Historic Sacramento Public Housing Faces Demolition

By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff WriterThe future of a historic public housing development is unclear after a Sacramento Superior Court ruling this past summer paved the way to demolish and rebuild it.Community advocates in October 2020 filed a lawsuit against the city regarding approval of its West Broadway Specific Plan. The New Helvetia Historic District, a site with significant civil rights history, includes a portion of the plan area called Alder Grove. The suit alleged the city violated the California Environmental Quality Act in approving a plan that anticipates and facilitates demolition of the historic residential community, which has 360 apartments ranging from one to five bedrooms.The ruling is being appealed.Alder Grove, formerly known as New Helvetia, sits on Broadway between Fifth Street and Muir Way and is known for its iconic red brick buildings. It holds significant historical importance in Sacramento because of its association with Nathaniel Colley, the city’s first African American attorney. In 1952, Colley challenged the discriminatory practices of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, which manages the development, which confined Black residents to only 16 of the 310 units in the New Helvetia public housing project.His legal efforts led to a landmark decision...