Sacramento commission approves 332‑unit Alhambra redevelopment amid neighborhood objections

The Sacramento Planning and Design Commission voted on Feb. 12, 2026 to approve the Alhambra redevelopment project (file P24‑007), a six‑story mixed‑use building with 332 dwelling units, roughly 2,400 square feet of ground‑floor commercial space and a six‑level parking garage with 322 spaces. The motion to approve the project, made and seconded during deliberations after public comment, passed on a roll‑call vote.

City staff senior planner Zach Dhalla told the commission the proposal would redevelop a block of vacant warehouses, a surface parking lot and several small homes with higher‑density housing in the Alhambra Corridor Special Planning District. "Staff recommends the planning and design commission approve the project subject to all conditions of approval and based on the findings of fact outlined in the staff report," Dhalla said during the presentation.

The staff report and applicants describe the site as eligible for an infill housing CEQA exemption referenced in the hearing as "a b 1 30"; Vice Chair Caden and city counsel explained that under the Housing Accountability Act the commission has limited discretion to deny a housing project that complies with objective zoning and general‑plan standards unless it can make narrow, specific public‑health‑and‑safety findings. Caden said that legal framework reduces the commission's ability to refuse a project that meets the city's objective standards.

The hearing drew a large public turnout and extended comment. Opponents, many living in nearby Casa Loma Terrace and McKinley Park, urged a smaller, lower‑rise project and more direct neighborhood outreach. Mary Coronado, who said she lives five houses from the site, asked the commission to "keep the building within a 35 foot height limit and not approve the conditional use permit." Claudia Borden and other neighbors warned the project would overwhelm a mostly 1‑ to 2‑story bungalow area and worsen on‑street parking and traffic.

Neighborhood speakers also raised infrastructure concerns. Dr. Will Green told the commission the site includes an unregistered underground storage tank and argued that "until then, this is a toxic waste site" unless testing and cleanup are completed. In response, staff said a Phase I assessment identified the tank and that condition C‑47 requires the applicant to coordinate with county agencies and complete required remediation before certificate of occupancy; staff also noted that the infill exemption requires a preliminary endangerment assessment and mitigation where hazards are found.

Supporters, including Tricia Stevens of the East Sacramento Community Association and representatives of House Sacramento and a local business coalition, said the project would add needed housing close to parks and services and could spur transit and commercial activity. "The project adds needed housing in our community," Stevens said, asking the commission to approve the proposal.

Commissioners debated parking, sewer capacity and neighborhood compatibility. Department of Utilities‑related conditions require mitigation of any increased sewer flows associated with the development; commissioners noted a planned upsizing to an 18‑inch sewer connection where necessary and that construction cannot proceed until required infrastructure and remediation conditions are satisfied.

A motion to approve staff's recommendation passed on a roll call. The clerk recorded affirmative votes from Commissioners Lee, Tao, Lamas, Nybo, Vice Chair Caden, Hernandez, Ortiz, Blunt, Reschke and Chair Chase, while Commissioners Macias Reed, Young and Thompson were recorded absent.

The commission's approval grants the conditional use permit to exceed height limits in the Alhambra Corridor Special Planning District, site plan and design review for demolition and construction, and tree permits for removal and nonstandard pruning as described in the staff report. The approval is subject to the full set of conditions in the staff report, including environmental assessment, remediation, sewer mitigation and other measures that must be satisfied before issuance of certificates of occupancy.

The commission moved on to its director's report and then adjourned. Next steps will include the applicant satisfying all conditions of approval and required agency clearances before construction may begin.