Leah Miller, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento, welcomed civic leaders, sponsors, new Habitat owners and guests to the official celebration of the construction start. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - In just two months since shovels struck the earth on June 2 to mark the start of construction of eight new homes to be built by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento (HHGS) in partnership with the City of City Heights at 7795 Sayonara Drive, the walls are now going up.

In an 8 a.m. Aug. 15 ceremony, Leah Miller, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento, welcomed civic leaders, sponsors, new Habitat homeowners and guests to the official celebration of the construction start.

Opening remarks were generally kept brief with sufficient time allowed for a group photograph to mark the celebration before getting to work.

“This is my neighborhood, acknowledging so many who contributed to make this day possible,” said Citrus Heights Mayor Dr. Jayna Karpinski-Costa.

Citrus Heights Mayor Dr. Jayna Karpinski-Costa recognized Nichole Piva and Allison Bermudez of the city's planning department for their roles in helping guide the project through the city's administrative permitting process over the past three years. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

Karpinski-Costa recognized Nichole Piva and Allison Bermudez of the city’s planning department for their roles in helping to guide the project through the city’s administrative permitting process during the past three years.

“This project is so meaningful and very dear to all our hearts,” Karpinski-Costa said. “Together, we’re a community coming together to build a new community.”

Construction personnel from Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento, wearing their hard hats and tool belts, paused their morning work to provide a general safety brief to those who would be raising individually pre-framed walls and help put them individually in place.

Miller also invited those who gathered to sign the walls they would soon raise to write personal messages of hope and encouragement to the new residents who will soon realize their home ownership dream.

Standing shoulder to shoulder and proudly lifting as one, the participants raised each wall, and with the crack of a hammer striking a nail, secured in place.

The Sayonara Drive project is Habitat for Humanity of Sacramento’s largest project to date, Miller said. Completion of all 26 units is scheduled for 2027.

A skeleton Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento construction crew is currently working on the Sayonara Drive job site and more staff will soon follow once another project in Folsom is finished, one Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento site team leader said.

Interested volunteers who want to help build the Sayonara Habitat project can visit www.habitatgreatersac.org for more information and sign up now, he said.

Habitat for Humanity Greater Sacramento will fill the 12 vacant city-owned lots with 26 new single-family homes, which are to be owned, not rented.

Construction of the new units on Sayonara Drive by Habitat for Humanity on the 12 vacant city-owned lots in Citrus Heights, using CalHome funding, will meet the city’s obligation to replace blighted rental units that were demolished between 2008 and 2010.

Families purchasing homes through the Habitat for Humanity program are required to contribute 500 hours of sweat equity toward the building process.

The new community will include 26 homes ranging from two to five bedrooms, all equipped with energy-efficient heating systems, low-flow plumbing fixtures, alarm systems, solar battery storage, rooftop solar, and drought-tolerant landscaping. The homes will also be EV-ready, supporting the region’s goals for sustainability and affordability.

Here is a group photo prior to the wall raising on Aug. 15. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

 

Construction will be done in three stages of eight to 10 units per stage, with each stage taking approximately a year to complete.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento is now accepting applications for the second phase which will include affordable three- and four-bedroom homes featuring energy-efficient designs to help homeowners save on utility costs.

Available homes include three-bedroom homes with two and a half bathrooms, ranging from 1,199 to 1,247 square feet and four-bedroom homes with two bathrooms, totaling 1,452 square feet.

Homeownership loans are financed at 30 percent of a homeowner’s gross monthly income, with the equivalent of zero percent interest over 30 years, according to a Habitat for Humanity press release.

To apply, interested first-time homebuyers must attend either an in-person or virtual orientation before beginning the application process. Applications will be accepted through Oct. 1.

For more details or to begin the application process, visit Habitat for Humanity Greater Sacramento’s website at habitatgreatersac.org/apply.