SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A long-vacant site once plagued by illegal dumping and homelessness is being transformed into a new affordable housing community, with the San Juan Apartments nearing completion ahead of a planned summer opening.
The project, led by Mutual Housing California, is located near Fruitridge Road and Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento. Families are expected to begin moving into the development in June, even as final construction work — including landscaping and pool completion — continues.
Local leaders and stakeholders gathered this week to mark a key milestone, including a $1 million contribution from Health Net and an additional $2 million awarded to the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) to support the project’s first phase.
“This is a huge success,” said Eric Guerra. “It’s taking what was a place of despair to a place of dreams.”
The San Juan Apartments site has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade. Previously home to the San Juan Motel, the property fell into decline after economic shifts and infrastructure changes, including the relocation of the California State Fairgrounds.
The motel was demolished in 2010 following years of deteriorating conditions. In the years that followed, the site remained vacant and became a hotspot for illegal dumping and encampments. Law enforcement cleared a homeless encampment there in 2019, highlighting the need for long-term redevelopment.
The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) played a key role in advancing the project, acquiring the property and facilitating its sale for affordable housing development.
Craig Adelman, CEO of Mutual Housing California, emphasized the importance of redeveloping underutilized urban sites.
“We are always looking for opportunities just like this – not only infill, which is why SACOG is here – because this is smart growth,” Adelman said. “It’s really critical that we invest resources in these corridors where there’s existing infrastructure.”
Despite being described as “fairly simple” from a construction standpoint, the project presented logistical challenges due to jurisdictional complexities.
According to David Mogavero of Mogavero Architects, the site spans multiple parcels that fall under different municipal jurisdictions, requiring coordination across planning, transportation and building departments.
“We had two jurisdictions for planning, for public works,” Mogavero said. “Two different building departments, two different transportation departments. And all of that required a lot of coordination.”
Phase I of the development will deliver 113 units, including one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. These units are targeted toward households earning between 30% and 60% of the area median income, which was $120,800 for a family of four in Sacramento County in 2025.
A second phase of the project is already in planning, with an additional 70 units of senior housing expected to be developed. Officials say the project could also spur further investment along Stockton Boulevard, where multiple vacant parcels remain available for redevelopment.
“We have to build more housing along the commercial corridors,” Guerra said.
While the San Juan Apartments project is being viewed as a model for similar developments, funding remains a major constraint.
“The problem with affordable housing is that we don’t have enough money,” Mogavero said, noting that future bond measures could help address financing gaps.
As Sacramento continues to grapple with housing shortages, the redevelopment of the San Juan Apartments site demonstrates how public-private partnerships and strategic land use can convert neglected properties into much-needed housing.
Originally reported by Graham Womack in Sacbee.
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