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Elk Grove will reconsider its rejection of a contentious affordable housing project in the city’s historic Old Town that prompted California’s attorney general to sue the city, alleging it broke state housing laws.

Council members will discuss the proposed Oak Rose project at their Sept. 27 meeting. City staffers are recommending the city approve the project to avoid costly litigation.

Elk Grove officials said in a lengthy statement Thursday that the costs of fighting lawsuits filed by state Attorney General Rob Bonta and an earlier suit filed by Oak Rose’s developers challenging the July 2022 council decision would be too great.

Bonta, announcing his office’s lawsuit in May, said Elk Grove had repeatedly violated state housing law requiring cities streamline construction of affordable housing, saying of his suit: “They left us no choice.”

The 67-unit Oak Rose apartment project proposed for Elk Grove Boulevard near Kent Street in east Elk Grove would have been the first in the city to provide permanent housing and services for low-income families who had been homeless, the project’s developers said.

But Elk Grove leaders last July rejected the site, saying the site was too dense and that ground-floor residences planned for the site did not adhere to zoning requirements for the historic district. Oak Rose, proposed for three stories, would sit near a bus line, shopping and a planned new city library.

The Elk Grove City Council voted in May to fight the AG’s legal action but had hoped to head off the dual lawsuits with a settlement proposal that included alternate sites — a plan earlier proposed to and rejected by Oak Rose — with sweeteners, city officials said in the Thursday statement.

Elk Grove would have taken over the Old Town site as part of the deal, possibly to expand its new city library to be built next door at Elk Grove Boulevard and Waterman Road, but an agreement was not reached.

Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen again defended the city’s record on affordable housing. Several large affordable housing projects are in the works, either being dug or on the drawing board, including The Lyla, a 294-unit development on Bruceville Road north of Laguna Boulevard; the 387-unit Poppy Grove apartments on Bruceville Road near Whitelock Parkway; and the Cornerstone Village complex on the grounds of the Light of the Valley Church on Bruceville Road just south of Laguna Boulevard.

“Elk Grove maintains its commitment to providing housing for all,” Singh-Allen said Thursday. “The city council has approved other projects that include permanent supportive housing units and continues to fund and operate a range of options designed to prevent, respond to, and end homelessness.”

City leaders will be reconsidering the Oak Rose site after recently approving the soon-to-be city library site, the vacant Rite Aid drug store at Elk Grove and Waterman, as a winter weather shelter for roughly 30 of the city’s unhoused from November through March. Construction on the new city library is expected to begin in mid-2024.

The space is being paid for with Measure E funds from a voter-approved 1% sales tax hike last fall that prioritized city spending on public safety and the homeless among other issues.

But the site, much like the proposed Oak Rose development, is drawing concern from worried Old Town and east side residents who say the shelter sits too close to homes and will pose a safety risk to its neighbors. Several residents queued up at Wednesday’s city council meeting to take their concerns to council members.

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Elk Grove is one of this year's "Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S.," according to a list released this week by Livability.com, a website that publishes data-driven rankings of cities. Elk Grove and Clovis are the only two California cities on the list. Entries are not ranked.

To compile the rankings, Livability looked at U.S. cities with populations between 75,000 and 500,000. Researchers emphasized affordability and only included cities with a median home value of $500,000 or less in the final list. The list used about 100 data points, according to a news release.

"Just minutes from California’s capital city, Elk Grove blends suburban comforts and urban conveniences. From top-rated schools and family-friendly neighborhoods to plenty of outdoor activities, Elk Grove is the ideal setting for families and young professionals," Livability's report states.

Roseville appeared on Livability's list last year, though researchers have said their methodology changes each year.

Click here to view Livability's list of "Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S."

A long-sought opportunity site for development in Downtown Sacramento is in quiet mode again, with the owner citing market conditions in pausing a marketing campaign to sell it.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System is in no hurry to sell the full-block site at 301 Capitol Mall, so it's waiting for more favorable winds to start pushing it again, said spokesman John Myers.

Senior Reporter Ben van der Meer has details about why CalPERS paused the sales push for 301 Capitol Mall.

