Doubling Downtown: First apartment complex in Sacramento Railyards set to open for applications
SACRAMENTO — The first apartment complex at the downtown Railyards is about to open up for applications as construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the project.
Steven Gall is the developer of the A.J. Apartments, a pair of five- and six-story buildings with a total of 345 units.
"It's great to be first," Gall said. "We're looking for folks that want to live in an urban environment, folks who want to live downtown."
Plans to develop the former Southern Pacific property have been in the works for decades.
"Well, it's taken a long time," Gall said.
Now, besides this massive apartment complex, several new projects are also going up including the Wong Center, which will be an affordable senior housing complex, and the new Superior Courthouse, which is set to open in the fall of 2024.
Once fully built out, the Railyards will double the size of downtown.
"There's been a lot of work that needed to be done to get the infrastructure built," Gall said.
The apartments come with modern amenities like bike lockers, a dog wash, and an outdoor deck overlooking the Sacramento skyline.
The name A.J. is a tribute to the history of the property. A.J. Stevens was Southern Pacific's master mechanic back in the 1800s when the site was the start of the first transcontinental railroad.
"Sacramento has always been a railroad town," Gall said.
Today, it's a town that needs more housing. An average of 5,600 homes need to be built each year to meet state guidelines, something Mayor Darrell Steinberg admits is tough to achieve.
"We have a lot more work to do," Steinberg said.
Now there's a new place to live, leading the way for downtown Sacramento's new look.
The new apartments will be a mix of market-rate and affordable units. The developer will begin accepting applications next week, and people can start moving in on June 1.