Sacramento Proposal/Approval/Construction Thread - III

[bennywah]

some pics of calstrs, photos by me

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/6485/dsc7659tj8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/3310/dsc7662zg9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/7672/dsc7664pr8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/570/dsc7666ho0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[SacUrbnPlnr]

Why was he mayor for only one year???


That appeal on the Metro was made October 31st, 2007.

Does that mean it took over 60 days to address the appeal by the Council?
Then Saca has to draft the report, gain approval, circulate the DEIR for 45
days and then get final Council approval before beggining construction?

It would really suck for him if the end product isn't going to include the hotel
anyway. I know nothing comes easy here, but it really sucks that this douche
is given a platform to extort the system in such a way. The Honorable Mayor
should see past this bullshit, but she instead initiated this "call up" of the project.


Mr. Kopper is merely the symptom. The cause is the way CEQA law is written and interpreted by the courts to favor the ability of individuals to successfully raise objections to the adequcy of an EIR if a fair argument can be made. The threshold for a "fair argument" under law and judicial precedent is not terribly high. Therefore, it behooves the City to anticipate, to the best of its ability, possible issues that could raise challenges, and ensure that the EIR addresses those issues at outset. We may think that this is overkill, but it can save time in the long run by avoiding a lengthy (and possibly successful) legal challenge.

[Majin]

Serious questions/concerns about parking in the Central City and Broadway area.

As far as I understand, the city has been trying to move to urbanizing and densifying the area and reversing the suburban policies that have plagued the Central City for a long time. What exactly are the parking requirements right now? Why are there any parking minimums in the first place? Why not parking maximums? Is there no one in the city management that are pushing these policies?

Also, why is there not a push/desire by city magementment, like towerdistrict mentioned in his post earlier, to do things like improve the sidewalks/walkiblity of redevlopment districts like Broadway by widening the curbs, changing them to vertical curbs and adding street parking? As it is right now, the majority of broadway sidewalks are absolute crap (very small, rolled curbs) with NO street parking. If they are serious about real urban redevelopment, how can they not have greatly improving the experience for pedrestrians being included in the formula? Doesnt anybody get it? If they do these kinds of things, no one will need to worry about things like "no one is going to walk a block to my business", or have to worry about parking lots due to the abundance of street parking.

Seriously, why isnt anybody pushing these things?

[TowerDistrict]

I'm pretty sure that the sidewalk is this business owner/resident's responsibility.
The City is not going to go out of their pocket to fix up a business owners
property without there being some big push behind it. And the problem
with many commercial corridors, was that there hadn't been any sort of
collective of business owners to say or do anything about it.

That's why now we're seeing several of these property and business
improvement districts pop up. The downtown Partnership was actually
the first in the state. Now Midtown, Broadway and Oak Park have all
formed PBIDs for their respective hoods. Those three were formed within
the last 8 months or so.

Changes like the sidewalk maintainence and parking solutions will be high
on their priorities, and subsequently the City's as well.

[Majin]

If the city waits for business to thrown in money for improvements, we can already see the result of such efforts on K street. Not going to happen.

Also, where can I find more information about these new improvement district and what the plans/timeslines are for them? I would like to know if these are just fluff or if they are actually going to do something.

Also, what about the problem with parking minimums? No one is pushing to get rid of them, or at least greatly reduce them?

[TowerDistrict]

Mr. Kopper is merely the symptom. The cause is the way CEQA law is written and interpreted by the courts to favor the ability of individuals to successfully raise objections to the adequcy of an EIR if a fair argument can be made. The threshold for a "fair argument" under law and judicial precedent is not terribly high. Therefore, it behooves the City to anticipate, to the best of its ability, possible issues that could raise challenges, and ensure that the EIR addresses those issues at outset. We may think that this is overkill, but it can save time in the long run by avoiding a lengthy (and possibly successful) legal challenge.

Yeah I see what you're saying. But it sucks, and i like to vent :hell:

I think the City should closely monitor the hours its wasted entertaining
Mr. Kopper's ridiculous charades. Why not counter sue this guy for frivolous
delays incurred by his baseless protests? I know if pisses me off to watch
my City cow-toeing to some kinda ronin lawyer, just hoping not to get sued.

[TowerDistrict]

If the city waits for business to thrown in money for improvements, we can already see the result of such efforts on K street. Not going to happen.

Also, where can I find more information about these new improvement district and what the plans/timeslines are for them? I would like to know if these are just fluff or if they are actually going to do something.

Also, what about the problem with parking minimums? No one is pushing to
get rid of them, or at least greatly reduce them?

PBID
PBIDs are private entities. So they don't have to maintain the transparency
that the City does. Search the agendas (http://sacramento.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=7) to find out more about the PBIDs.
I can show you this link (http://sacramento.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=8&event_id=2&meta_id=137628), where just today, the City will loan the Midtown
PBID $150k for start-up costs. So it's really a public/private thing. Their
objectives can be a total mystery, but not if they want the City to help out.

Edit: check here for the Midtown PBID (http://www.mbasac.com/PBID1.php)

Parking
The City has been pretty nonchalant in handing out waivers for not meeting
the parking minimums. But it's a drop in the bucket. Most of the new
highrises are going above and beyond the minimums - maybe because they
can lease those off for some extra scratch? i dunno?