Lifestyle brand Tommy Bahama filed plans last month for a new retail location at 1198 Roseville Parkway, Suite 100, in the Fountains at Roseville shopping center.

Tommy Bahama currently operates one retail location in the area, which is across the street from Fountains inside the Westfield Galleria at Roseville. It's unclear if the Fountains site will be a relocation or an additional store. Reporter Jake Abbott explains what else you need to know about Tommy Bahama at Roseville's Fountains.

Regal Cinemas in downtown Davis, which closed in May, would be replaced by a seven-story, 114-unit apartment/retail building, under a pre-application received by the city this month.

Senior Reporter Ben van der Meer explains what you need to know about the proposal to turn Davis' closed Regal Cinemas into apartments.

Women's activewear retailer FP Movement could be in the works for a retail space at Ary Place at 1717 S St. in Sacramento, which was completed in April. Ary Place is a seven-story affordable housing project with 159 residential units and 11,200 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

Reporter Jake Abbott has details about a possible FP Movement store at Ary Place in Sacramento.

Take care of yourselves, folks. Thanks for reading.

Land purchase and proposed outpatient facilities will increase access to expert care

(SACRAMENTO)

UC Davis Health announced plans today for expansion of health services in Elk Grove. The goal is to improve access to health care and community well-being in one of the fastest growing communities in the Sacramento region.

UC Davis Health has purchased 20 acres of land at the corner of Elk Grove Blvd. and Laguna Springs Dr. Officials want to solidify UC Davis Health’s regional footprint and expand the health system’s current Elk Grove clinics to offer additional primary care and comprehensive specialty care services. The acquisition is part of a strategic plan to develop a regional system of care that reaches more patients in more places.

“As the only academic medical center in the region, we are making our nationally ranked patient care more convenient by bringing our experts directly into local neighborhoods,” said UC Davis Health CEO David Lubarsky. “Everything we do is about bringing a better and more convenient level of care to the people we serve.”

UC Davis Health serves more than half of California's counties as the only academic medical center between San Francisco and Portland. Lubarsky has positioned UC Davis Health as a resource to "complete, not compete" with other health systems to improve access and care throughout the region. UC Davis Health has more than a dozen neighborhood clinics around the Sacramento area to bring patient care conveniently close to people who need it.

Everything we do is about bringing a better and more convenient level of care to the people we serve.—David Lubarsky, CEO of UC Davis Health

Elk Grove’s growing economy

A survey found Elk Grove has one of the country's fastest growing economies in the Sacramento area, increasing by 15% from 2010 to 2020. The city is expected to hit a population of 200,000 by 2029. Thanks to a strong partnership with city leaders, UC Davis Health will be able to expand its role and ensure that its world-class care is accessible to patients in the Elk Grove area and beyond.

Health officials have worked closely with city leaders and council members to share UC Davis Health’s vision for the project and to accommodate potential impacts of parking, traffic and surrounding developments of the site.

“UC Davis Health is anticipating the future needs of our community. Their regional plan will expand local outpatient services and support the health and vitality of our residents and the economy as we continue to grow,” said Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen. “We appreciate their investment in Elk Grove’s future.”

As part of its regional expansion plan, UC Davis Health is also developing a new health care hub in Folsom at Highway 50 and E. Bidwell. Additionally, the health system purchased land in Rocklin near Highway 65 and the Whitney Ranch neighborhood. The outpatient clinic in Folsom will be the first to open in 2025. Growth will continue over a long period of time to accommodate innovative care delivery and equipment, along with the unique needs of area residents. Also underway is the health system’s update of UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

UC Davis Health will implement the new Elk Grove health care complex project according to the University of California Sustainable Practices Policy. This ensures that strong levels of energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction and transportation efficiency are incorporated into the design from the start.

UC Davis Health is constantly working to improve lives and transform health care through nationally ranked patient care, groundbreaking research, and interprofessional education, creating dynamic and productive partnerships with the community that bring research into reality. For more information, visit health.ucdavis.edu.

