California is backing more than $126 million in transit housing and climate projects statewide by announcing the next round of funding for the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program. The projects are led by the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) and its public and private partners across the Sacramento region.
The Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program was created by the Legislature in 2014 through Senate Bill 862 that dedicated Cap-and-Invest funds to housing and transit projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this round, the awards include three grants totaling $25.8 million for SacRT.
The funding comes from the sale of carbon allowances that large power producers, fuel suppliers and industrial facilities are required to purchase for their emissions. Allowances are auctioned quarterly, with proceeds allocated through the state budget, which is why grant rounds are typically offered on an annual basis. The program is intended to cut emissions while expanding affordable housing, improving access to public transit and directing investment toward lower income and disadvantaged communities.
SacRT partnered with the cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento, along with AMCAL Multi-Housing, Community HousingWorks and a private company, to assemble the full funding package. The total represents a sharp increase from the $1.5 million SacRT received in the previous grant round.
The grants will support a combination of transit upgrades and transit-oriented development projects. SacRT will purchase four new low-floor light rail vehicles, bringing the new total to 63, with two vehicles dedicated to the future Downtown Riverfront Streetcar project.
These upgrades closely align with the goals of the state program by making transit easier to use and more reliable. Florin Station on the Blue Line will be updated to meet height requirements for the new low-floor vehicles, improving accessibility and safer boarding. Transit signal priority technology will be installed at 33 intersections along the Meadowview corridor and J and L streets in downtown Sacramento, allowing trains to move through key areas with fewer delays. The funding also supports ongoing construction at the Sacramento Valley Station Transit Center, adding to $30 million already secured for the multimodal hub.
In addition to transit improvements, the funding supports 546 new affordable housing units across three developments. These projects add to more than 1,000 transit-oriented housing units already underway along SacRT’s Blue and Gold lines.
The housing includes the 84-unit I Street Apartments near Sacramento Valley Station, a 348-unit Clover Apartments project near Meadowview Light Rail Station in South Sacramento, and the 114-unit MOSA Apartment Homes at Gateway in West Sacramento. Each project incorporates pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements intended to reduce car dependence and connect residents to public transit, jobs and services.
Officials estimate the combined projects will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 311,883 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, roughly comparable to removing about 67,000 cars from the road each year.
The Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program is administered by the Strategic Growth Council and implemented by the California Department of Housing and Community Development using Cap-and-Invest funds.
Photo by Pixabay
For more of the latest from the expansive government marketplace, check Government Market News daily for new stories, insights and profiles from public sector professionals. Check out our national contracting newsletter here.
