Local Sacramento architecture firm designs around neighborhood needs
For the past 30 years, Sacramento-based Mogavero Architects has been building homes and uplifting communities throughout Northern California. Its work includes sustainable multi-family housing and civic projects that integrate a community’s needs into buildings’ design. With its newest project—the 1212 Village—the firm seeks to spark a revival on Del Paso Boulevard.
“We see the design of this project as an important responsibility for leading the way forward for the Boulevard,” says Dominic Mogavero, director of development services. “We knew it was very important to get the design perfect on this because it’s a really important precedent project for the future of the Boulevard.”
Spearheaded by Volunteers of America, the proposed 1212 Village complex plans to offer 75 affordable housing units together with ground-floor retail spaces at the corner of Del Paso Boulevard and Southgate Road. Proponents say new residents will bring new revenue for businesses up and down the historic North Sacramento corridor.
“We see this project as a catalyst for what’s to come and what the neighborhood deserves,” says Cesar Medina, associate architect and project manager for the 1212 Village. “We’re hoping that it’ll be the first of many other exciting projects that will finally bring services and excitement (to) this community.”
According to Medina, the project’s mixed-use design blends with the Boulevard’s eclectic mix of modern and historic buildings, including the nearby Woodlake neighborhood. It provides retail and communal areas, such as lounges and spaces for ongoing community programs offered through VOA, which plans to manage the building after construction.
“There are a lot of buildings that have a very modern attitude on the Boulevard and there are also some historic buildings that are really important. It’s a little bit of a mixture,” Medina says. “It’s a very diverse community and all the neighbors that I’ve met there are very proud of their community.”
Given its amenities—easily accessible mass transit, available space and proximity to downtown—the neighborhood has great potential for future development, Mogavero says.
“We believe in the Boulevard (because) it has great bones: It has an urban character naturally and organically, which is very challenging to create from scratch,” Mogavero says. “We firmly believe that the Boulevard (is) very well positioned to be ‘the’ next neighborhood. In that regard, it’s important to get a foundation of affordable housing before the community transitions.”
