The plan was to put the homes on an empty plot of land on Arena Boulevard between Brookdale Drive and El Centro Road.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The City of Sacramento has paused plans to build a tiny-home community for homeless seniors in Natomas after nearby homeowners and business owners sued to block the project.
The planned 40 tiny homes would have been built on an empty plot along Arena Boulevard between Brookdale Drive and El Centro Road, next to Stadium Club Estates mobile home park.
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Sue Carter, who manages the mobile home park, celebrated the decision to halt the project. Stadium Club Estates is for people 55 and older. Carter said she was concerned about the safety of residents living next to the planned homeless community.
“A lot of us are really behind them making a life for themselves… but we were thinking, you don’t need to make it right by our park. You know, I have a lot of single women, some of them are in their nineties,” Carter said.
A spokesperson for the city said city staff found “operational and site-specific challenges that require further evaluation” during the planning process. The project is now on pause.
Nearby homeowners and business owners filed a lawsuit seeking to block the project. They also proposed an alternate site about four miles away.
City officials had cited a survey of seniors at existing city homeless shelters, which showed 89% would sign up for a tiny-home community.
he project has not been officially canceled, and the neighbors’ lawsuit is still pending.
Razy Lehr, who lives at Stadium Club Estates, said she is pleased with the pause but does not consider the project gone for good.
“On one hand, I’m thrilled that it’s off, but it’s not off until the pause button comes off,” Lehr said.
Meanwhile, the city is moving forward with other tiny-home communities that are further along in the planning process.
One on Gardendale Road in South Sacramento is expected to break ground this fall.
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