With nearly 600 units, this housing complex would be among central Sacramento’s largest

One of midtown Sacramento’s largest commercial buildings could be replaced by one of the central city’s largest housing projects.

An Orange County-based real estate investment firm has submitted an application with the city of Sacramento for two 269-unit apartment buildings and 48 townhomes across a large parcel at 21st and Q streets. That’s the site of the former Sacramento Bee headquarters.

The Bee moved its newsroom and corporate headquarters to the Cannery business complex on Alhambra Boulevard in 2021.

Shopoff Realty Investments purchased the property at 2100 Q St. from The Bee in 2017 and listed it for sale in 2021. While it’s applying for city approval for the sprawling new housing community, Shopoff intends to sell the property after its application for the project is approved.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from some local developers and that would be a great outcome to have a local developer ultimately build this site,” said Brian Rupp, an executive vice president of real estate at Shopoff.

Shopoff’s application calls for a pair of five-story apartment buildings and a five-story parking garage with 298 spaces. A public paseo would separate the two apartment buildings. The firm is also proposing 48 townhomes on a parcel it owns just south of the property, Rupp said.

The apartments will be offered for rent, with an undetermined number being offered at affordable levels, Rupp said. The townhomes will be listed for sale.

If a local developer purchases the property from Shopoff after the entitlement application is approved by the city, they would be required to follow the proposed size and designs or submit a new application.

At 586 total units, the complex would be among the largest built in the central city in years.

The Press, a 277-unit apartment building, stands across 21st Street from the Shopoff site. Gateway Development is planning a 246-unit building at the northeast corner of 21st and Q streets.

As the Sacramento region struggles to meet its demand for housing, regional planners have advocated for more dense infill projects close to mass transit. An elevated Sacramento Regional Transit light rail line runs behind the former Bee building, with a stop just three blocks away.

This story was originally published June 22, 2023 at 5:00 AM.