[sugit]

Wow..after 3 tries looks like Shallot got it right.

The part that concerns me is this sounds like it's going to $$$$ to buy out the lease AND build an interim depot at Richards Blvd..plus who knows how long it will take.

With that said, between this, the Marshall potentially becoming a hotel, Berry Hotel being renovated, and the 700/800 block, one of the more seedy areas in downtown cleans up quite a bit.

Does this mean 701L Street is back in play? I can't imagine the city would make this deal to just let it sit empty. I still wouldn't mind a kick-ass year-around farmers market in that building.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Deal in the works for Greyhound station move
By Terri Hardy - thardy@sacbee.com

A much-anticipated deal to move the Greyhound Bus station out of downtown is expected to be signed by Thursday, Mayor Heather Fargo said in an interview Tuesday.

A letter of intent between Sacramento and Danny Benvenuti, the owner of the Greyhound site at Seventh and L streets, would have the city buy out Benvenuti's lease with the bus company and build an interim depot at 300 Richards Blvd., Fargo said.

More discussions would be needed to hammer out further details, Fargo said. If the deal goes through, it would end more than 10 years of serious discussion, she said.

"This is the closest we've ever gotten, but it's not done yet," Fargo said.

It's unclear at this point how long it would take to build a new Greyhound station, which will be an interim location until permanent bus service can be located in the planned transportation hub at the downtown railyard, Fargo said.

The city owns the office building and adjoining acreage at 300 Richards Blvd. The renovated structure that's to house the temporary bus station will also soon be occupied by as many as 390 Police Department employees, including bicycle officers and the Crime Scene Investigations Unit.

Also, more than 300 Department of Development Services will relocate to the building.

Police and business leaders point to the current Greyhound station as a crime magnet, attracting drug activity and the homeless. It also is the spot where the state's Department of Corrections drops off parolees just released from prison, Fargo said.

Fargo said the location receives more calls for police service than any other single spot in the city. However, she said that a number of factors, not just Greyhound, contribute to the perception that the area is unsafe.

Some people have criticized plans to move Greyhound, saying a more isolated location will be inconvenient for travelers. However, Fargo said there will be increased bus service near the Richards Boulevard site, as well as a shuttle to City Hall. A light rail station also is planned for the area.

Restaurants and hotels also are close by, she said.

"Moving Greyhound is a big deal," Fargo said. "People have been hopeful about this for some time."

[TowerDistrict]

Whoa!

Anyone know a good place that serves crow? :dunce:

[JeffZurn]

^ Excellent news, I doubt anything will happen any time soon but having that property open for potentially l another high rise is always good news!

[doriankage]

Wow..after 3 tries looks like Shallot got it right.

The part that concerns me is this sounds like it's going to $$$$ to buy out the lease AND build an interim depot at Richards Blvd..plus who knows how long it will take.

With that said, between this, the Marshall potentially becoming a hotel, Berry Hotel being renovated, and the 700/800 block, one of the more seedy areas in downtown cleans up quite a bit.

Does this mean 701L Street is back in play? I can't imagine the city would make this deal to just let it sit empty. I still wouldn't mind a kick-ass year-around farmers market in that building.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Deal in the works for Greyhound station move
By Terri Hardy - thardy@sacbee.com

A much-anticipated deal to move the Greyhound Bus station out of downtown is expected to be signed by Thursday, Mayor Heather Fargo said in an interview Tuesday.

A letter of intent between Sacramento and Danny Benvenuti, the owner of the Greyhound site at Seventh and L streets, would have the city buy out Benvenuti's lease with the bus company and build an interim depot at 300 Richards Blvd., Fargo said.

More discussions would be needed to hammer out further details, Fargo said. If the deal goes through, it would end more than 10 years of serious discussion, she said.

"This is the closest we've ever gotten, but it's not done yet," Fargo said.

It's unclear at this point how long it would take to build a new Greyhound station, which will be an interim location until permanent bus service can be located in the planned transportation hub at the downtown railyard, Fargo said.

The city owns the office building and adjoining acreage at 300 Richards Blvd. The renovated structure that's to house the temporary bus station will also soon be occupied by as many as 390 Police Department employees, including bicycle officers and the Crime Scene Investigations Unit.

Also, more than 300 Department of Development Services will relocate to the building.

Police and business leaders point to the current Greyhound station as a crime magnet, attracting drug activity and the homeless. It also is the spot where the state's Department of Corrections drops off parolees just released from prison, Fargo said.

Fargo said the location receives more calls for police service than any other single spot in the city. However, she said that a number of factors, not just Greyhound, contribute to the perception that the area is unsafe.

Some people have criticized plans to move Greyhound, saying a more isolated location will be inconvenient for travelers. However, Fargo said there will be increased bus service near the Richards Boulevard site, as well as a shuttle to City Hall. A light rail station also is planned for the area.

Restaurants and hotels also are close by, she said.

"Moving Greyhound is a big deal," Fargo said. "People have been hopeful about this for some time."

About frickin time!!!
However, I am not going to hold my breath for it. I am sure some lawyer will sue the city saying that the downtrodden in the city and those released from prison will not how access to transportation and that the California Central Valley Cockroach will starve from not getting enough trash and that the moon Titan will loose methane as well.
May the Gods bless Sacramento!

