Sacramento leaders want to turn a downtown motel into permanent housing for the homeless
Sacramento leaders plan to apply for state funding to convert a downtown motel into permanent housing for the homeless.
The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Commission last week voted to apply for about $35 million in state Project Homekey funding for the Best Western Sutter House motel at 11th and H streets, said SHRA spokeswoman Angela Jones. The City Council is expected to consider the item Tuesday.
If state officials select the project for funding, the motel will be converted into 92 permanent supportive housing studio units for homeless adults and couples, Jones said. The adjacent Blueprint restaurant would also be converted. The new housing complex would be called Central Sacramento Studios.
Both buildings are owned by Thunderbird Lodge Sacramento, an LLC based in Alameda.
The motel building was built in 1974 and the restaurant building in 1977, Jones said. The motel rooms would undergo minor renovations to add kitchenettes.
“This project is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference for the folks in the central city,” Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela said. “Our shelters and programs are full of people who are ready for housing with no place to go. SHRA and the project developer have put together a fantastic proposal at an ideal location to set future residents up for success.”
If the project is funded, construction would start early next year, and it would open in late spring or early summer, Jones said.
Sacramento last year opened homeless housing at the WoodSpring Suites hotel in south Sacramento’s Parkway neighborhood, which received Homekey funding. The city also received funding through the program for a River District hotel, but that project was nixed due to an appraisal issue.
The council Tuesday voted to apply for Homekey funding to convert the Staybridge Suites in the Promenade shopping center in North Natomas into housing for homeless families. It will be called Vista Nueva.
Gov. Gavin Newsom last month announced a $2.75 billion statewide expansion of Project Homekey — one of his key efforts to house homeless individuals during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a partner program to Project Roomkey, which temporarily places homeless people in hotels. Sacramento County currently operates three Roomkey hotels, though they could close next month.
This story was originally published October 14, 2021 at 10:56 AM.
