Hoodline
By Michelle Jordan
February 11, 2026
A proposed six-story, market-rate apartment complex on the former Mary Ann’s Bakery site on Alhambra Boulevard is set for a Planning & Design Commission vote on Thursday. The project would replace vacant warehouses and small homes, dividing the community between those supporting more housing and those seeking to preserve the block’s historic brick appearance.
Project at a glance
According to the project’s CEQA filing, the proposal calls for 322 market-rate apartments, an approximately 110,080-square-foot multi-level garage with roughly 322 parking spaces, and a 2,400-square-foot ground-floor coffee shop. The six-story development would cover about 2.26 acres and include shared courtyards, bicycle storage, co-working spaces, and a rooftop lounge. The filing notes that the project seeks Site Plan, Use Permit, and Design Review approvals for the stretch of Alhambra Boulevard between C and D Streets. CEQAnet.
Historic bones and renderings
Project documents and local coverage describe the site as the former Mary Ann’s Bakery block, with earlier industrial uses also noted for the parcel. Early renderings submitted with the entitlements show the historic brick facades kept at street level while new residential floors rise above, a design move the applicant says is meant to preserve the block’s character even as the building grows taller. Visuals and reporting on the plans have repeatedly highlighted that approach. SFYIMBY.
Neighbors mobilize
Several neighborhood groups have rallied around concerns about the building’s height and scale, along with the potential loss of street trees. At least one new association, Casa Loma Terrace, formed specifically in response to the proposal. Neighbors living next to the site have circulated detailed briefings and public comments, and local newsletters show Casa Loma Terrace sent a letter to a Sacramento Bee housing reporter outlining its objections. Coverage and neighborhood bulletins describe a growing wave of outreach and meetings in the run-up to the commission hearing. MESA newsletter and local reporting.
Where elected officials stand
District 4 Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum has not taken an official position on the project, but he has spoken in favor of infill housing and pointed out that state housing laws have made it harder for cities to reject high-density developments. Supporters say that legal backdrop is helping move projects forward across Sacramento, and that larger tug-of-war between local preservation efforts and statewide housing mandates sits at the heart of the Alhambra debate. Abridged – PBS KVIE.
What happens Thursday
The Planning & Design Commission is set to take up the project at its Feb. 12 meeting at 5:30 p.m., with meeting details and agenda materials posted on the city calendar. If commissioners grant the requested entitlements, opponents would still be able to appeal the decision to the City Council under the city’s standard planning procedures, which would trigger another public hearing in front of the council. The City’s meeting calendar lists the commission session and explains how to watch or submit comments. City of Sacramento calendar.
The Alhambra block proposal is emerging as both a real-time test of how Sacramento weighs preservation against new housing and an immediate planning stress test for District 4 neighborhoods. The outcome of Thursday’s vote, and any appeal that might follow, will signal just how much this stretch of Alhambra Boulevard is poised to change.