[sugit]

About frickin time!!!
However, I am not going to hold my breath for it. I am sure some lawyer will sue the city saying that the downtrodden in the city and those released from prison will not how access to transportation and that the California Central Valley Cockroach will starve from not getting enough trash and that the moon Titan will loose methane as well.
May the Gods bless Sacramento!

I hear ya..and agree. You just know there is going to be some sort of lawsuit on this. If the city is building a facility, even temporary, I imagine that would require and EIR and we all know what that means.

[Majin]

Heres an idea:

The city should seriously invest in hiring a counter-sue department with the sole intention of counter suing every obvious attempt to delay projects. Enough of these counter sues and people will just stop bothering with these lawsuits.

[creamcityleo79]

Say what you will; but, I have stood by Fargo in most things and under her watch more has happened in Downtown and Midtown than any mayor in recent history! She has seen a deal for the Railyards, seen eminent domain authorized for the Mo properties on K St, and now this. I have to give it to her. She has done some great things for this city! You may now feel free to flame me! I've got my fire retardant clothes on!

[doriankage]

Heres an idea:

The city should seriously invest in hiring a counter-sue department with the sole intention of counter suing every obvious attempt to delay projects. Enough of these counter sues and people will just stop bothering with these lawsuits.

I guess we know who is big government here!!!:haha:

I think CEQA needs to be rewritten or overturned. This is just my opinion.

[doriankage]

Say what you will; but, I have stood by Fargo in most things and under her watch more has happened in Downtown and Midtown than any mayor in recent history! She has seen a deal for the Railyards, seen eminent domain authorized for the Mo properties on K St, and now this. I have to give it to her. She has done some great things for this city! You may now feel free to flame me! I've got my fire retardant clothes on!

FLAME ON!!!!:hell:

OK, I personally don't care for her. My opinion. I think she happened to be mayor at the right time. You would think being a full time mayor she would get a lot more done, but hasn't in my opinion. I think she still the mayor of a cow town. I think she doesn't have a strong backbone. Look at N. Natomas. Her area, suppose to be a model for development and look what she helped create.

Has she been a good cheerleader? Maybe. But I think she is getting to much credit for a lot of the progress the city is experiencing.

I hope she doesn't get reelected this year. Change....(OK, I am a PR person. Catchword of the week!)
Lets see if we can get someone in office, who has a spine, a vision, and can sell that vision to the city and the rest of the region. That is what we need in office.

[sugit]

Heres an idea:

The city should seriously invest in hiring a counter-sue department with the sole intention of counter suing every obvious attempt to delay projects. Enough of these counter sues and people will just stop bothering with these lawsuits.

I say we get Jack Bauer to head up this new CSU (Counter Sue Unit) program. I bet we would see considerable results.

"Who do you work for?!?!?!!" What is your objective?!?!"

http://dominiek.be/wp-content/Vierundzwanzig_9327/bauer2.jpg

[sugit]

Say what you will; but, I have stood by Fargo in most things and under her watch more has happened in Downtown and Midtown than any mayor in recent history! She has seen a deal for the Railyards, seen eminent domain authorized for the Mo properties on K St, and now this. I have to give it to her. She has done some great things for this city! You may now feel free to flame me! I've got my fire retardant clothes on!

Among other things, if I see more tangible progress on K Street (even if it is 10 years late), move Greyhound, and get the Docks moving I will reconsider my position with her.

She has what? 8 more months until elections? I've never questioned her booster attitude of downtown, but I haven't felt like we have seen enough heavy handed action from her. That's what I need to see from her. She steps into the background too much for what I expect from the 'leader' of our city. She should be the deal closer on many of the issues we all talk about here.

I'm still not convinced she can get this city to the next level, and as of right now, I think I would vote another way, but I will keep my eye on her for my support...that is until Majin runs for mayor.

[ltsmotorsport]

But who is he representing in all this? How does he even make money? Just from his divorce cases? And lastly, why doesn't a judge put a stop to this fool. This guy has his picture next to 'frivolous' in the dictionary.

[creamcityleo79]

Keep in mind the amount of NIMBY's in Sacramento. Fargo tows a very fine line between pissing NIMBY's off and pissing YIMBY's off. In a city like this, she is getting things done, in my opinion, the best way she can. If she is reelected, I think you will see more heavy handed movement coming from City Hall.

[urban_encounter]

I still wouldn't mind a kick-ass year-around farmers market in that building.

I'm not convinced it would be successful considering the last attempt at a year round public market bombed in Old Sacramento..


Thoughts?

[Bob Lablaw]

I'm not convinced it would be successful considering the last attempt at a year round public market bombed in Old Sacramento..


Thoughts?

IMHO, aside from virtually non-existant marketing, the Old Sacramento farmers' market bombed for these reasons:


It was placed in the middle of a tourist area that caters primarily to out-of-towners. The only time I see more locals than tourists in the area is after hours when they are hitting up the bars and nightspots, and hitting up the farmers market isn't on their priority list when bar hopping.
The Old Sac area is pretty effectively isolated by I-5, and it's not exactly a place where locals pass by between points A and B, unless one of those points happened to be in Old Sac.
There really aren't very many people living within a 1/2 mile radius of the market. Contrast that with a well known place like Pike Place in Seattle, where the immediate surrounding area has very high density residential development within that radius.
There is next to no public transit in Old Sac (other than the little trolley bus that RT operates, again mainly for the tourists).

