New residents could invigorate Del Paso Boulevard businesses
by Anne Stokes
Jonathan Tate has a pretty enviable commute: He can see his apartment from the back patio of King Cong Brewing Company where he works as an assistant brewer. But that’s not the only thing he likes about living and working on Del Paso Boulevard.
“I love the vibe out here, especially with the community we have,” he says. “This is one of the most multicultural areas I’ve lived in. … I really enjoy all the people I’ve met living and working here.”
A life-long Sacramentan, Tate grew up in Elk Grove and South Sacramento. He’s lived Downtown and in Midtown before moving to North Sacramento five and a half years ago. He says since then, he’s seen a lot of growth on the Boulevard.
“The amount of food places we have now that are coming up — including Shift Coffee, including Burly Beverages and take out, we have King Cong for food and beer, all these little places around here — it shows a lot of community,” he says. “Plus, it’s a very appealing neighborhood with all this artwork we have. It’s an art district.”
Tate says he got lucky renting one of the few existing apartments on the Boulevard, noting that rent is affordable and the building is full. He adds that he’d like to see similar opportunities for others to work, live and thrive in the neighborhood.
The 1212 Village housing complex would be just such an opportunity. Spearheaded by Volunteers of America, the proposed project would create 75 affordable housing units as well as provide community spaces and services for residents on Del Paso Boulevard.
“If the rent is affordable enough, it’s going to get a lot of people in there,” Tate says. “I think it’s a really good thing (because) it’s going to bring a lot of foot traffic here and we need foot traffic, not just people driving through because it’s a thoroughfare. We need people to stop at businesses, have some food and go to the next business.”
Tate also points out that an influx of new residents can be a boon for businesses looking to hire as well.
“They’re really solid businesses and they really do care about this boulevard, they want it to succeed,” he says. “People are going to have to go back to work eventually, … if people were living right here and they could work like I do, next to where I live; that would be awesome.”
