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Downtown vs. The Railyards?
Friday, January 11, 2008
It was Thoreau who said that "the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Downtown property owner Moe Mohanna's desperation, however, is a bit louder. The Sacramento Business Journal's Michael Shaw reported that Mohanna has--through partners and interested parties--sued the City of Sacramento and Railyards developer Thomas Enterprises, "objecting to the entitlement approvals for The Railyards and claiming the project will hurt downtown businesses."
The suit, filed Wednesday in Sacramento County Superior Court, makes broad claims that the project's environmental impact report doesn't address the effect on existing retail locations like K Street, where Mohanna owns properties. The landlord and the city are locked in a battle over those properties.
Although entitlements granted to The Railyards include housing, office buildings and entertainment venues, the suit claims the project is "nothing but a huge, new 1.1 million-square-foot regional shopping mall."
That's one way to make friends and influence people, but Mohanna begins to look less like he's standing up for the rights of the little guy and more like a toddler throwing a temper-tantrum. ♦
Labels: downtown, Moe Mohanna, Moe_Mohanna, Railyards, Sacramento_Business_Journal, Thomas_Enterprises
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 11:23 AM,
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A Tale of Two Towers on Capitol Mall
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Even before work stopped on the Towers site in January and John Saca confirmed in February that the developer had defaulted on a $22 million loan, a lot of people had their doubts about Sacramento being able to sustain a project of this magnitude. As new obstacles popped up and CalPERS proved to be less than willing to negotiate a buyout, the storm cloud darkened.Late in March a letter from Saca to the future homeowners at the Towers confirmed what had been hinted at: a new equity partner was being sought (most likely to replace CalPERS). The letter also included an addendum that restated the contract dates to be effective May 1. The team handling the sales is now chasing those addenda down.
Saca will probably release a statement in the next couple days to stave off the media's requests for updates and all the swirling rumors that pop up in the space between official announcements. In that expected statement: John Saca and his partners have secured a new equity partner to replace CalPERS, the Deutsche Bank funding remains in place, and the project will move forward. Keep your ears to the ground...
Links
Labels: 3rd and Capitol, condos, development, downtown, highrise, John Saca, Towers, Towers on Capitol Mall
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 12:19 PM,
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Will local agencies know what to do?
Friday, March 23, 2007
The Sacramento Bee writes about the challenges local agencies will face in coming years as new high-rise projects replace smaller structures.
With six new downtown office and residential towers over 25 stories currently proposed or under construction (and that doesn't count , local law enforcement and emergency services are working to get the learning out of the way now. ♦
Links
Labels: downtown, highrise, news, safety, The_Sacramento_Bee
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 3:15 PM,
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Nag, nag, NAG - Monday 1/22 @ 6:30PM
Thursday, January 18, 2007
For those wondering what the heck is going on in the central city, the Neighborhood Advisory Group (NAG) meeting that's coming up Monday night 1/22 at 6:30PM (at the Hart Senior Center in Midtown at 27th & J Streets) is always a great place to start--and the upcoming meeting is sure to be a doozy.
In addition to a city update from City Manager Ray Kerridge and project updates for downtown and Midtown for Neighborhood Services' Liz Brenner, the agenda includes:
Discussion of the Central City Parking Master Plan, Sutter Hospital and Trinity Cathedral, Central City 2-Way Conversion Study, the city's General Plan Update, form-based zoning codes, Mercy Hospital, City Board and Commission openings, the Area 1 entertainment and alcohol task force, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV or carpool) lanes, the American River Parkway plan update, restructuring of the Design Review and Preservation Board, and the proposed Mercy General Hospital/Sacred Heart School expansion. Plus Bill Burgua will talk about RT's possible residential discount pass. Whew! Catch all that?Oh, and free pizza... Mustn't forget the free pizza.
For more information please call Julie Sontag in the Neighborhood Services Department at (916) 808-5691 or e-mail the NAG at nagarea1@hotmail.com. Items are placed on the agenda based on their time sensitivity and relevance to Area 1 (downtown, Midtown, and East Sacramento). Join the NAG agenda committee in setting the agenda at noon on the first Wednesday of the month. Call Julie Sontag for more information. See City Council agendas and reports at: http://www.cityofsacramento.org/clerk/ ››♦
» You can visit the City of Sacramento's website here ›› and the Development Services Department's page here ››.
» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: 27th-and-J, downtown, East_Sac, events, General_Plan, HOV, Mercy, Midtown, NAG, parking, Ray_Kerridge
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 5:27 PM,
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Pedicabs--coming to a block near you?
Saturday, January 13, 2007
From Julie Sontag with the City of Sacramento (by way of Brooks Truitt):
As promised, the pedicab ordinance will go before the City Council's Law and Legislation Committee on Tuesday, January 16. The Committee will review the ordinance and make a recommendation to the City Council. The meeting starts at 12:30 p.m. and takes place in the Council Chamber, located on the first floor of the new City Hall at 915 I Street.
This meeting is open to the public. If you have comments, questions, praise, or concerns, you're welcome to attend and voice them. This item is number five on the agenda, but that could change, so I recommend that you arrive close to 12:30. You'll find the agenda at:
http://sacramento.granicus.com/AgendaViewer.php?view_id=6 &event_id=21 ››
The next step after the Law and Legislation Committee will be to take the ordinance before the Mayor and Council. We'll keep you informed.
Likely to be discussed are some of the recommendations that have come from a series of stakeholder meetings, including where pedicabs can and can't travel (including high-traffic areas at peak commute times like I, J, 12th, and 16th Streets during rush hour), regulating pedicab fares ($1 per block is a recommended standard fare), and where pedicab stands will be allowed (one recommendation was to allow them adjacent to valet operators).
It's always a little odd to see a horse-drawn carriage being driven through Midtown (I see them probably once a week), soon we may get to enjoy pedicabs, too. ♦» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: City_Council, downtown, events, Midtown, old_sac, pedestrians, transportation, walkability
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 5:50 PM,
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Did the Towers see their own shadow?
Thursday, January 11, 2007
I just caught a teaser before the news this evening: a local highrise development has halted construction in the face of unpaid bills and liens. John Saca has stopped construction--and apparently paying bills--for work done on the Towers on Capitol Mall at 3rd & Capitol Mall.
Current news stories:
- "Construction Halted on Towers Project" ›› - KCRA.com ›› (1/12/07)
- "Towers project on hold" ›› - The Sacramento Bee ›› (1/12/07)
- "Towers Project Construction Stopped" ›› - News10.net ›› (1/11/07)
» You can visit the Towers on Capitol Mall website here ››.
» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: 3rd-and-Capitol, development, downtown, highrise, John_Saca, Towers
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 9:49 PM,
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"Yes, there will be a neon sign..."
-Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo speaking at the 2007 State of Downtown, on the City Council's Tuesday vote to contribute property and as much as $6.75M for redevelopment of the long-vacant Woolworth building at 10th & K downtown.
From the 2007 State of Downtown
Michael Ault, Executive Director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, reviewed the City's recent purchase of the final piece of the 700 block of K Street and the City Council's financial support of the transformation of the 10th & K property to include a venue for the California Musical Theater and new dining from Randy Paragary.
Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson looked to the future: a new Terminal B at Sacramento Intergalactic Airport by 2011, light rail extensions, levee improvements, a ten-year plan to end homelessness in the region, and the "Share the Vision" Coalition's continuing efforts to bring an arena to the urban core.
Lloyd Harvego, Board Chair of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, touted the success--and the national recognition--of the "Navigators" program that connects homeless with services.
Mayor Heather Fargo highlighted successes--the UP Railyard transfer to Thomas Enterprises, restoration of historic Old Sac sites (the Ebner, Magnolia, and Orleans hotels), the purchase of the Crystal Cream & Butter Co. site downtown by Anthony Giannoni and partners--challenges--relocating the Greyhound Bus Station--and informally formally announced her plan to run for a third term as mayor.
"Developing Walkable Urbane Places"
The high point of the morning was the above-titled presentation by Chris Leinberger of the Brookings Institution. Once viewed as a doomsayer for his predictions about the health of cities over the past ten years, Leinberger has more recently watched his predictions prove themselves accurate.
