Friends of New Helvetia Public Housing v. City of Sacramento CA3

── Friends of New Helvetia Public Housing v. City of Sacramento CA3 ── Court: California Court of Appeal Date: April 15, 2026 Category: General Filed 4/15/26 Friends of New Helvetia Public Housing v. City of Sacramento CA3 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115. IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT (Sacramento) ---- FRIENDS OF NEW HELVETIA PUBLIC C102468 HOUSING, (Super. Ct. No. Plaintiff and Appellant, 34202080003490CUWMGDS) v. CITY OF SACRAMENTO et al., Defendants and Respondents. Appellant Friends of New Helvetia Public Housing (Friends) appeals a judgment denying their petition for writ of mandate under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (Pub. Resources Code, § 21000 et seq.).1 Friends challenge the Final 1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Public Resources Code. References to the “Guidelines” are to the CEQA Guidelines (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15000 et seq.). “In interpreting CEQA, we accord the Guidelines great weight except where they are clearly 1 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the West Broadway Specific Plan (specific plan), as certified by the City of Sacramento (City) as lead agency. Friends argue the EIR was inadequate for failing to study or adopt their proposal for an alternative design that would avoid or reduce the specific plan’s impacts on historic resources, and the City’s “approval findings” were not supported by substantial evidence. We will reject these arguments and affirm the judgment. I. BACKGROUND A. The Specific Plan Area The specific plan addresses an area covering approximately 244 acres near downtown Sacramento (the specific plan area). The specific plan area is “bounded by the Sacramento River on the west, the centerline of Broadway on the north, Muir Way and 5th Street on the east, and 4th Avenue and Merkley Way on the south.” It encompasses several distinct subareas, ranging from the Sacramento Marina and Miller Regional Park to subareas historically associated with heavy and light industrial uses. It also encompasses residential subareas, including two public housing communities owned by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA): Alder Grove and Marina Vista. This case principally concerns Alder Grove, the City’s first major public housing project. Alder Grove is located on the south side of Broadway between Muir Way and 5th Street. Built in 1942, Alder Grove consists of 360 multi-family units within 61 apartment buildings, laid out in a rectilinear grid with streets, pedestrian walkways, and a large central open space area. Portions of Alder Grove have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and the California Register of Historic Resources (CRHR) as the New Helvetia Historic District (New Helvetia). New Helvetia is unauthorized or erroneous.” (Vineyard Area Citizens for Responsible Growth, Inc. v. City of Rancho Cordova (2007) 40 Cal.4th 412, 428, fn. 5 (Vineyard).) 2 historically significant for several reasons, including its association with Nathanial S. Colley, “a prominent African American civil rights attorney who advocated for fair housing in Sacramento and nationally during the 1960s and 1970s.” 2 The specific plan area