Planning Commission gives Sayonara Drive housing development green light

By Sara Beth Williams–
A new affordable housing development project for Sayonara Drive received the green light from the Citrus Heights Planning Commission on Tuesday, Aug. 27. The Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve the project. Site work could begin as early as this fall, the city said.

The Sayonara Housing development project was made possible by a partnership with Habitat for Humanity for Greater Sacramento. Plans include the construction of 26 new single-family affordable housing units on 26 individual lots, which will be a mixture of two to five-bedroom units, ranging in size between 971 square feet and over 1,500 square feet. Housing units are designed for homeownership and not for rent.

Multiple Planning Commissioners expressed their excitement for the project preceding the vote. Commissioner Andrew Van Duker said that Habitat for Humanity “couldn’t be a better partner.”

“I’m very excited for the street to have a new identity, and to bring new community members in,” Commissioner Kelsey Nelson said.

“I loved that you used the word affordability over and over again, because that’s the difference,” Chair Natalee Price said.

The project for rebuilding previously demolished housing on Sayonara Drive has “been a long time in the works,” said Alison Bermudez, Senior Planner with the city’s Planning Division.

In order to address blight, substandard living conditions, and crime, the city’s former Redevelopment Agency over time purchased a total of 15 blighted properties along Sayonara Drive, totaling 64 housing units, Bermudez said. Existing units were demolished and have remained vacant since. Housing was initially required to be rebuilt within five years but was delayed several years due to the recession.

In 2022, the city and Habitat for Humanity entered into a partnership, according to the city. with the goal of bringing new affordable housing back to Sayonara Drive.

Habitat for Humanity for Greater Sacramento CEO Leah Miller said homeownership provides “financial stability and empowerment” and helps to increase physical and mental health. Homeowners can also increase equity, which helps break “generational cycles of poverty.”

The units are proposed to be two-story, and the city says a “mix of complimentary colors and materials” are planned in order to “provide visual interest along the street.” The homes appear similar to a half-plex design according to renderings but will be fully separated units.

The homes will be sold to individuals or families of qualifying low incomes, ranging from 30 percent of area median income to a maximum of 80 percent of area median income, the city states in the agenda packet. According to the city, the area median income for Sacramento County is $113,900 for a family of four.

Homebuyers will need to qualify for the loan and be “financially responsible people,” Bermudez said. Buyers will purchase the homes with a 30-year mortgage, which includes payment of property taxes. Miller said Habitat strives to provide “affordable housing,” which includes only affordable mortgages and also affordable utilities. Miller said houses are built with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind, with drought tolerant landscaping, EV-ready, rooftop solar, battery storage, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and low-flow plumbing.

For the extent of the mortgages, properties cannot be rented out by either Habitat or the homeowner. If a homeowner decides to sell the house before it’s paid off. Miller said homes will be bought back by Habitat, and subsequently resold with the same stipulations and regulations.

Applications for housing will open in the beginning of 2025, Miller said. Homeowners will also be required to commit to 500 hours of service helping build the home through the period of construction. The project will be phased over a three-year period, with infrastructure anticipated to begin in the fall of 2024. Construction of homes could begin as early as April 2025.

The next steps for the project will require the City Council to approve a regulatory agreement with Habitat for Humanity, according to the Planning Division.

Sayonara has had a sordid history over the years. The city said the area has a history of a high number of police service calls, and many of the housing units were in disrepair with “substandard living conditions” or considered “uninhabitable.” Over the years, the city has purchased land and redeveloped portions of the drive, adding a community center and a park.

The city announced in a press release in March that Representative Ami Bera secured more than $2 million in funding for two Citrus Heights-based development projects. The funding includes $1.05 million in Community Project Funding for Phase 1 of the housing development project, along with $1.6 million in funding for Intelligent Transportation System Enhancements.