ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The City Council voted 4-1 at its Feb. 11 meeting to roll the dice that staff can strike a purchase deal with the property owner of a 1.5-acre parcel at Survey Road and East Stockton Boulevard for use as the location of the city’s permanent homeless shelter.

Council defeated a motion, 3-2, by Councilmember Rod Brewer to include a site at 9296 E. Stockton Blvd. as a secondary location in the negotiation process. Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen cast the tiebreaking vote against Brewer and Councilmember Sergio Robles voting “Yes,” adding if Survey Road negotiations failed the city could revisit the East Stockton site.

Singh-Allen, noting comments received about a third site on Dwight Road north of Laguna Boulevard from nearby uses such as Sacramento Area Sewer District and a music school, asked council if anyone had this as their No. 1 priority. Since no member indicated it was, it was removed, something bringing applause from several people in the council chambers.

At least one audience member questioned the decision, noting the East Stockton site was within a half-mile of Ellen Feickert Elementary School.

“If you eliminate Dwight because of a school, why not East Stockton because of an elementary school?” East Stockton resident George Kaminsky said.

The Survey Road decision came after almost two-and-a-half-hours of staff presentation, public comment and council deliberations. It was the result of a two-phase city and public process to locate a 25-semi-private-bed shelter, with the first phase focusing on aspects such as design, services to be provided and location parameters.

Shelter residents must undergo a strict vetting process, have an Elk Grove connection, a referral from the city’s Homeless Navigation team, follow rules and guest expectations and be focused on finding employment and housing. The shelter will not serve registered sex offenders, individuals with serious behavioral health challenges, onsite substance abusers, walk-ups or drop-offs and those with no Elk Grove connection.

“This is for our local community; this is not for the region,” Elk Grove Housing and Public Services Manager Sarah Bontrager said, adding Elk Grove’s homeless population amounts to less than 2% of the total countywide count.

 

At its Feb. 11 meeting, the City Council voted to locate Elk Grove’s future permanent homeless shelter at the proposed Survey Road and East Stockton Boulevard site. Pictured is the selected location, which can be seen from the northbound Highway 99 offramp. The site is across from Fast Action Pest Control and next to Flatland Brewing Company. Photo by Idaly Valencia

For Phase 2, site selection, city staff initiated a similar community engagement process including four community meetings, targeted mailers, social media coverage (garnering over 139,000 views), service provider meetings and online surveys. The first of these from Sept. 29 through Oct. 17 had 655 participants rank five siting criteria, with distance from sensitive uses the overwhelming top consideration at 46%, followed by cost feasibility at 18%, proximity to services 14%, safety and security 12% and transportation 10%.

Staff also used a 2024 survey where 77% of 522 respondents supported outreach and social services to address homelessness, with 62% supporting temporary shelter and 59% affordable housing initiatives, although of the latter two, just 37% and 43% supported those in their neighborhood. The survey also found that 59% of respondents pointed to mental health issues and 53% to addiction/substance abuse as causes of homelessness, claims echoed by some public commenters at the Feb. 11 meeting.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness report “State of Homelessness: 2025 Edition,” the main factors leading to homelessness in the United States are “low incomes, lack of affordable housing and weak safety nets.”

City staff and shelter consultant NJA Architecture whittled down 130 potential sites to the three proposed to council. Staff also presented a list of site pros and cons, using a “poor,” “neutral/average” and “good” rating scale.

All three sites rated good as far as proximity, i.e. distance from sensitive uses such as residential areas, parks and schools. The East Stockton site scored a good rating in all five categories, rating a neutral/average in proximity to support services and programs and walkability in two of 16 subcategories.

The Survey Road site had the least favorable ratings, recording a neutral/average in two of the five categories: Proximity to Services and Transportation, tallying a poor rating in walkability and neutral/average in access to public transportation and bicycle infrastructure subcategories. Staff added it was the smallest site and had a somewhat irregular shape, which would limit its expandability, but was farthest from residential uses.

The Dwight Road site rated good in four of the five main categories, neutral/average only in transportation, with  poor walkability and neutral/average bike infrastructure subcategories.