Key concepts from the presentation:
- demand for walkable urbane places to live and work has come from empty-nesters, Gen Xers, and young people who have never seen a suburban, car-oriented lifestyle as the ideal
- a "walkable distance" is 1500-2000ft, or an area of approximately 300-400 acres--the size of a downtown area
- the "built environment" comprises 40% of the country's wealth
- walkable urbanity migrates from downtowns to downtown adjacent neighborhoods (like Midtown) to suburban town centers (like Del Paso Blvd in North Sacramento) and strip malls to greenfield developments
But what did he have to say about Sacramento?
"An arena must be built downtown--not in the adjacent railyards, but shoe-horned into downtown. Two blocks of downtown... Without subsidides... And don't add any parking."
He emphasized things that a lot of us have said: that parking is underutilized in the central city, existing parking structures could provide up to 50% more parking. He also encouraged a shift in thinking away from subsidizing development and toward "partnering", away from supporting sprawling suburban development and toward adding impact fees equivalent to the real cost of that sprawl.
The bottom line: it is our moral imperative to change the way we shape and grow our communities for the health and well-being of its people and places. ♦
» You can visit the Downtown Sacramento Partnership's website here ››.
» You can visit the Brookings Institution's website here ›› and find out more about Chris Leinberger here ››.
» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: 10th-and-K, arena, downtown, Downtown_Sacramento_Partnership, events, Heather_Fargo, Lloyd_Harvego, Michael_Ault, old_sac, Paragary, redevelopment, Roger_Dickinson, State_of_Downtown_2007, Thomas_Enterprises, walkability
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 9:08 PM,
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Giannoni and partners purchase Crystal site
A reliable source--Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo--announced this morning at the 2007 State of Downtown breakfast the purchase of the Crystal Cream & Butter Co. site at 10th & D near the railyards by Sacramento developer Anthony Giannoni and partners.
Tony Giannoni is probably best known for several recent and current projects including Meridian Plaza at 14th & L, the Marriott and hotel condos nearing completion at 15th & L, and Meridian II to be built at 15th & K. He has been a vocal supporter of a downtown arena that would take up a portion of Downtown Plaza at 7th & K.
No plans have been announced yet for the site at 10th & D.
Update: Here is an aerial view of the Crystal site area with an overlay of the property owned by Crystal Cream & Butter Co. based upon current tax records. Additional property may be held by the company using other entities, and the specific parcels being sold to Giannoni and partners has not been disclosed. ♦
» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: 10th-and-D, 14th-and-L, 15th-and-K, 15th-and-L, 7th-and-K, development, downtown, Heather_Fargo, Meridian_II, Meridian_Plaza, real_estate, State_of_Downtown_2007, Tony_Giannoni
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 10:36 AM,
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Dine Downtown! Restaurant Week is January 13-19
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Okay, so sometimes I feel like the last to know... Fortunately Luis in my office at McMartin Realty let me know about the Downtown Sacramento Partnership's Restaurant Week January 13th through the 19th!Some of downtown's finest restaurants are opening their doors next week to dinner-goers of all stripes looking for a chance to enjoy the works of Sacramento's finest chefs. Each restaurant has created a special three-course dinner menu--for just $30 per person. It's not often that we get to enjoy a full dinner at establishments like Esquire Grill, Restaurant 55º, Mason's, Spataro, Chops, or any of the other great restaurants on display for the week for less than the cost of drinks and appetizers.
For more information about Dine Downtown or a chance to win a gift certificate to one of the restaurants, visit http://www.downtownsac.org/dinedowntown ››.
And please, please, please don't miss it! ♦
» You can visit the Downtown Sacramento Partnership's website here ›› or find out more about Dine Downtown here ››.
» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: destinations, dining, downtown, Downtown_Sacramento_Partnership, events
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 6:09 PM,
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Special Hearing for 500 Capitol Mall
This just in from Julie Sontag with the City of Sacramento:
CITY OF SACRAMENTO PLANNING COMMISSION ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING FOR 500 CAPITOL MALL HIGH RISE PROJECT
Who: The City of Sacramento announces a special public hearing for the proposed project at 500 Capitol Mall (APN: 006-0146-030).