Contact: (916) 210-6000, [email protected]

In the lawsuit, the state argues that Elk Grove’s denial of a supportive housing project for lower-income households at risk of homelessness violates state laws, including fair housing laws

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Governor Gavin Newsom, and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) today filed a lawsuit against the City of Elk Grove, challenging the city’s denial of a proposed supportive housing project in the city’s Old Town Special Planning Area (OTSPA). The lawsuit filed today alleges the city’s denial of the project violates state laws including Senate Bill 35 (SB 35), the Housing Accountability Act (HAA), and fair housing laws intended to prohibit discriminatory land use practices, including the Nondiscrimination in Land Use Law and the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing statute (AFFH). The proposed project, known as the Oak Rose Apartments, would add 66 units of supportive housing for lower-income households at risk of homelessness, in a jurisdiction in dire need of low-income housing opportunities.

“Our state is in a housing crisis and local governments must do their part to allow for affordable housing options for all members of our communities, regardless of their income level,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Everyone deserves to have a place to call home. California has critically important laws designed to combat housing discrimination and increase affordable housing opportunities. Today’s lawsuit against Elk Grove sends a strong message to local governments: if you violate fair housing laws, we will hold you to account.”

“Communities that fail to build their fair share of housing, including those refusing to develop desperately needed affordable housing, will be held to account,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “Under my Administration, the state has provided unprecedented support, including billions in funding and resources to help guide communities as they work to meet their housing needs. However, when local governments repeatedly fail to uphold their obligations and blatantly look for ways to skirt state law, we will use every tool available, including legal actions to ensure that Californians have access to needed housing.”

“Building more affordable housing is the most effective tool to reduce and prevent homelessness – but the City of Elk Grove is blatantly evading fair housing laws and working against solving our housing and homelessness crisis,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “HCD is laser focused on helping all jurisdictions meet their housing goals, but when cities like Elk Grove refuse to do so, we will hold them accountable.”

As a supportive housing project, the Oak Rose Apartments would provide permanent housing for individuals and families who previously experienced homelessness, or are at risk of homelessness, as well as off- or on-site services to assist the residents in maintaining housing, improving their health status, and maximizing their ability to live and work in the community. The Elk Grove City Council improperly denied the project, claiming that it did not meet the city’s zoning standards and was therefore ineligible for SB 35 ministerial review. In today’s lawsuit, the state seeks injunctive relief to require Elk Grove to approve the project and realign with state law.

On July 27, 2022, the Elk Grove City Council denied approval of the Oak Rose Apartments. Following that denial, HCD issued a Notice of Violation, warning the city that the denial of the low-income housing project violated state housing laws, including SB 35. SB 35 requires local governments to provide streamlined, nondiscretionary approval of some projects when they are consistent with objective zoning standards. The Elk Grove City Council sent a response letter on November 10, 2022, arguing that the project did not qualify for approval under SB 35 because the multistory project included residential units on the ground floor, which the city contended violates a zoning requirement that ground floor spaces be reserved for commercial uses, such as space for retail, restaurant, or office space.

On March 16, Attorney General Bonta sent a letter to the mayor of Elk Grove, putting the city on notice that contrary to its claims, this use restriction does not qualify as an “objective standard” under SB 35 or the HAA, because its application depends on the exercise of discretion. The city itself acknowledged in its letter that its OTSPA standards — including the ground floor use restriction — involve discretion, noting that the city has a mechanism to deviate from development standards under the OTSPA for projects that meet the goals of the OTSPA, including whether a project is compatible with “community character.”

In today’s lawsuit, the state argues that the city’s denial of the project was based on discretionary exercise and not an “objective standard,” in violation of HAA and SB 35. The lawsuit also alleges that Elk Grove’s unequal application of the cited land use restrictions, and subsequent denial of the Oak Rose Apartments constituted a discriminatory land use practice in violation of the Nondiscrimination in Land Use Law and AFFH. These fair housing laws prohibit local governments from making land use decisions that are based on discriminatory intent or that have a discriminatory effect. The lawsuit contends that there is evidence of both in Elk Grove’s decision to deny the Oak Rose Apartments:

The city thus adopted two conflicting interpretations of the OTSPA use restriction for two similarly situated projects serving different populations. It applied a more permissive interpretation to approve a lower density market-rate project, and it applied a stricter interpretation to disapprove the Oak Rose Apartments, a higher density lower-income supportive housing project. In fact, city staff had found that the Oak Rose Apartment project was consistent with the city’s land use policies, and therefore, there was no compelling purpose to override the discriminatory effect of the city’s denial. The residents who would benefit from the housing would be needlessly forced to look elsewhere for similar housing opportunities. Today’s lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to require the city to approve the project in accordance with state law.

