When will housing, retail come to nursery space in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood?
A popular Oak Park plant nursery plans to relocate to make way for new apartments and retail space along the neighborhood’s bustling Broadway corridor.
The Plant Foundry, which has been in operation for about a decade at 35th Street and Broadway, will stay open at least through the spring, owner Angela Pratt said.
Following its closure, architect-developer Ron Vrilakas plans to build a three-story building at the site with 24 apartments above retail and restaurant space. But the project, announced over the summer, is currently “on hold,” Vrilakas said.
“It is likely to happen, the schedule is just not firmed up and we are supporting the Plant Foundry in its effort to relocate,” Vrilakas said in an email Tuesday.
As for the Plant Foundry, its owner is under contract to purchase a new property near Oak Park to relocate to, but the purchase has been delayed, Pratt said. She did not share the address of the new location.
Depending on timing of when the purchase can be completed, the Plant Foundry may need to close permanently, Pratt said.
“We’re really trying hard to relocate and I’ve been behind the scenes working hard to make this happen, doing everything in our power,” Pratt said.
The apartments would not be restricted to tenants under a certain income, but the rent would be about 15% less than market rate for the area, Vrilakas said.
The potential new building would bring more walkable shops and a restaurant to a corridor that has been rapidly developing in recent years. Vrilakas previously built a shipping container-style building about a block away that now houses an ice cream shop, retro clothing shop, salon and other businesses.
The new mixed-use building would require city staff approval, but not Planning Commission or City Council approval, said Kelli Trapani, a city spokesperson.
Vrilakas submitted the application in July, city staff gave input, and he plans to resubmit it in the next month, he said.
If the project moves forward, the building would open in about two years, Vrilakas said.
Vrilakas also completed an application through the state’s Senate Bill 330 for the project. The law has been used to speed up housing production by requiring cities to process housing permits in a timely fashion.
