Residents urge Sacramento Council to reconsider micro‑housing site at 3511 Arena Boulevard

Several residents used the meeting’s public‑comment period to ask the council to pause or reconsider siting a proposed micro‑housing community at 3511 Arena Boulevard (referred to in testimony as the Arena/El Centro site).

Annabelle Gonzalez, who identified herself as a North Natomas homeowner and daycare operator, told the council the site selection was personal: “This is not just a development on a map. It directly affects the daily life of a child I love,” she said, noting the site would be visible from a child’s bedroom window and is about 1,100 feet from her daycare.

Other speakers raised safety and service concerns. Lionel Barragan said the proposed encampment would sit near schools and parks and questioned whether there would be running water and appropriate services for residents. Tierney Bates, speaking for neighbors, asked the council to consider exit strategies, defined timelines, wraparound services and the potential economic impact on nearby small businesses at Bel Air Shopping Center.

Public testimony also included descriptions of conditions at a comparable shelter site: one commenter said they observed porta‑potties and intermittent shower trucks and described visible tents and discarded belongings, calling such sites “a magnet.” Speakers asked the council to look at alternative locations that would reduce impacts on children and small businesses and to require clearer wraparound service plans and timelines for any temporary facilities.

Council members did not take a vote during public comment; the item appeared in public comment rather than as a noticed public hearing with a formal action on the council agenda. Mayor McCarty closed public comment after the speakers and adjourned the meeting.

What’s next: Speakers asked for greater transparency and for staff to provide more detail on how services, security, timelines and exit strategies would be funded and delivered if the site advances.