In a survey conducted Jan. 21 through Feb. 6, 43% of 812 respondents ranked Survey Road as their first choice of locations and 33% as their second choice. In a weighted survey, three points for first choice, two for second and one for third, the Survey Road site came out on top with 36%, followed by East Stockton at 33% and Dwight Road at 30%.

Finally, an evaluation by zip code indicated 180 of the 337 respondents living in 95758 (Dwight Road) preferred Survey Road as the shelter site. The 286 respondents living in 95624 (East Stockton and Survey Road) split at 107 votes each, 54 for Dwight Road.

Also important to the selection process is cost. Survey Road development costs are estimated at $12 million to $14.5 million, while East Stockton is estimated at $16 million to $21 million and Dwight Road at $12 million to $21 million.

Development costs will be paid for using Measure E funds, with the city looking at about $4 million from state homelessness funds. Annual operating costs for the shelter are tabbed at around $1.5 million.

Of the three sites, Survey Road had the most “key site consideration” disadvantages, including limited nearby retail and business opportunities and poor capability of being reused should the city not need to continue its homeless shelter program. East Stockton had the most advantages including distance from sensitive uses, good access to transportation, retail and employment opportunities and social services.

“Staff thinks we can make any of these sites work,” Bontrager said.

Public comment made it clear which site most people in the audience preferred: Survey Road. Many came to protest the Dwight Road site but stayed to lobby for Survey Road.

Almost all commenters spoke in favor of the need for a permanent homeless shelter, although several noted problems near the current temporary shelter at Calvary Christian Church (9499 E. Stockton Blvd.) such as outdoor substance use, vandalism, trash piling up and individual safety concerns. Several worried home values would drop, and said in making their decision, council should prioritize the needs of the entire community and not just of “25 people needing beds.”

Resident Matt Monaghan said council didn’t need to choose between compassion for the homeless and safety for families and the elderly.

“You’re dealing with a dangerous element,” he added.

 

An aerial viewpoint rendering of the Survey Road and East Stockton Boulevard site selected on Feb. 11 by City Council to be the official location for the future homeless shelter. Photo courtesy of City of Elk Grove

Others such as East Stockton resident and businessowner Sharie Johnson spoke about caring for Elk Grove residents. Johnson said she was almost homeless at one point in her life, and noted her business was once located near a city shelter and had no issues.

“We need to give back and love our neighbor,” she said.

Bontrager admitted that with a lot of siting emphasis centered on residential uses, aspects of the shelter’s location near businesses were overlooked. Several owners near East Stockton spoke about potential negative impacts to their businesses from the shelter such as trash and vandalism.

Lorena Reilly, TownPlace Suites general manager and Explore Elk Grove board member, told councilmembers that hotels operate on guest experiences and perceptions, which can be based not only on amenities but also safety and security of the surrounding areas.

“Changes in the immediate environment can directly impact our online reviews, guest surveys, repeat visitation and ultimately our status with Marriott,” Reilly said, adding guests include individuals and groups traveling for business and pleasure.

Reilly stressed that those she spoke for supported the shelter program.

“However, site placement matters greatly from an operational perspective,” she said. “Facilities of this nature should be located where they can operate effectively without creating unintended impacts on surrounding businesses, employees and visitors.”

Like other businessowners, Reilly asked council to have an economic study conducted to determine potential impacts created by the location of the homeless shelter.

Council deliberations were directed toward the Survey Road site, noting potential construction in the area could bring more retail and employment opportunities for shelter guests. Several council members commented that traffic conditions in the area were safer than those near East Stockton, and that lack of public transportation could be addressed through additional programs. 

Brewer said the site analysis pointed to East Stockton, with Survey Road a close second. He said he could support Survey Road but wanted to be sure that council’s choice was “really filling the mission to be compassionate and restorative” and not “just trying to make ourselves feel better.”

Singh-Allen said deciding on the shelter location gave her “heartburn” with all the proposals. She said she lives about 20 homes away from a transition facility and hadn’t experienced negative impacts.

“I live in Stonelake, and I can assure you, property values have not gone down,” Singh-Allen said.

Singh-Allen said for her, the site selection numbers “tell the story,” particularly when it comes to shelter costs, scale and community expectations.

“I only want to consider one location, and that is Survey Road,” she said.

Council subsequently voted to proceed with Survey Road.