing for 1,168 families this year. “We’re making a difference in people’s lives,” Johnson said. By 2012, Sacramento Steps Forward hopes to work with its partnering agencies to house 2,400 families. Sacramento Steps Forward works with Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing of Sacramento County (HPRP). The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency administers HPRP, which is a federal stimulus progr

The first foreclosed home purchased by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency is under renovation and will soon be for sale and occupancy at an affordable price under a partnership program that SHRA developed using the federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The home is located at 3525 34th Street in Oak Park. SHRA has partnered with NeighborWorks Homeownership Sacramento as a volume builder under the Property Recycling Program. The PRP works with governmental, non-profit and for-profit partners to provide access to properties and funding to remove the blight of foreclosures through redevelopment activities, acquisition and rental of affordable housing, and acquisition and re

Everyone wants "affordable" housing. But few people know what that is. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has defined affordable housing as no more than 30 percent of a household's income. That means you shouldn't be paying more than 30 percent of your income for housing — whether mortgage payments or rent — plus utilities each month. "People think affordable housing means just one thing. But it doesn't," said Sandra Hamameh, program director for the Sacramento Housing Alliance. "It means being able to afford a place to live, at whatever stage you're in in your life." Levels of affordability are also based on an area's median incomes. The median incomes for Sacramento

A proposal is in the works to create one of the largest permanent supportive housing projects in the city. The $41 million building at Seventh and H streets also is poised to become the city's newest single-resident occupancy, or SRO, structure. The infill project would feature sustainable design and materials, so the developers and architects will ask the U.S. Green Building Council to certify it as a sustainable building. But perhaps most unique about the public-private project being developed by Mercy Housing and the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency is that it would offer support services to formerly homeless people in innovative and mixed-population permanent housing. Its

 If the goal of the alleged arsonist(s) was to destroy the historic ICELAND ice-skating rink, it appears that it failed because the fire did not destroy the necessary mechanical ice-making device. As many know by know, the Kerth family property owners plan to have skaters on the ice again by late November 2010. While the building itself will probably not be rebuilt by then, plans are to provide in the meantime an open-air venue to skaters. Instead of an exterior protecting skaters from the elements, the new temporary facility will replicate an outdoor rink in snow country. All that will be needed to authenticate the scene is an overhead wind- blowing machine scattering a few white flakes

A San Francisco development firm hopes to start work this year on a $28 million housing and commercial project at a downtown Sacramento location. The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency has struggled with the proposed project's site for years. Domus Development wants to build commercial buildings, parking and affordable housing in the space between D and E Streets bordered by 12th Street. More affordable housing would be built at the other site of the project, between the C Street Alley and D Street at 12th Street. Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency staffers are strongly supporting the project. SHRA officials note in a March 2 report that the agency and three separate d

The final demolition of a former Sacramento police building has been halted again while concerns over an adjacent power station are worked out. Advantage Demolition was preparing to demonstrate Monday how the last two exterior walls could be pulled down safely next to transformers at a historic power station, now known as SMUD Station A, at Sixth and H streets. The station, whose origins date to 1895, supplies power to up to 40 percent of downtown Sacramento, said Sacramento Municipal Utility District spokesperson Dace Udris. Demolition of the building at Seventh and H streets began several months ago to make way for a 160-unit affordable housing project being built by the Sacramento Hou