A groundbreaking ceremony has been held marking the official start of the implementation of the US$ 56.9M Wong Center Senior Housing project in Railyards. The ceremony was held by Mutual Housing California. The Wong Center senior housing project will provide a 150-unit low-income apartment building for senior residents in the region.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg and other elected leaders were present at the event, which was hosted at Seventh and F streets. Steinberg commended the developers for bringing Wong Center Senior Housing to Railyards, as the second major development in the area.
He pointed out that providing 150 low-income units for vulnerable seniors was a great achievement. Although this wouldn’t instantly solve the housing crisis, the mayor said it would meet a tremendous need in the area.
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The senior housing project aligns with the city’s plans to build over 16,000 low-income housing units. Sacramento’s Area Council of Governments presented a 2020 analysis report on the plan for this decade. Therefore, this implies that a significant gap still remains, even with several affordable housing projects underway and recently opened.
Features of the Wong Center Senior Housing Project
The Wong Center Senior Housing project is situated in the southeastern quadrant of the future mixed-use Railyards development. Previously the project’s site served as a western terminus for the Transcontinental Railroad. But now this 240-acre vacant plot will soon feature 135 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom affordable units. Eligible senior residents will be from 55 years and above, with salaries ranging between 40% and 60% of the AMI.
Construction on the Wong Center is expected to be completed by 2024. Wong Center Inc is providing the developers with a large chunk of the capital for the Wong Center Senior Housing. The company is a non-profit known for owning and managing senior affordable housing in Sacramento. In addition, a tax credit equity capital worth $24.5 million is also coming from Merritt Community Capital Corporation. According to Mutual Housing, this long-time Meritt partner has worked with them on past projects in the Capitol region. The developers also said they were grateful for the assistance provided by the financing partners at Bank of the West.