I agree that a farmers market would be great for downtown, but I'm just not feeling the Greyhound site for that use, even though it would be much better in regards to points 1, 2 and 4 above, and marginally better in regards to point 3.

I personally would much rather see a scenario where Worstfield sells DTP, the city redevelops the entire mall area with mid-rise condos, and incorporates the farmers market there. But that's just my pipe dream.

[wburg]

Keep in mind that the building is a registered Sacramento landmark structure, which makes it a lot harder to knock down. That being said, repurposing the building, building something considerably taller where the Royal Hotel used to be, and a cosmetic restoration would definitely be cool.

A public market would be very nice indeed in the old bus bay. It's always incredibly annoying when the farmer's markets stop happening...I'd rather pick up veggies on my lunchbreak than to drive out to Southside Park on Sunday morning. You'd get a lot of foot traffic from state workers (the Wednesday market at Plaza Park is always a mob scene, when it happens) as well as some from people living within walking distance--and easy access via light rail too.

[sugit]

I'm not convinced it would be successful considering the last attempt at a year round public market bombed in Old Sacramento..

Thoughts?

That I think is the biggest reason.

[arod74]

Looks like someone tipped off Shallit and is making what seemed like an unlikely prediction for 2008 for the relocation of Greyhound a strong possibility hoorah...

Deal in the works for Greyhound station move
By Terri Hardy - thardy@sacbee.com
Published 2:17 pm PST Tuesday, January 8, 2008

A much-anticipated deal to move the Greyhound Bus station out of downtown is expected to be signed by Thursday, Mayor Heather Fargo said in an interview Tuesday.

A letter of intent between Sacramento and Danny Benvenuti, the owner of the Greyhound site at Seventh and L streets, would have the city buy out Benvenuti's lease with the bus company and build an interim depot at 300 Richards Blvd., Fargo said.

More discussions would be needed to hammer out further details, Fargo said. If the deal goes through, it would end more than 10 years of serious discussion, she said.

"This is the closest we've ever gotten, but it's not done yet," Fargo said.

It's unclear at this point how long it would take to build a new Greyhound station, which will be an interim location until permanent bus service can be located in the planned transportation hub at the downtown railyard, Fargo said.

The city owns the office building and adjoining acreage at 300 Richards Blvd. The renovated structure that's to house the temporary bus station will also soon be occupied by as many as 390 Police Department employees, including bicycle officers and the Crime Scene Investigations Unit.

Also, more than 300 Department of Development Services will relocate to the building.

Police and business leaders point to the current Greyhound station as a crime magnet, attracting drug activity and the homeless. It also is the spot where the state's Department of Corrections drops off parolees just released from prison, Fargo said.

Fargo said the location receives more calls for police service than any other single spot in the city. However, she said that a number of factors, not just Greyhound, contribute to the perception that the area is unsafe.

Some people have criticized plans to move Greyhound, saying a more isolated location will be inconvenient for travelers. However, Fargo said there will be increased bus service near the Richards Boulevard site, as well as a shuttle to City Hall. A light rail station also is planned for the area.

Restaurants and hotels also are close by, she said.

"Moving Greyhound is a big deal," Fargo said. "People have been hopeful about this for some time."

[goldcntry]

I just wish at times she had been a little more forceful and didn't try to please everyone all the time. As the old axiom goes, You can't please everyone all the time; if you try, you'll only end up pleasing noone.

Have things happened under her regiem? Absolutely. What I question is whether they would have happened without her "leadership" and policies? I feel that much would have occured regardless of what Mayor Fargo would have done. And how much credit/blame goes toward the City Manager? We live in a city where the Mayor has relatively little power when compared to the city manager. Who's the real target?

Regardless, I feel we need a more dynamic, charismatic mayor and a take-charge city manager with huevos of steel.

(lights token match for weak flame)

:tomato:

[wburg]

goldcntry hits the nail on the head: the city manager is really the one who calls the shots for much of the city, but we don't see Ray Kerridge's name tossed around much, even here on Skyscraperpage where one assumes folks would be more familiar with city government.

[sugit]

Bus depot may be moving
Deal near to relocate Greyhound station to Richards Boulevard.
By Terri Hardy - thardy@sacbee.com

If criminal activity were mapped like Doppler radar, the corner of Seventh and L streets in downtown Sacramento would be crimson red.

Home to the Greyhound bus depot, liquor stores and residential hotels, the area is an impediment to revitalization and downtown's biggest source of police calls, according to city officials and business leaders. It's even the drop-off spot for parolees.

Now, a much-anticipated change is in the works to move Greyhound out of downtown, Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo said Tuesday.

A letter of intent between Sacramento and Danny Benvenuti, owner of the existing Greyhound site at 715 L St., is expected to be signed by Thursday, officials said. The deal would have the city buy out Benvenuti's lease with the bus company.

"Moving Greyhound is a big deal," Fargo said. "People have been hopeful about this for some time."

An interim bus station would be built on city property at 300 Richards Blvd., and paid for though Greyhound lease payments. More discussion is needed to hammer out details, Fargo said.

