A vacant 18.5-acre lot at the corner of Truxel and Del Paso roads in North Natomas could soon hold a four-story, 105-room hotel, two apartment buildings and a strip of retail and restaurants, according to development plans filed with the city of Sacramento. Developer Buzz Oates submitted the proposal for 2380 Del Paso Road on July 31, laying out a mixed-use project that would replace land an affiliated LLC has owned since at least 2015.
As reported by The Sacramento Bee, the plan calls for 64 market-rate apartments split between two three-story buildings totaling 56,400 square feet, including 48 studio units at 382 square feet each, eight one-bedroom units and eight two-bedroom units. The hotel itself would total 64,225 square feet and rise 63 feet, and the project also includes eight single-story buildings for retail, restaurants and parking, plus a large open space intended for both residents and the public.
A Sharp Turn From Office Park Zoning
The site is currently zoned Employment Center, a designation meant for light industrial and office park uses rather than housing or retail, according to the Natomas Chamber of Commerce. Buzz Oates is asking the city to rezone the property to General Commercial, a shift that under Sacramento's rules requires public notification, environmental evaluation, a hearing before the Planning and Design Commission, and final enactment by the Sacramento City Council before anything can be built.
The proposal has evolved considerably since it first surfaced. According to city records cited by the Bee, the developer originally proposed 140 apartment units with higher square footage and no hotel at all back in 2024. City planning routing documents reviewed by the Natomas Chamber of Commerce show that 2024 version called for 229,400 square feet of commercial space alongside the apartments, before the plan was reworked into its current form with the hotel and a smaller, 64-unit apartment count.
Councilmember Calls It a Walkable Investment
District 1 Councilmember Lisa Kaplan, who represents North Natomas and has been in communication with Buzz Oates about the project, praised the proposal. She said she was thrilled by it and views it as a thoughtful, walkable investment in the neighborhood, per the Bee's reporting. The application materials note that the city has requested extensive pedestrian connections throughout the site, and that any retail center will need enough parking to serve both customers and residents to remain viable.
Restaurants in the development are seeking room for outdoor patios, according to the application. Buzz Oates has not held any neighborhood meetings on the project, per the application, and the company did not respond to questions from the Bee. It remains unclear when or whether construction would begin, since that depends on whether the City Council ultimately approves the plan.
Big Neighbors, Bigger Plans Nearby
The Del Paso Road site sits close to Inderkum High School, one of several major educational campuses along Truxel and Del Paso roads that also include Natomas Charter School and the American River College Natomas Center, per Cushman & Wakefield. The property is also near the former Sleep Train Arena site, where developers plan to build at least 1,200 housing units, and the city has already taken steps toward granting a tax incentive there, according to the Bee's reporting.
That incentive took a concrete step forward two weeks ago when the Sacramento City Council voted 9-0 to approve an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District for the 171-acre Innovation Park redevelopment there, unlocking future property tax increment for roads, sewers and utilities to support a planned California Northstate University teaching hospital and housing. The financing district marks a significant policy milestone for the surrounding area, laying groundwork that helps explain why commercial and residential proposals are picking up along the Truxel and Del Paso corridor.
Transit Promise Comes With Caveats
The Del Paso Road project's filing points to its proximity to a planned future light rail station on Truxel Road, but that connection carries real uncertainty. Sacramento Regional Transit's Green Line extension to Sacramento International Airport is estimated to cost roughly $2 billion and would require a new American River bridge crossing, prompting SacRT officials to evaluate interim Bus Rapid Transit service on the corridor while long-term funding is pursued.
The Del Paso Road proposal lands amid a broader wave of North Natomas development this year. Buzz Oates itself has been active elsewhere in the region, including major industrial projects the developer is pursuing in West Placer, and the company overall manages a Northern California portfolio exceeding 25 million square feet valued at more than $3 billion.
Elsewhere in North Natomas, EAH Housing filed plans in July for a 140-unit affordable community on Club Center Drive, Pulte Homes acquired 40 acres for 158 single-family lots in the Panhandle in March, and developers proposed the Northlake Commons grocery-anchored shopping center in June — the area's first major new grocery-anchored retail filing in more than a decade. Regional rail investment is advancing too, with partners approving a construction schedule in April for a $36.7 million Midtown Sacramento station under the Valley Rail program that is meant to eventually connect to a future North Natomas stop.
How Residents Can Weigh In
The public can submit comments on the Del Paso Road project through August 21. Associate City Planner Jose Quintanilla, who is handling the application for the city of Sacramento, can be reached by email for questions or feedback on the proposal.
