Railyards Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District
SIWD is supporting UNITE HERE Local 2 &49
The Railyards EIFD falls short on affordable housing. For UNITE HERE Local 49
members, and for Sacramento residents in general, housing affordability is a crisis. Our
members - cooks, housekeepers, bartenders, and more — struggle to pay rent, and
some do not even have stable housing. The situation for non-union workers in the
hospitality industry is even worse. Large-scale development in Sacramento, especially
when there is city assistance, must deliver significant affordable housing. The
Railyards Mixed Income Housing Strategy requires just 6% affordable housing, which
is unacceptably low.
Sacramento's Housing Element addresses this issue in Policy H-2.13, which states
"The City shall require a 20 percent set-aside for affordable housing in all new enhanced infrastructure financing districts." The new Rail yards Infrastructure Financing Plan sets aside for affordable housing only 20% of EIFD revenue that is left over after Republic and Downtown Railyard Ventures have already received full reimbursement. Under current projections, the EIFD would generate no funding for affordable housing until 2042. If the tax increment comes in more slowly than projected, affordable housing funding could take even longer. Because the affordable housing set-aside is pushed to the end of the funding waterfall rather than 20% of overall EIFD revenue, Sacramento is shortchanging affordable housing by $22 million. If the infrastructure in the Stadium Area costs more than expected, there would be even less money for affordable housing.
The Innovation Park EIFD term sheet dedicates 20% of all EIFD revenue to affordable housing. The Railyards EIFD's lack of commitment to affordable housing is not only disappointing and wrong; it is also out of step with Sacramento's Housing Element.
We will be providing new updates to this project as we hear about it.
SIWD
aggie Square project
Aggie Square is to be located at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. The plan is to develop 20 acres of campus property into additional research facilities and mixed-use development for students and employees of UC Davis.
We need your support..
Our communities deserve better!
Join us in fighting for an ordinance that will ensure the neighborhoods that have suffered from disinvestment, FINALLY have a voice in ensuring major new developments bring real benefits to residents and protect them from displacement and other potential harms!
On Tuesday, October 17th at 1:00pm, the Sacramento City Council’s Law and Legislation Committee will consider a Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance proposed by city staff. Despite SIWD working with the City staff for over two years, the city’s proposed ordinance is inadequate and does not meet the goals expressed by our communities.
Join us on the 17th to demand City Staff revise the ordinance to address community concerns including:
ï The ordinance must give residents a voice in decision-making both in the benefits included in the Community Benefit Agreements (CBA) and in monitoring and enforcement of the CBAs adopted by the city. The community must have a direct role in CBA negotiations along with the City and theproject sponsor. The current ordinance does not provide residents with a guaranteed role in the process.
ï Communities want new investments, but significant new developments in our neighborhoods must benefit existing residents and eliminate potential harm and displacement. The current proposal does not ensure residents are protected nor benefit from the development in their neighborhood.
ï The ordinance must guarantee minimum benefits for anti-displacement, affordable housing, transportation, workforce development, and small/local business protections.
ï While we agree the ordinance should only apply to proposed major new developments, the City’s proposed ordinance would apply so rarely (or never) that it will not protect or benefit our communities.
Our communities deserve better! The City promised more!
what are the concerns?
Our concerns
It's possible that Aggie Square can exacerbate gentrification in the surrounding Sacramento neighborhoods, or it can lead to economic growth through increased opportunities for local residents. How do we invest in the neighborhoods most impacted by UC Davis without displacing existing residents and local businesses?
UC Davis is a public, taxpayer-financed institution, and as such, has a responsibility to act in the public interest. However, it is up to the at-risk neighborhoods and constituencies to demand that UC Davis act in the public interest by developing plans, policies and programs that will benefit vulnerable communities and build up existing residents and their neighborhood institutions. Through our CDAT's discussions about Aggie Square with City, County and UC Med Center officials, it became clear that no one is doing this for us. Our elected officials have not reached out to us and have not acted on our behalf in this effort. It is uptimes us- neighborhood residents and community organizations with whom residents engage.
Sacramento City CBO where we are
Community Benefits Ordinance
Ordenanza de Beneficios Comunitarios
Ordenanza de Beneficios Comunitarios
SIWD is working with the City of Sacramento to draft a Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance to address the impacts of large developments on diverse communities.
Ordenanza de Beneficios Comunitarios
Ordenanza de Beneficios Comunitarios
Ordenanza de Beneficios Comunitarios
SIWD esta trabajando con la Ciudad de Sacramento para redactar una Ordenanza del Acuerdo de Beneficios Comunitarios para abordad los impactos de grandes desarrollos en diversas comunidades.
what's a community benefits agreement
A legally-binding contract signed by community groups and a developer because of a development project. A CBA requires the developer to provide agreed-upon amenities or benefits to the neighborhood and community impacted by the development. A good CBA should be created with substantial community involvement. CBA's protect communities.
What's a Community Benefits Agreement Ordinance? An adopted City Ordinance that creates a process for future CBA's to be created when developments are proposed. A CBA Ordinance helps ensure that communities have consistent oversight over new developments in their neighborhoods. A CBA Ordinance makes community benefits routine.
For the past year, SIWD members have been engaging with and educating their networks about Community Benefits Agreement ordinances. SIWD engaged with over 300 community members on the CBA ordinance. Residents from 20 different Sacramento zip codes were represented in the survey. 96% of residents surveyed think a developer should enter into a Community Benefits Agreement if the City has: Given the developer money; Given the developer land; Waived fees; Waived mandatory reviews. SIWD also held four community workshops and conducted a community survey to gather feedback on the language for the CBA Ordinance.