Photos courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Just today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Sacramento’s La Valentina building complex — located on the 12th Street corridor in downtown Sacramento — as the Built Projects winner of the 2013 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. This award, which will be presented to the City of Sacramento by Councilmember Steve Hansen in Washington, DC recognizes communities that use innovative policies and practices to develop in ways that protect the environment, provide housing and transportation choices, and strengthen their economies.
“The La Valentina project represents the hard work and dedication that culminated in a project that brings tremendous life and revitalization to our downtown,” said Councilmember Steve Hansen. “The award is emblematic of infill and transit-oriented development at its best and reaffirms the City and Domus Development’s longstanding commitment to bring economic vitality, new housing, and jobs to the urban core.”
Lying vacant for more than 20 years, the area surrounding the Alkali Flat/La Valentina light-rail station in downtown Sacramento was known for crime, blight, and contamination. In 2007, a public-private partnership between the City and Domus Development brought together community groups to address neighborhood concerns and create a new vision for the area. From that vision came an affordable, mixed-use building complex—La Valentina and La Valentina North—that has cutting-edge energy-efficient features and is located next to a light-rail stop.
When you enter downtown from the north, you cannot miss this beauty of a development. Watch the video below to learn more about the significance of this project that completely transformed this part of the city.