Sacramento Railyards Community-Benefits Petition Tops 1,000 Signatures Demanding 25% Affordable Housing; Oct. 27 Council Vote Delayed
SACRAMENTO, Sacramento County, California — More than 1,000 Sacramento residents have signed a petition demanding better community benefits tied to the downtown Railyards development, including at least 25% affordable housing, and a City Council vote planned for October 27 on the project has been delayed.
According to Unite Here Local 49, dozens of supporters rallied outside Old City Hall on October 21, calling on the council to delay the vote so the benefits can be negotiated with the developer. Councilwoman Mai Vang of District 8 attended the rally; she said she supports the Railyards project but added, 'we want a railyard for all,' and wants the project to include at least 25% affordable housing with the community shaping the benefits package. She also supported delaying the October 27 vote, which has since been delayed.
Those rallying want a community benefits package that includes 25% affordable housing, a grocery store, an anti-displacement fund and living wages for operations workers at the proposed hotels and soccer stadium, said Aamir Deen, president of Unite Here Local 49, which represents downtown hospitality workers. LDK Ventures, which is at least partly responsible for developing the project, did not respond to a request for comment.
Local 49 leaders say the Railyards project will double the size of downtown Sacramento, with up to 10,000 housing units, a concert venue, a stadium and three hotels. Nancy Williams, 68, who now lives in affordable housing where the project would be built and pays her rent with her Social Security check, said that if the more than 9,000 units of market-rate housing are built, 'I'll be priced out.'
Source: GSM · USA
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Robert Couse-Baker / CC BY 2.0
