Cecilia Yee says safety concerns became more apparent after purchasing the former Starbucks and Jamba Juice building on Broadway in Sacramento.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The new owner of a building on a prestigious corner of Sacramento's Broadway Corridor faces similar challenges that have challenged previous owners, including public drug use and homelessness. .
Cecilia Yee says Sacramento's Broadway Corridor is a great area for shopping and trying different foods, but it wasn't until she and her husband bought property on Broadway and 15th Street that they became aware of safety issues. He says he started it.
The couple purchased the former Starbucks and Jamba Juice building along with the Walgreens building in January, Yee said.
She started seeing negative comments about the area on social media around that time, but said that won't stop her family from trying to improve the corridor by opening future businesses.
“My husband is there every morning to make sure everything is in order,” Yi said. “today [he] I drew on the doodles and picked up needles. ”
Starbucks and Jamba Juice closed in 2022 due to growing problems in the neighborhood.
ABC10 has been following the challenges facing businesses on Broadway since 2021, when property crime became a major concern for businesses. In 2022, after Starbucks and Jamba Juice closed, people on both sides clashed in protests over the issue. There will be no significant improvement in business in 2023, and the city is currently working on improvements to make Broadway safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Yee and her family are franchise owners of multiple School of Rock locations in Carmichael, Elk Grove, Folsom and Roseville, and plan to open a fifth location in the former Starbucks and Jamba Juice building. was standing.
“My friends have asked me why we haven’t yet promoted the upcoming School of Rock event in the area. It’s because kids and families need to feel safe coming here. We want to make that happen,” Yee said.
Karen Margareta, a neighborhood advocate, said she has lived in Sacramento since 1996 and has seen an increase in homelessness in the Broadway corridor and an increase in outdoor drug use.
She has noticed an increase in the number of homeless residents along Broadway since the Hope Cooperative Core Mental Health and Wellness Center opened last year.
“It may be a good change for the homeless people who live in the area during the day, but the place got much worse before and after,” Margareta said. “I wish they would open a shelter there.”
April Ludwig, CEO of Hope Cooperative, told ABC10 that she and her team are working to influence change at the community level by providing space for homeless residents to emerge as their “authentic selves.” He said he believed that.
“The people we work with struggle with mental health concerns, substance use, and are often experiencing homelessness. Our services often address the basics of an individual. We hope to see long-term results, starting with helping people meet their personal needs and providing additional services to support their daily lives when they are ready.” she said. “We know that establishing new initiatives takes time to become entrenched in the fabric of the community.”
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Margareta said she and her neighbors have had no success getting local elected officials to help reduce crime and homelessness in the area.
Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the district, said new incident teams are working to resolve 311 calls every day and there are no major problems in the hallway.
“That team is working in partnership with the county, which provides a full range of mental health and substance abuse services in the community,” Valenzuela said in a statement. “Last year, we worked with the county to successfully open the new CORE Center, operated by HOPE Cooperative, on the 14th and 14th to address the needs of the community.”
“We are doing our best to tell the city council that we want the area to be cleaned up. The police have been very responsive, but Katie has not been responsive,” Margareta said. “Police here come after hours to offer ideas and support to residents, but at the same time their hands are tied by the law.”
Incoming District 4 City Councilman Phil Pruckebaum told ABC10 that he met with constituents about safety concerns during the campaign and now as an incoming City Council member.
Despite the challenges, Yi says she hopes her family can open by fall 2024 in a safer environment.
“We are a family-owned business, not a big chain that owns hundreds of millions of stores. Our places need to be safe, and we need them to be clean. We don't want our kids to walk on trash. I can’t let it happen,” she said.
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