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WEBVTT APARTMENT BUILDING WITH RETAILAND RESTAURANTS.IN ORDER FOR NIKKI TO TACKLSACRAMENTO'S AFFORDABLE HOUSINGCRISIS, SHE HAS TO START WITHTHE DEMOLITION.THAT IS A WALL COMING DOWN AT19TH AND J STREETS, PAVING THEWAY FOR THE19J DEVELOPMENT.>> WE ATTEMPTED TO BUILD UNITSTHEY COULD MEET THE NEEDS OF ALOT OF THE WORKFORCE POPULATION.MAX: WE SPOKE WITH NIKKI BYPHONE TODAY BECAUSE SHE IS INSAN FRANCISCO, LEARNING MOREABOUT MICRO UNIT PROJECTS.IT IS IMPORTANT TO LOOK ATDIFFERENT REGIONS AND FIND OUTHOW THEY ARE DEALING WITH THEIRAFFORDABILITY CRISIS.WE ARE FACING A SEVERE ONE INSACRAMENTO WITH THE HIGHESTINCREASES IN THE NATION, SO ITIS GOOD TO LOOK AT THE BAY AREA.MAX: WHAT OF THE -- WITHAFFORDABILITY AND THE LOCALWORKFORCE AS THE MAIN FOCUS,MOST OF THE APARTMENTS WILL BESTUDIOS, SOME OF THEM EARLYLARGER THAN 300 SQUARE FEET.>> THE MAJORITY OF THEM AREAROUND 400 SQUARE FEET, WHICHCOULD BE CONSIDERED A MICROUNIT.MAX: THE OTHER 20% A MIX OFUNITS AS SMALL AS 275 SQUAREFEET, AND ONE BEDROOM APARTMENTSAS LARGE AS 800 SQUARE FEET,WITH THE SMALLEST UNIT STARTINGUNDER $1000 VERMONT.-- PER MONTH.A LOT OF STATE WORKERSSTARTING OUT CAN'T AFFORD WHATIS ON THE MARKET TODAY.IT HAS BEEN COME A TOUGH MARKET.MA TOUGH FOR THOSE LIKE ENRIDLEY, DOING HIS OWN MOVE AS HEFACES HIGH RENT.>> I THINK THE DREAM IS TO BUILDRESIDENCES SIDE-BY-SIDE.MAX: THAT IS NIKKI'S VISION ASSHE LOOKS TO BUILD VERTICALLY.

Advertisement New Midtown Sacramento housing is ideal for millennials 19J 11-story mixed-use building set for completion in late fall 2018 Share Shares Copy Link Copy

One year to the day that developers with Mohanna Development Co. submitted a proposal to transform the corner of 19th and J streets in Sacramento, demolition began on the buildings currently occupying the space. The crew set out about noon Saturday to tear down what once was home to Italian Importing Co. and Metro Electronics.In its place, an 11-story mixed-use space will be erected. The 19J development will have apartments, retail shops and a restaurant.Its developer, Nikki Mohanna, 27, wasn't there for the demolition, but that doesn't mean she wasn't working on the project.Instead, Mohanna was in the Bay Area looking at micro-unit housing concepts. "I think it's very important to look at different regions and find out how they're doing with their affordability crisis," Mohanna said. "We're facing a very severe one in Sacramento -- highest rent increases in the nation. And so, it's good to look at the Bay Area."The 19J development will feature 175 residential units, most of which will be studios. "The majority of them are around 400 square feet, which could be considered a micro-unit," Mohanna said during a phone interview with KCRA. The smaller housing units, which also will include some that are just 275 square feet in size, are done intentionally. The smaller units will start at less than $1,000 per month, which Mohanna hopes will be attractive to millennials in the workforce who want a Midtown lifestyle that's within their budgets."A lot of state workers that are, you know, starting out, really can't afford what's being built on the market today," Mohanna said. "It's become a very tough market."With little space in Midtown available for expansion, Mohanna believes the best and perhaps only way to tackle the city's affordability crisis is by building vertically. "We feel that this project really encompasses the ideals of smart density and vertical growth that we truly need if we're going to solve this housing crisis," Mohanna said.Currently, Mohanna is developing a list of interest for her apartments. She said it's exceeded the 175 units. Apartment leases aren't likely to be signed for six to 12 months. The project has 6,000 square feet of available retail space. Mohanna said she's already in talks with local business owners about filling those spaces. The project is slated for completion late fall of 2018.