On November 21, 2025, the River District hosted its second annual Development Update at the May Lee State Office Complex Auditorium. Attendees were welcomed to the complex by Rob Kerth, SMUD Director, Ward 5.
Up first, Sam Greenlee, Executive Director, Alchemist Community Development Corporation, presented on the Alchemist Public Market. The all-electric project is slated for construction in the coming months at 341 N. 10th Street, will include a full-service cafe with a beer and wine bar, small corner grocery store, commercial kitchen and small business incubator center. Outdoor, there will be a shaded food court with eight small incubator restaurants. They will host weekly farmers markets and other events.
Although the federal government shutdown did delay progress, the project is in the third phase of building permits and is expected to break ground in early 2026, with a grand opening at the end of 2026.
The second presentation was made by Jay Robinson, Senior Vice President & Area Manager, Sacramento & South Sacramento, Kaiser Permanente, on the Kaiser Permanente Railyards Medical Center. A video rendering was shared showing what the center will look like when complete. The campus will center on an eight-story, 662,050-square-foot hospital with 310 private beds, 14 operating rooms, a 70-bay Emergency Room, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, and full labor and delivery services. A connected five-story, 173,000-square-foot medical office building will provide 66 exam rooms, along with on-site laboratory, pharmacy, imaging, and diagnostic services.
The groundbreaking was held in March and construction has been ongoing since then. The seven-story parking structure, with a capacity of 1,500 cars, is on schedule with vertical construction underway. Up next will be vertical construction of the medical offices. At the height of construction, approximately 600 workers will be employed on site.
The Railyards Medical Center will be one of the first three all-electric hospitals in California. Once completed, close to 4,000 healthcare professionals and support staff will report to the center daily, in addition to the customers and families, which is expected to deliver an economic boost to downtown Sacramento and the River District.
Up next, Anthony Adams, Director of Planning for SacRT, discussed the $43M Dos Rios Light Rail Station which is currently on schedule and under budget, and projected to open in Fall 2026. Additionally, Adams discussed the Green Line to the Airport project, which would extend light rail service from the existing Township 9 Light Rail Station north over the American River and ultimately, to Sacramento International Airport with eleven new miles of track and fourteen new stations. First approved in 2003, several of the dedicated right-of-way parcel agreements are set to expire in 2030. Adams announced that SacRT is proposing a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) concept to follow the alignment of the proposed light rail extension in order to preserve the right-of-way agreements. The proposed BRT concept would cost nearly a quarter of the light rail project and would potentially operate until funds for the $2B light rail project are acquired.
The first public presentation of the new 1450 Richards Blvd. project was led by Diane Kindermann, Abbott & Kindermann, Inc. and Brian Holloway, Holloway Land Company on behalf of the property owners, Kabul Singh. The parcel, previously occupied by a truck driving school, is being proposed for revitalization with 22-unit affordable housing project that will include a market, small coffee shop, and fueling facility with level three EV charging. The fueling facility would include six pumps, with fittings for future EV charging stations in addition to the proposed level-three chargers. Kindermann stated that the project is consistent with the city’s general plan and future zoning, and provides a perfect opportunity for commercial and residential uses near the forthcoming Dos Rios Light Rail Station. Lighting and security are additional benefits of the project.
Lastly, Tim Padden, Regional and Local Government Affairs Program Manager, SMUD, presented on the utility provider’s Station J project. With all the planned and ongoing construction projects in the River District, Railyards and Downtown Sacramento, a new station is needed to provide additional power to the area. Station J will be located at B Street and was recently unanimously approved by city council, with demolition of the existing building on the site now underway. Construction on the facility is scheduled to begin in April, 2026 with completion in May, 2028.
Devin Strecker, Executive Director of the River District, highlighted the organization’s quarterly market reports, including its recently released 2025 Q3 River District Market Report, as well as the River District Virtual Tour located on the organization’s website.
For the slideshow presentation, click here.
To see a video of the presentation, click here.