What: Angelo G. Tsakopoulos of Tsakopoulos Investments proposes to construct a 24-story, 396-foot tall high-rise building, consisting of 27,124 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 406,384 square feet of office, and a total of 794 parking spaces, for a total building area of 732,295 square feet in the Central Business District Special Planning District.
Why: To provide the public an opportunity to present their comments to the Planning Commission at a public hearing that will consider the project and hear an appeal of the Design Review Preservation Board on the same project.
When: Thursday January 18, 2007; at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Historic City Hall - Hearing Room, 915 I Street 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814
Contact: David Kwong, Planning Manager at (916) 808-2691 or Amy Williams, City Public Information Officer (916) 808-5014♦
» You can visit the City of Sacramento's website here ››.
» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: 500_Capitol_Mall, 5th-and-Capitol, Angelo_Tsakopoulos, downtown, events, highrise
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 4:25 PM,
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First Fremont Community Garden day - Sat 1/13
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Months and months of waiting patiently have finally paid off--this Saturday 1/13 will be everyone's first chance to get their hands dirty at the Fremont Community Garden site!From Evan Smestad:
It's been a long ... time in coming. So, we will start this Saturday, January 13th at 9:00 am and go until you can't take it anymore, or til 4:00pm whichever comes first. Also, we are trying to set up Monday, January 15th as a work day #2. [Hey, no competing with King Day of Service! ››]Let Evan know as soon as you can! If you're a Fremont Community Gardener but don't have Evan's contact info, email or call me and I'll pass it along... ♦
Please respond to let me know whether you can participate on Saturday and/or Monday.
Here's what we will be doing so far:
1. Raking leaves, pulling weeds and picking up trash
2. Digging 6inch deep trenches
3. Filling trenches with composite material for the containment blocks and stamp down
4. Place the first layer down of the containment blocks
5. Move soil around the plots
6. Move decomposed granite into the pathways
Here's what we need you to bring:
1. Working gloves
2. Shovels, rakes, wheel barrels, smiles and ideas
What we'll try and do for you:
1. Provide some tools, projects and directions
2. Provide some form of lunch. TBD If you have ideas or preferences, please let me know.
3. A WAIVER FORM for you to sign.
» You can visit the future Fremont Community Garden website here ›› or information about the garden on CADA's website here ››.
» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: 14th-and-Q, CADA, community_gardens, downtown, events, Fremont_Community_Garden, Midtown, sustainability
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 2:29 PM,
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Sacramento's Central City development pipeline
Saturday, January 6, 2007
I traded the grid for salty bay area air for the day as I write from unseasonably sunny Berkeley, California.
With all the development going on or slated for the downtown area, it can be hard to wrap one's brain around it.
In the December community workshop, the City of Sacramento showcased an update to the Urban Design Plan. Included in the update were several great renderings of the city now and in various development scenarios. While doing a little catching up on things that were neglected during the holidays, I stumbled across the plan update I'd downloaded and decided to include an image from it...
Below is one of several images from the presentation (you can view or download the entire presentation here) that clearly shows current development and pipeline projects for downtown--and the railyards.
Whether or not some of these projects will be built remains to be seen--and will probably be largely determined by the success of projects currently under construction as well as the direction of building costs and the real estate market.
Missing from the images are Midtown projects like Sotiris Kolokotronis' L Street Lofts currently under construction. ♦
» You can visit the City of Sacramento's website here ›› and the Downtown Urban Design Workshop here ››.
» You can view or download the Sacramento Urban Design Plan Update from the community workshop conducted by the city here ››.
» As always, you can email Rob here.
Labels: development, downtown, Urban_Design_Plan
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posted by Rob McQuade @ 12:05 PM,
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2007 State of Downtown
Thursday, January 4, 2007
I just purchased a gallery seat (all that was left a week before the event) for the fast-approaching 9th Annual State of Downtown Breakfast presented by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership at the Memorial Auditorium. The event is being held 8-10am Thursday 1/11 and Chris Leinberger ›› of the Brookings Institution will be the keynote. To be discussed: Downtown's revitalization, specific projects, and programs.See everyone there! ♦
» You can visit the Downtown Sacramento Partnership's website