State leaders stand united in their commitment to enforcing state housing laws and increasing access to affordable housing in California. In 2021, Attorney General Bonta announced the creation of a Housing Strike Force within the California Department of Justice aimed at advancing housing access across the state. The same year, Governor Newsom launched a Housing Accountability Unit to increase stringent enforcement and oversight at the local level to create more housing, faster across California. Members of the public are encouraged to visit the California Department of Justice’s Housing Portal and HCD’s website for more resources and information aimed at supporting access to housing.

A copy of the lawsuit is available here.

SEATTLE, April 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Seattle-based fashion retailer Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) announced plans to open a new Nordstrom Rack in Elk Grove, California.

"We look forward to opening this new Nordstrom Rack location in Elk Grove, strengthening our network of stores and introducing new customers to Nordstrom Rack's unique product offering," said Carl Jenkins, Senior Vice President of Nordstrom Rack Stores. "In addition to shopping great brands at great prices, our customers in Elk Grove can take full advantage of this convenient new location to pick-up online orders and make returns."

The 25,000 square-foot store will be located in The Ridge Elk Grove, a popular shopping center that includes other retailers such as Costco, Sephora, In-N-Out and Starbucks. The Ridge Elk Grove is owned by Pappas Investments and managed by its affiliate Inverness Management, and it is ideally located at the southeast corner of Elk Grove Boulevard and Bruceville Road. With the addition of this new location, Nordstrom will operate 64 Nordstrom Rack stores, 23 Nordstrom stores, five Nordstrom Locals and one asos | Nordstrom in California. The store is scheduled to open in spring 2024.

"I am excited to welcome Nordstrom Rack to Elk Grove. Enhancing our retail opportunities allows our residents to shop local," said Bobbie Singh-Allen, Mayor of Elk Grove. "As our city continues to grow, so do demands for retail options. Nordstrom Rack will be a welcome and much needed addition to our city."

Nordstrom Rack is the off-price retail division of Nordstrom, Inc. and plays a critical role in the company's Closer to You strategy, which focuses on delivering customers a more convenient and interconnected experience across its stores and digital platforms. Nordstrom Rack offers customers up to 70 percent off on-trend apparel, accessories, beauty, home and shoes from many of the top brands sold at Nordstrom stores as well as core services like online order pickup for Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack.com, easy returns and alterations at select stores. Nordstrom Rack is the largest source of new customers to Nordstrom.

Nordstrom is committed to giving back to the diverse communities where it operates. Since 2019 along with its customers, Nordstrom has donated more than $1.5 million in support of its long-term partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the United States. These proceeds support the recruitment, training and engagement of adult mentors' recruitment, training and engagement s, including preparing for an interview, learning to tie a tie and helping with homework.

About Pappas InvestmentsPappas Investments, established in 1970, is a Sacramento-based real estate development company. We take great pride in our role in building a more dynamic community and providing exceptional property management services at all our properties. Our goal is to facilitate a positive and enjoyable experience for tenants, employees, and guests.

About NordstromAt Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN), we exist to help our customers feel good and look their best. Since starting as a shoe store in 1901, how to best serve customers has been at the center of every decision we make. This heritage of service is the foundation we're building on as we provide convenience and true connection for our customers. Our digital-first platform enables us to serve customers when, where and how they want to shop – whether that's in-store at more than 350 Nordstrom, Nordstrom Local and Nordstrom Rack locations or digitally through our Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack apps and websites. Through it all, we remain committed to leaving the world better than we found it.

MEDIA CONTACT: Caroline Mattingly Nordstrom, Inc. [email protected]

SOURCE Nordstrom, Inc.