"Lose, Lose, Lose!'- Elk Grove citizen refutes Mayor's 'Win, Win' claim about relocated Oak Rose project; SB 35 is now a shield
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| Elk Grove District 3 resident say neighborhood was blindsided by the city on the Oak Rose relocation to the city's north side. | |
In the aftermath of the relocation of Elk Grove's controversial Oak Rose project, Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen has portrayed the $9.1 million settlement as a "win-win" solution.
During the February 28, 2024 Elk Grove City Council meeting, one person refuted Singh-Allen's claim and called the relocation a "lose, lose, lose" proposition. The comments from Elk Grove citizen Liz Marshall were made during public comments on non-agenda items during tonight's Elk Grove City Council meeting.
Last week, Elk Grove announced it was giving about $9.1 million taxpayer money and land to Long Beach, Calif.-based Excelerate Housing to relocate their proposed Oak Rose supportive housing project out of Old Town-Historic Downtown Elk Grove and end their lawsuit. The project will now be located on a 2.2-acre city-owned parcel on Elk Grove-Florin Road that was swapped with the 1.2-acre Old Town parcel.
When the city announced the cash payoff and land swap, Singh-Allen proclaimed it was a win-win result.
"I believe it's a win-win," Singh-Allen was quoted in the Sacramento Bee. "It's a bigger and better site, more units, and they'll be larger… it's an ideal location and we're just very excited to move forward."
Ms. Marshall, who said she lives in an adjacent District 3 neighborhood for the relocated project, cited many concerns. Aside from typical concerns, Marshall said the city blindsided her and neighbors.
"Where's the outreach? The other project had people crawling out the window because they were so outraged," she said. "But where's the outreach? Nobody in my neighborhood has heard of it."
Displaying the city's monthly newsletter, Marshall added, "I got the pamphlet in the mail today all about Elk Grove activities - not a mention of it."
Although the project still has administrative hurdles, unlike they did with the July 2022 denial of the Old Town project, saying it did not qualify under Senate Bill 35, Singh-Allen and her city council will now use that same legislation as a shield, saying they have no choice in that matter.
While the city has settled on the Oak Rose lawsuit, there has been no update on the State of California's fair housing lawsuit against Elk Grove over the July 2022 denial.
Ms. Marshall's entire commentary can be viewed in the video.
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To hear the Mayor call this a win-win is like watching a drunken gambler sitting at a poker table all night with losing hands. She keeps upping the bets hoping to chase her losses, but one hand after another, she loses. Finally around 4am, the pit boss leans in and whispers to her, "maybe you should call it quits for tonight and try again another time".
As she struggles to stand up from her chair and regain her composure, the pit boss stuffs the few remaining chips in her knock-off Gucci bag and orders the cocktail server to bring her a complimentary Bloody Mary and a free breakfast buffet. A WIN-WIN!
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