Hospital complex plan at Sleep Train Arena site includes 3,000 housing units, amphitheater
A new hospital being built at the former Sleep Train Arena site in Sacramento will also include over 3,000 units of housing, as well as retail space, bike trails and an amphitheater.
The development, called Innovation Park, will be located at the 183-acre North Natomas site. California Northstate University plans to construct a major 14-story teaching hospital, trauma center and medical school at the site, bringing up to 3,000 jobs.
The housing will include higher-density apartments, town homes and attached single-family homes, according to a city staff report from a Planning and Design Commission meeting last week. The city’s Parks and Community Enrichment Commission will discuss the project Thursday.
The housing includes about 600 units of student and faculty housing, the report said. It will also include senior housing. For the remainder, a mixture of rental and ownership housing will be encouraged, the report said. It’s unclear whether any of the units will be affordable to those earning low incomes.
The property will be divided into three sections: The health district, life district and innovation district.
The development will also include an “urban plaza,” where group fitness classes and other events could occur, surrounded by outdoor dining, the report said. It would also include amenities for the public, such as a 4.5-acre nature park, specialty gardens and bike trails. An outdoor amphitheater that can seat 2,000 is also planned. It could also include an elementary school, sports fields and a hotel.
No city funding or incentives have been approved for the project, said city spokeswoman Jennifer Singer.
Sacramento is experiencing a severe housing crisis. An estimated 45,580 new housing units, including 16,769 for low-income residents, are needed in the city by 2029, according to a state-mandated report. The Sacramento region has the least affordable new home market in the country, a new report found. The typical apartment rent in the Sacramento region is now higher than in Seattle, Washington, D.C., and New York.
The Parks and Community Enrichment Commission will discuss the development at 6 p.m. Thursday. The meeting will be livestreamed on the city’s website. The City Council will discuss it in February.
