The Sacramento Integrated Multimodal Place-Based Living (SIMPL) Project is a collection of efforts led by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) and 15 local community partners. This ambitious initiative, which received $23 million in California Climate Investments funding through the California Strategic Growth Council’s Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program Grant, addresses critical needs such as affordable housing, public transit, and community amenities. The SIMPL Project concentrates neighborhood-level benefits in Sacramento’s River District, a historic hub for the railroad industry just north of downtown Sacramento and adjacent to the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers. The initiative focuses on enhancing walkability, expanding public transit access, and creating vibrant community spaces within the Mirasol Village housing development in the River District. The primary recipient of this grant is the SHRA, working in collaboration with numerous local project partners.
A key component of the SIMPL Project is the Dos Rios Light Rail Station, a decade-long endeavor critical to the River District's future and community vision for improved accessibility and mobility. Located at North 12th Street, just south of Richards Boulevard, the station will serve as a transportation hub that connects residents to Downtown Sacramento and the Greater Sacramento Region. Greta Lucin, River District Board President, notes: "The station is viewed as an essential building block for the future."
Dos Rios Station rendering.
Community efforts have been integral to the project's progress. Despite funding shortfalls, delays, and political processes that nearly killed the project, the community and project partners have mobilized and offered vital support to keep the project on track. The project broke ground in February 2025 and is set to be completed in summer 2026. Joe Robustelli, Alchemist Community Development Corporation (CDC)’s Neighborhood Empowerment Manager, shares the significance of these partnerships: “Alchemist, along with project partners Civic Thread and Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, did a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, as well as activated the residents. I'm so proud of the residents who not only attended Sacramento Regional Transit Board meetings but got up and made comments about their experiences using transit. We utilized our existing connections with the funders and elected officials to make this a priority.” LaShelle Dozier, SHRA Executive Director, emphasized the driving role the community has played in ensuring the completion of the station, stating that "building the Light Rail is a culmination of a lot of hard work and promises."
Mirasol Village Community Garden and mural.
Another community-oriented project in the neighborhood, the Mirasol Village Community Garden, received California Climate Investments funding to increase urban garden space and strengthen community connections. The garden, maintained by Alchemist CDC and funded through TCC, serves as a green space where residents can cultivate fresh produce and foster community bonds. The garden's success is attributed to Alchemist CDC's extensive community engagement efforts and partnerships. The nonprofit facilitated community conversations, amplified the voices of community leaders, and drew attention to residents’ priorities and concerns about the SIMPL project, including those related to the light rail station.
Mirasol Village Community Garden.
The Mirasol Village and River District community’s resilience and the active leadership have paved the way in overcoming these obstacles to the SIMPL Project vision. Community events and engagement activities, such as cooking classes, garden maintenance workshops, and volunteer coordination, have played a significant role in maintaining momentum and support for the project. The community’s achievements in the SIMPL Project offer valuable insights--successful collective efforts in advocating for the Dos Rios Light Rail Station and the Mirasol Village Community Garden demonstrate the power of collaboration, community partnerships, and inclusive planning.
As these projects progress, Alchemist CDC will continue to be an important partner in the River District. While the garden belongs to the City of Sacramento and therefore its management will also be handed over, Alchemist CDC will ensure the garden committee will proceed according to the original vision through different funding streams that allow for their presence and work in the River District to grow. Future project planning is already underway, with the Alchemist Public Market expected to open up in 2025. The market, which will be located just a couple blocks away from Mirasol Village, will have an all-electric campus, offering the community with farmer’s and night markets, a café, a Sacramento-made retail store, co-working office space, events, and Alchemist’s Incubator Program to support small food businesses.
For more information on the SIMPL Project or the grant recipients, see SGC’s grant snapshot fact sheet or visit the SHRA and Alchemist CDC websites.