If the deal goes through, it would end two decades of serious discussions.

"This is the closest we've ever gotten, but it's not over yet," Fargo said.

The mayor hopes to announce a completed agreement during her "State of the Downtown" address on Thursday.

Benvenuti on Tuesday said he was discussing three potential agreements with the city or Greyhound.

"We have an understanding but we need time to complete the agreements," Benvenuti said, adding that Greyhound is happy to move forward with this new city proposal.

Benvenuti said the push to move the downtown bus station started in 1987 with a proposal from then-Mayor Anne Rudin.

"Twenty years and 70 different proposed sites later, the city came up with 300 Richards Boulevard. Fortunately, Greyhound likes it, too," he said.

Instead of a previous proposal to build a 31-story office and apartment complex at the Seventh and L streets site, Benvenuti said he's studying a hotel and apartment complex.

"There's a huge shortage of hotel rooms in downtown and this is just a great site, with proximity to the Downtown Plaza and the Capitol," Benvenuti said.

A call to Greyhound for comment was not returned.

Greyhound officials in the past have said they liked the Richards Boulevard site because it would provide more space, easy access to Interstate 5 and service by city buses.

For years, moving Greyhound has been a priority for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. On Tuesday, Executive Director Michael Ault agreed that not all problems in the area are caused by Greyhound. He recalled, however, that he steered visitors interested in investing in Sacramento away from the Greyhound location when he was giving tours.

"Many times, there were potential deals or transactions impacted by the facility and its environment," Ault said.

Ault said he believes Greyhound's departure will add momentum to downtown redevelopment. Fargo said it will make people feel safer.

Jennifer Morita agreed. The state Employment Development Department employee wrinkled her nose and shook her head Tuesday when asked if she walks in the area at night.

"I just don't feel comfortable," Morita said.

On Tuesday, dozens of bus passengers stranded by the bad weather were crammed into the Greyhound station, many sitting or stretched out on the floor. One man, sleeping with his head on a suitcase, was lying in what appeared to be his own urine.

Outside, despite the rain, a stranded musician, bound for Seattle, played a mournful blues tune on his trumpet. Johnny Hazelwood, a Sacramento resident, listened.

Hazelwood said he likes to hang around the station. Good people congregate there, he explained, and he doesn't want it moved.

Under the city's proposed deal with Benvenuti, a temporary station would be built next to a city-owned office building on Richards Boulevard. Eventually, the station will find a permanent home in a planned transportation hub at the railyard development.

The Richards Boulevard site is in a warehouse district for companies selling goods such as restaurant fixtures, furniture and dog show equipment. But the area is attracting new housing and retail businesses. It even has a new moniker: "The River District."

Johann Otto, president of the River District's business improvement committee, said he had no problem with the relocation.

Greyhound travelers will find services nearby. For food, there's McDonald's, Lyon's and Awful Wally's, a local favorite a few blocks away. For lodging, the Governor's Inn motel is close by, next to a Super 8. Also nearby is the Union Gospel Mission, which provides beds and meals.

The city's office building there will house more than 300 city Department of Development Services employees. And in mid-March, hundreds of Police Department employees – from bike patrol officers to members of the Crime Scene Investigations Unit – also will move in.

Konrad Von Schoech, a Sacramento police spokesman, said department officials and the city will design a secure bus station on Richards.

That shouldn't be lost on potential troublemakers.

"The police department is going to be right next door," he said.

[TowerDistrict]

goldcntry hits the nail on the head: the city manager is really the one who calls the shots for much of the city, but we don't see Ray Kerridge's name tossed around much, even here on Skyscraperpage where one assumes folks would be more familiar with city government.

I think his name gets brought up here often enough. If there is a shared perspective of the
majority on this forum, then it's probably more in line with Kerridge than anyone else.

If Fargo's name gets smeared accross this forum and other media, it's largely because she
maintains this very public facade of benevolence. That "please everyone" mentality is what
drives special interest groups crazy, because it means little specific action. Kerridge can make
the moves freely without the spotlight because Fargo takes the heat.

Kerridge has produced results, without question. The streamlining of the development process
(Matrix) is partly what keeps this forum active with projects to discuss. I've heard it from
mouths of developers, architects and planners... it's doing the trick.

Kerridge is just not the public figure Fargo is. And I also think that if Fargo was to pay such
close attention to a couple small agendas, she would be run out of town. I'll bet 95% of this
City's residents don't give a rat's ass about streamlining the development process. There are
precious few who even care about the Central City at all.

I really don't have much criticism for either of the two. During the short time I've been paying
attention to local issues, I've seen a lot of change and progress (in my eyes). But more in
the way of numerous small steps forward. I see the streets are improving, infill is steadily
blossoming, public involvement is increasing, neighborhoods are improving drastically.

700-800 K Street was a big step back, but the Railyards are a huge step forward. The Docks
are lurching forward and the Waterfront Promenade is inevitable - not just a community
charrette idea (big difference).

I'm not sold on another term for Fargo. But I may be hard pressed to find another candidate
that shares so many of the same interests.

[TowerDistrict]

Bus depot may be moving
Deal near to relocate Greyhound station to Richards Boulevard.
By Terri Hardy - thardy@sacbee.com

Instead of a previous proposal to build a 31-story office and apartment complex at the Seventh and L streets site, Benvenuti said he's studying a hotel and apartment complex.

