Sacramento spent $12 million for 100-acre site 4 years ago. It’s still vacant
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- City bought 102-acre Meadowview site for $12.3M in 2022; land stays vacant.
- City issued Request for Expressions of Interest to attract developers.
- Lack of infrastructure push project timeline to at least six years.
Nearly four years after buying a 102-acre Meadowview property, Sacramento is seeking development interest — a key step in shaping the site’s future.
The land, a dirt lot off Meadowview Road about 2 miles east of Interstate 5, has long been a point of discussion for residents and city leaders since its $12.3 million purchase in 2022. Initial ideas for that site ranged from temporary homeless shelters to a $50 million sports complex.
Neither concept ever materialized, and the land remains entirely vacant despite years of community feedback and city discussions. But on Friday, the city released a “Request for Expressions of Interest” — a tool used to gauge development interest and ideas.
This process is the next step in determining the best use for the property, said Mayor Kevin McCarty on Friday morning. He has expressed interest in selling the land, saying a development agreement could be structured to reflect the community’s desires and provide funding for homelessness.
“It’ll be a blend of what the community wants and what’s best for the city,” McCarty said.
Even so, development is still years away due to the environmental constraints and lack of infrastructure. The city estimates a minimum of six years from the time the City Council agrees to a preferred process and uses for the site to the time the project is built.
For some longtime Meadowview residents, like Silverio Rizo, the outcome matters more than the timeline. He grew up in a home two blocks away from the land and attended Susan B. Anthony Elementary School, which borders the eastern edge of the property.
“It was just an empty field in the middle of the community,” Rizo, 25, said.
He now envisions many possibilities, including mixed-use housing and a regional park that features a sports complex. But above all, he hopes the site will serve the historically underserved neighborhood for years to come.
“I want it to be something that is beneficial to community, just an asset,” Rizo said. “And again, south Sacramento has a lot of needs.”
‘Great things take time’
Sacramento bought the site from the U.S. Department of Labor in January 2022 following a push from Councilmember Mai Vang, who represents the district where the site is located. The land, behind the Sacramento Job Corps Center and just northeast of the Delta Shores shopping center, was used as a California Highway Patrol testing track until 1978, when it was transferred to the federal government and later deemed excess land.
The 2022 purchase was meant to serve both short-term and long-term uses.
City officials initially planned to open a large safe parking lot for more than 200 homeless people living in vehicles. The shelter was deemed a priority the City Council funded from its $100 million Comprehensive Siting Plan to Address Homelessness, according to previous reporting from The Sacramento Bee.
But that idea was scrapped after the city determined the costs of building a safe parking site would be more than $11 million.
In June 2022, then-Mayor Darrell Steinberg announced another major plan for the land: a $50 million major sports complex. The complex could have included 24 multi-use fields, a championship field with 2,000 permanent seats, locker rooms, meeting spaces and food facilities, Steinberg said at the time.
“It will be a destination for youth of all ages, from south Sacramento, from the city, from the entire region, to play, to learn, to compete and to have fun,” Steinberg said at his 2022 State of the City address.
The plan at the time was for Steinberg and Vang to bring a resolution for the project in summer 2022. If approved, the complex was expected to break ground by 2024.
On Friday, Steinberg said the project was always intended as a “long-term investment” to create economic opportunities for south Sacramento residents. He also said he understands potential resident frustration over the delay given that the neighborhood has such a “great need.”
“Great things take time, especially transformation,” Steinberg said. “The seeds have been planted.”
‘Hopes and dreams for property’
Since the property’s purchase, Vang has spearheaded a series of community sessions to garner feedback from residents. The councilmember did not respond to a request for comment.
In June 2023, created an advisory committee for the property. Among the members was Johana Mack, an architect and longtime Sacramento resident.
“We wanted to hear their hopes and dreams for the property,” Mack said Thursday.
Mack said residents offered a variety of opinions for the site that included an “economic engine for the community.” Many of the specific desires such as affordable housing, parks, youth sports complex, homeless shelter, community garden, immigration center and grocery store were later summarized in one report.
“What I want to see is the community’s vision be created in a way that is reasonable,” Mack said.
What comes next for the property and its specific timeline still remains unclear. The “Request for Expressions of Interest” is open until the end of February.
McCarty said Friday that a “Request for Proposal,” or a more formal application for developers to build on the site, could come after. He said it was “to be determined” when the City Council would discuss the property again.
This story was originally published January 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
