Elk Grove City Council to weigh three sites for permanent homeless shelter amid public concern

After operating a homeless shelter at two locations and committing to establishing a permanent site, the Elk Grove City Council will deliberate on three possible locations within city limits for the facility at the Wednesday night meeting.

City staff are asking council members to rank three sites that emerged from a yearlong planning and public engagement process for a permanent homeless shelter, as the city’s current leased shelter location is set to expire no later than September 2028.

The three sites under consideration are an area along Dwight Road north of Laguna Boulevard, a parcel at 9296 E. Stockton Blvd., and a site at Survey Road and E. Stockton Boulevard. City officials say all three locations are viable but come with distinct advantages and drawbacks, including costs, transportation access, proximity to services, and distance from homes, schools, and other sensitive uses.
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The city began evaluating potential locations in 2025, initially reviewing about 130 sites before narrowing the list to 10 for further analysis. Three sites received an overall “good” rating after being evaluated against criteria heavily shaped by community feedback, including affordability, safety, transit access, and distance from residential neighborhoods.

Public input has been extensive and, staff say, is expected to continue at Wednesday’s meeting. More than 700 residents participated in surveys, and nearly 240 attended in-person community meetings in January, where concerns were raised about safety, traffic, impacts on nearby businesses, and the proximity of a shelter to schools, senior housing, and child-focused activities.

Survey results showed Survey Road as the top-ranked site, followed by E. Stockton Boulevard and then Dwight Road. Residents who favored Survey Road cited its distance from residential areas and lower acquisition costs, while critics pointed to limited transportation options and fewer nearby services. The E. Stockton site scored well for transit access and proximity to jobs and services, but raised concerns among nearby hotel operators and business owners. Dwight Road raised concerns due to its closeness to parks, a charter school, and a planned rail station.

Even if the council settles on a preferred site, the project remains subject to property negotiations with landowners. Those negotiations could fail, requiring the city to move to another ranked site or revisit its options entirely.

The meeting is expected to draw significant public comment as the city weighs how to balance neighborhood concerns with the ongoing need for shelter services.