Here's the previous version as it was presented to the City....

Case / Application / Permit Number: P05-075
Type / Classification: Planning, P Files / Up to 10 Entitlements
Address: 703 L ST, SACRAMENTO, CA
Parcel Number: 00600960170000
File Date: 5/20/2005
Status: PLN_GENERAL - In Progress
Status Date: N/A
Valuation: $0.00
Fees: $30,977.76 <-- ouch!
Payments: $30,468.60
Balance: $509.16 <-- that's funny

Description:
The applicant proposes to demolish or move the existing building on the
site and construct a 583,332 gross sq ft mixed use building. The building
will be 31 stories with retail on the first floor retail use, 230-240,000 gfs of
office; five levels of parking with 570 parking spaces and 80 rental units.
The building will be 422' to the highest point on the building. The building
will consist of two towers, the shorter being the office component and the
taller being the residential component. The site is zoned C-3 (Central
Business District) which permits residentail, retail and office by right. The
site is 0.73+/- net acres and currently utilized by the Greyhound Bus Depot.


--

Sounds to me like they'll use the same exact building design maybe? I hope
they do, as I thought 701 L was a great looking tower.

[JeffZurn]

^ Well I think it will be interesting to see how this thing unfolds. When Greyhound actully moves and when Benvenuti puts out the new renderings of what he is really planning.

[innov8]

Who is the architect of this ugly bldg?

Lionakis Beaumont Design Group Inc. They have an office on 19th Street.

[ozone]

IMHO, aside from virtually non-existant marketing, the Old Sacramento farmers' market bombed for these reasons:


It was placed in the middle of a tourist area that caters primarily to out-of-towners. The only time I see more locals than tourists in the area is after hours when they are hitting up the bars and nightspots, and hitting up the farmers market isn't on their priority list when bar hopping.
The Old Sac area is pretty effectively isolated by I-5, and it's not exactly a place where locals pass by between points A and B, unless one of those points happened to be in Old Sac.
There really aren't very many people living within a 1/2 mile radius of the market. Contrast that with a well known place like Pike Place in Seattle, where the immediate surrounding area has very high density residential development within that radius.
There is next to no public transit in Old Sac (other than the little trolley bus that RT operates, again mainly for the tourists).

I agree that a farmers market would be great for downtown, but I'm just not feeling the Greyhound site for that use, even though it would be much better in regards to points 1, 2 and 4 above, and marginally better in regards to point 3.

I personally would much rather see a scenario where Worstfield sells DTP, the city redevelops the entire mall area with mid-rise condos, and incorporates the farmers market there. But that's just my pipe dream.


Well those are all very plasible reasons why the OS Public Market failed but there's a two other factors that I think where more important.

1. My understanding is that the state was/is in control of the public market and charges way too much for the space. Addtionally the state parks has no idea how to run a successful public market and probably doesn't care to know.

2. The physical space itself does not follow the pattern of most all successful public markets. It's laid out more like a rustic strip mall than a public market.

A couple of other thoughts:
*Remember that for years there were NOT lots of people living close to Pikes Place. A public or farmer's market could easily thrive in a tourist area if it was done right and the space was special. The so-called Public Market in OS never had a chance for the reason I already gave.

BTW there are several temporary farmer's market around downtown throughout the week.

Here's a idea. Why not turn the parking lot under the freeway between the K Street tunnel and J Street into a weekly farmer's and vendors market? It's large open flexible space that can be laid out like most markets. Plus it's covered so it's good come rain or shine. Of course, when not a market it's back to being a parking lot. We could call it the "underground".

[wburg]

Another thing to remember about Pike Place is that it is government-subsidized...the farmers who grow the stuff that is sold there get a subsidy to do so, otherwise the produce would be too expensive to buy.

A market in between K and J Street in the parking structure wouldn't work too well, considering that the parking lot is occupied during the day and weekends, as that is the primary parking lot for Old Sacramento. It's pretty well-occupied during the day.

The Old Sacramento market, aka the Joe Serna Memorial Garage Door Museum, didn't work because people weren't very keen on the idea of driving to Old Sac for their produce, and yes, high rents. It was a city project that required use of State Parks facilities, largely over State Parks' objections (rightly so, I think) that it wasn't that bright of an idea.

There are several farmer's markets around downtown throughout the week, but most of them don't operate from May through October. A real farmer's market could operate seven days a week with a permanent location.

[quevinh]

goldcntry hits the nail on the head: the city manager is really the one who calls the shots for much of the city, but we don't see Ray Kerridge's name tossed around much, even here on Skyscraperpage where one assumes folks would be more familiar with city government.


I don't think Kerridge gets enough credit. Things really started happening when he took over, just like they did in Portland when he was there. When people try to knock Mayor Fargo for the snail's pace of city politics, I think they really ought blame Bob Thomas and the "can't do" culture he established in the city.

[sugit]

Looks like the 16th and H lofts are going on sale soon.

Check out the website for pricing info. Looks like you get a parking spot included in the purchase price as well.

http://www.uwinrealtygroup.com/properties/results.aspx?

[innov8]

Damn, that's crazy. Those prices work out to $532 per sf. and a monthly
payment with no money down would be $1,800.00 which doe's not include possible HOA fees.

