Are these Sacramento apartments a more affordable way? ‘This should be the answer’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Developer and civil rights attorney built 30 midtown apartments
- Project costs about $200,000 per door versus SHRA hotel conversion at $537,000.
- Consolidated design, development and construction under one firm to lower costs.
A prominent civil rights attorney has joined forces with a builder to launch a more affordable housing effort, one he hopes can show Sacramento a new approach.
Mark Merin, who owns this property at 13th and C streets, as well as a Safe Ground sanctioned encampment nearby, said the 30 new apartments in the complex cost about $179,000 each to build, excluding the cost of the land.
Contrast this with what the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency Capitol Park Hotel redevelopment project spends — using federal government tax credits, the cost is $537,000 each.
“The reason we did it is to say to the city, ‘we can do it,’” Merin said. “They have property, they could do municipal loans. It’s better than a hotel conversion. It could be done, it should be done. This should be the answer.”
The city has multiple vacant lots across the city, including one at Eleanor and Traction avenues. That’s a mile from the former Camp Resolution sanctioned encampment, which Merin was also involved in, and the city closed in August 2024.
Merin teamed up with longtime Sacramento architect and builder Ron Vrilakas on the project.
“Instead of money going into the three directions — to the architecture/engineering team, development team and construction team — all three are under one roof,” said Vrilakas. “That’s the big distinction that’s different. It allows us to bring cost down and allows us to build faster.”
Keeping costs down
Several tricks allow them to bring the costs down, such as fewer units per project and not including elevators, he said.
“We’ve been trying to answer the question of: Why does housing cost so much to build and is there another path?” Vrilakas said.
Vrilakas, under his new model, is also building 35 apartments at the former Rite Aid, at 22nd and F streets, he said.
Another Sacramento developer has been working on the same question. John Vignocchi is building tiny homes villages of permanent housing for about $200,000 each in North Sacramento.
The new complex includes eight studio units, all of which are rented. It also includes 22 one-bedroom units, which opened last month. The complex also includes a common area, bicycle storage and laundry.
Less BMW housing types, more Honda Civics
The one-bedroom units, most of which are still available, rent for about $1,500 a month, Merin said. They are also available for people who have secured Housing Choice Vouchers, formerly called Section 8.
As of 2022, 1,250 Sacramentans had vouchers but were still homeless, unable to find a landlord to accept it.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty has criticized the per-door cost of SHRA’s federal tax credit-funded projects.
“We’re building a BMW solution for a small subset when we’re in a crisis. Maybe we need to be focusing on, you know, Toyotas, Honda Civic versions,” McCarty said during an April City Council meeting.
People interested in applying for a unit in the new complex can contact property manager Mollie Nelson at (916) 718-4377.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
CORRECTION: Because of information provided to The Bee, the cost per unit of the apartment complex was incorrect. It has been updated.
