Public Notice

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) is considering a request for Federal assistance from Alchemist CDC to construct Alchemist Public Market in Sacramento, Sacramento County, CA.  Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), EDA is conducting an assessment of the potential of the proposed project to affect the environment and/or historic properties. 

The project consists of a development constructing a commissary kitchen and cafe/restaurant with a gift shop, including needed infrastructure improvements, commercial signage, and entry awnings.   The project will be located on an undeveloped 0.82-acre lot at 341 N. 10th Street, Sacramento, CA 95811. Project information is available for review by contacting the applicant via postal service at 4625 44th St, Suite 33, Sacramento, CA, 95820, by phone at 916-598-3032, or by email at sam@alchemistcdc.org. The project overview can also be seen at https://alchemistpublicmarket.com/eda

If you have any information regarding potential impacts environmental resources or historic properties associated with this proposed project, please provide it in writing to:

Regional Environmental Officer
US Department of Commerce
Economic Development Administration
rdefato@eda.gov
(206) 450-8251

Comments received in the EDA Regional Office by 5:00 pm Pacific Time on May 6, 2023. will be considered.  A copy of the NEPA/NHPA decisional document will be available upon request at the above EDA Regional Office.

Alchemist Public Market receives $450,000 to secure site control

Alchemist Public Market receives $450,000 to secure site control

Alchemist Community Development Corporation (Alchemist CDC) celebrated the granting of $450,000 to complete the property purchase and secure site control for the future home of Alchemist Public Market (APM) on Thursday, January 20, 2022, during a visit to the project site in Sacramento’s River District with elected officials and key stakeholders.

Speakers at the event included Sacramento City Councilmembers Jeff Harris (D3) and Katie Valenzuela (D4), Assemblymember Kevin McCarty, Senator Dr. Richard Pan, Ruth Ibarra (NorCal Resist Co-founder and Board Member), and Sam Greenlee (Executive Director, Alchemist CDC). Dr. Pan and Assemblymember McCarty presented Alchemist CDC with a check for $450,000, representing the funding they secured from California SB170 community reinvestment dollars to complete the purchase of 341 N 10th St.

“The Alchemist Public Market project will be a great hub for entrepreneurs to gain the support needed to cultivate a successful business,” said Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. “I’m glad Dr. Pan and I were able to secure funding for this important project and can’t wait to see the market in action once the building is complete.”

Alchemist Public Market is to be constructed on the vacant lot at 341 N 10th St, nextdoor to a new city park, one block away from the Mirasol Village project, and a few minutes’ walk from the new Richards Boulevard state office complex. Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture is providing pro bono architectural work for the project and has developed a design that is simultaneously iconic and conducive to providing a needed community gathering place.

“I’m thrilled to see this critical project moving forward,” said Councilmember Katie Valenzuela. “This investment from the state of California will create an institution in the River District that will serve budding entrepreneurs for years to come. Alchemist CDC has a fantastic program serving underserved communities that often lack access to the opportunity to start their own business, I’m so thrilled that their amazing work has won the recognition and support of our state leaders.”

Building on Alchemist CDC’s areas of expertise, the project will be an engine of inclusive economic development, small business creation, workforce development, food access, and community-building. Alchemist Public Market will feature an all-electric commissary kitchen to incubate dozens of new food business; outdoor food court with eight incubator restaurants; social enterprise café providing job training and placement; retail store featuring Sacramento-made products from small businesses; co-working office; and weekly farmers’ market. Sacramento non-profit, NorCal Resist, will run the cafe and beer-and-wine service on site, providing paid job training and placement for Sacramento-area residents with high barriers to employment. NorCal Resist has a substantial local track record of supporting and empowering some of the region’s most vulnerable residents.

“These funds from the State of the California are absolutely crucial for the development of Alchemist Public Market in Sacramento’s River District,” remarked Alchemist CDC Executive Director, Sam Greenlee. “This public investment will be a catalyst to create hundreds of new small businesses and to train thousands of workers in the coming years. For under-resourced entrepreneurs and residents with barriers to employment, this will mean a real opportunity for financial security.”

Alchemist CDC is a Sacramento-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that connects communities to land, food, and opportunity toward a vision in which every neighborhood is vibrant, equitable, healthy, and diverse. We are best known for enhancing the quality of life in under-resourced communities by improving access to nutritious foods, implementing community-supported public green spaces, and fostering economic self-sufficiency through business entrepreneurship.

Site Visit and New Renderings

Alchemist Community Development Corporation (Alchemist CDC) was pleased to reveal the new design for Alchemist Public Market (APM) on Friday, October 22, during a visit to the project site in Sacramento’s River District with elected officials and key stakeholders.

Speakers at the event included Sacramento City Councilman Jeff Harris (D3), Andrew Kehoe (Liaison from Mayor Steinberg’s Office of Civic Engagement), Derek Kirk (Regional Business Development Specialist, California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development [GO-Biz]), Jenna Abbott (Executive Director, The River District), Julius Austin (Sacramento Promise Zone Coordinator, SHRA), and Sam Greenlee (Executive Director, Alchemist CDC).

Alchemist Public Market’s previous concept was oriented toward adaptive reuse of an existing building, but the shift to 341 N 10th St, just one block away from the Mirasol Village project, brought the possibility of new construction with a customer build that could model innovative and sustainable practices. Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture is providing pro bono architectural work for the project and has developed a design that is simultaneously iconic and conducive to providing a needed community gathering place.

Building on Alchemist CDC’s areas of expertise, the project will be an engine of inclusive economic development, small business creation, workforce development, food access, and community-building. Alchemist Public Market will feature an all-electric commissary kitchen to incubate dozens of new food business; outdoor food court with eight incubator restaurants; social enterprise café providing job training and placement; retail store featuring Sacramento-made products from small businesses; co-working office; and weekly farmers’ market. Sacramento non-profit, NorCal Resist, will run the cafe and beer-and-wine service on site, providing paid job training and placement for Sacramento-area residents with high barriers to employment. NorCal Resist has a substantial local track record of supporting and empowering some of the region’s most vulnerable residents.

Alchemist Public Market is a member of the Northern California Farm to Fork Innovation Coalition (F2FIC), a collaborative effort led by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) seeking primary funding from the US Economic Development Administration (EDA) Build Back Better grant program. If awarded, APM will receive $6 million in federal funding to be combined with a $1.5 million match from other sources to be made up of other sources.

Alchemist CDC is a Sacramento-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization that connects communities to land, food, and opportunity toward a vision in which every neighborhood is vibrant, equitable, healthy, and diverse. We are best known for enhancing the quality of life in under-resourced communities by improving access to nutritious foods, implementing community-supported public green spaces, and fostering economic self-sufficiency through business entrepreneurship.