Who would pay that much for a 582sf pad that's not on the river?

[TowerDistrict]

Maybe the same people now renting at 1801 L or 800J? There isn't a
product available right now that gets you into a brand new building in
a downtown location for that little.

Eveyone's going to have to put something down in this market. And I can
imagine that if this product cropped up three years ago, I might have taken
a serious look at it. I think it seems absurd because it's unprecendented.
But it's also a unique product.

My question is whether we'll see the same trend of the high-end units
going first? Because the way I see this product, is that the low-end units
are the most valuable.

[wburg]

Went to the State of the City event at the Memorial Auditorium. Not a whole lot to report that would be news to anyone here, but it did provide a nice printed update of downtown development by Downtown Sacramento Partnership. The one neat tidbit I took away was that the Kress Building is going to be restored, and done to LEED certification standards.

Mayor Fargo mostly talked about environmental awareness and the ways that cities can be part of the solution to ecological problems (by being walkable, not building on greenfields, etc.)

The keynote speaker's background was in history and I found his presentation most interesting. He talked about how downtowns collapsed nationwide in the 1950s-1970s and how they started revitalizing in the past decade. He gave some examples of movies from the 1970s, which talked about the city as crime-ridden, dangerous places (Escape from New York, Death Wish) and contrasted them with more recent TV shows that portrayed cities in more positive light (like Friends, Sex and the City) and mentioned that organized crime had moved to the suburbs (mentioning The Sopranos.) Jane Jacobs was invoked, too. He was talking about how office space will be an important part of Sacramento's mix, but then I had to leave early.

[TowerDistrict]

Was there anything about the Greyhound relocation?

The Bee article said fargo would have reached an agreement and further expound the details.

[innov8]

Maybe the same people now renting at 1801 L or 800J? There isn't a
product available right now that gets you into a brand new building in
a downtown location for that little.

Eveyone's going to have to put something down in this market. And I can
imagine that if this product cropped up three years ago, I might have taken
a serious look at it. I think it seems absurd because it's unprecendented.
But it's also a unique product.

My question is whether we'll see the same trend of the high-end units
going first? Because the way I see this product, is that the low-end units
are the most valuable.


Yeah, I guess that's true about 1801 L or 800J people being interested.

532sf is small though... I live in a 900sf home and that's comfortable for two.
Something this size could be just a crash pad for those on the go.

[sugit]

one neat tidbit I took away was that the Kress Building is going to be restored, and done to LEED certification standards.

It's being done by the same people that did the Ross Atkins building...

Damn, that's crazy. Those prices work out to $532 per sf. and a monthly payment with no money down would be $1,800.00 which doe's not include possible HOA fees.

Who would pay that much for a 582sf pad that's not on the river?

LOL...you almost sound like one of those people on Sacbee!!!! :cool:

Not everyone is interested in a being on the river though. If you want to be walkable to nightlife, restaurants, galleries, ect..you don't want to be on the river. Different values for everyone.

For example, if you wanted the nightlife, restaurants, galleries The Towers would be the last place I would have wanted to live.

If you are someone who likes to be out a lot, you don't need much space at all. The small units aren't meant for married couples, and esp people with kids, which is fine..I want to see housing of all sizes that fit different peoples life styles.

Because the way I see this product, is that the low-end units are the most valuable.

I agree. I bet those are the first to go. My brother called about the smallest units (395 sf) already.

[TowerDistrict]

532sf is small though... I live in a 900sf home and that's comfortable for two.
Something this size could be just a crash pad for those on the go.

Maybe that too. The reason I site 1801 and 800J is that it's been published
that people are often asking the building owner/management if they could
possibly purchase their unit.

[wburg]

td: She mentioned that she hoped to have a development agreement but was cheery about the whole thing. No real word on what might be replacing the station.

[sugit]

td: She mentioned that she hoped to have a development agreement but was cheery about the whole thing. No real word on what might be replacing the station.

It's not much, but she says hopefully in 2009
___________________________________________________________________

Fargo has a green mission for city
By Terri Hardy - thardy@sacbee.com
Published 11:21 am PST Thursday, January 10, 2008

Mayor Heather Fargo doesn't think "being green" is just hip or trendy. And, certainly, she said, it's not a fad or a buzz word.

In fact, she told a group of 600 downtown leaders Thursday that slowing emissions and dealing with climate change needs to be Sacramento's top priority.

"I want to ask you to help make this the agenda for Sacramento," Fargo said as part of her annual State of the Downtown address at Memorial Auditorium. "Every household, every person, even every business needs to join us in our efforts."

Fargo said in December the City Council passed two of her long-term goals for Sacramento, a Sustainability Master Plan and a green building program.

On another topic, Fargo said the city was close to sealing a deal that would move the downtown Greyhound bus station, a magnet for crime and the homeless, to a city-owned location on Richards Boulevard. A letter of intent between the city and the owner of the Greyhound site, Danny Benvenuti, needs to be signed.

"I'd hoped to hold it up and tell you it had been finalized, but we're not quite there yet," Fargo said.

The mayor added she hoped the interim station on Richards could be opened in 2009.

Conspicuously absent from the mayor's speech was any substantive mention of the economic problems that have slowed or killed several key projects downtown, including high-rise condos.

[innov8]

LOL...you almost sound like one of those people on Sacbee!!!! :cool:

Not everyone is interested in a being on the river though. If you want to be walkable to nightlife, restaurants, galleries, ect..you don't want to be on the river. Different values for everyone.

HA, I guess I did sound like one of those people. If it were located on L Street
or some place in that area it could perk my interest for that price. 16th and H
is IMO a place where I would not consider dropping that kind of money... I guess
this is for those who like to invest in adventure and risk ;) That corner will look
much improved when the projects finished though.

[wburg]

16th and H isn't without its beautiful views, though: the western side faces the historic Governor's Mansion, the northern side probably has a nice view of the industrial buildings along C Street, and the eastern side faces New Era Park's tree canopy. To the south you've got a nice overlook of the action on J Street and the Memorial Auditorium.

Personally I think those first for-sale prices will drop a bit before they start moving: as we've seen with other condo projects that actually get to market, the asking price and the selling price are not generally the same. If I wasn't a lover of old houses, and was single, I'd give those small spaces some serious thought if the price was around $160-180K. It's not much, but it's a start, and more importantly it's equity to later leverage into a larger place (maybe one with a river view) later on.

[TowerDistrict]

I've been hollering about this on the SacBee website, but I used to live at 13th
and H, and it was great. I would loved to stay in the area, because I saw how
much was moving in. The restaurants, clubs, theaters and more have all happened
in the last five years there, and it's not going to slow down much.

Unfortunately, there wasn't ANYTHING under $500,000 when I was looking to buy,
because all the was available was big victorians and larger renovated bungalows
in Boulevard Park.

It's funny, but I almost never went north for anything. So, yeah there's dodgy areas
north of G, but that's kind of the border. I can honestly say that I was never personally
endangered or hassled in the slightest. Though I must say the crowd at 16th Street
Donut made the Greyhound station look like the lobby of Trump Tower.

I also think 16th between G and D will make a huge turnaround very soon.

[TowerDistrict]

Also, where can I find more information about these new improvement district and what the plans/timeslines are for them? I would like to know if these are just fluff or if they are actually going to do something.

Majin, check this out (http://downtownsac.org/PDF/Final%20Strategic%20Action%20Plan.pdf)... it's the Downtown Partnership's 2007-2011 Strategic
Action Plan. It lists all of their objectives annd gives a time frame in which
they're looking to achieve those goals.

[goldcntry]

BREAKING NEWS: Mo is suing the city.

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/625047.html

:gasp:

Anyone surprised?

Anyone?

Bueler?

Bueler?

[Majin]

Hey Guys-

Does anybody know of a high quality map of yolo co, sac co, and placer co that includes all of the current city/districts borders? Something like this but on a much larger scale:

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/ns/images/maps/area_maps/area1_map.gif

I need it so I can start my city consolidation plan.

[Majin]

Majin, check this out (http://downtownsac.org/PDF/Final%20Strategic%20Action%20Plan.pdf)... it's the Downtown Partnership's 2007-2011 Strategic
Action Plan. It lists all of their objectives annd gives a time frame in which
they're looking to achieve those goals.

Thanks, I'll check this out.

[Majin]

BREAKING NEWS: Mo is suing the city.

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/625047.html

:gasp:

Anyone surprised?

Anyone?

Bueler?

Bueler?

Doesn't matter, it's not like the city voted to use ED without knowing already that he was going to sue over it.

My problem is with people who defend him. What exactly are they defending? It's especially funny when people bring up the railyards as a reason to defend him. If he actually cared about competition, instead of trying to derail other people's development he's be fixing up his properties. Same with Westfield.

[TowerDistrict]

Does anybody know of a high quality map of yolo co, sac co, and placer co that includes all of the current city/districts borders?


Take a look through here (http://cityofsacramento.org/dsd/reference/maps/). If you don't see anything, you should contact the
City and they would proabably help you out.

[innov8]

This looks like a good project for the area. 108 residential, 96 hotel rooms,
51,575sf office, 604 parking spots, and the highest point is 90' with 7 floors.

http://www.lucasenterprises.net/featured.htm

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2402/65thandfolsomty1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Majin]

This looks like a good project for the area. 108 residential, 96 hotel rooms,
51,575sf office, 604 parking spots, and the highest point is 90' with 7 floors.[/URL]

:yuck:

Even though the parking is excessive, from what i can tell in the rendering, it will be a parking garage and not surface? If so, looks good.

THIS is the kind of infill we need at 65th and folsom (and everywhere else for that matter), not that garbage that was built before.

They really need to get rid of that planter strip along folsom blvd and replace it with street parking. Maybe turn that current parking lot into green space to compensate.

You know what? Thats going to be one of the items in my general plan along with city consolidation. In a lot of areas (like folsom blvd) we have huge planter strips where street parking could be. We need to open up street parking in a lot more areas than we currently have.

[wburg]

This looks like a good project for the area. 108 residential, 96 hotel rooms,
51,575sf office, 604 parking spots, and the highest point is 90' with 7 floors.


Right on...it's nice to see some of the new growth going into neighborhoods outside the central city, creating just this sort of transit-oriented node. It should also make that light rail station a more comfortable place in the evenings, not to mention the walk to Sac State.

City planners showing how TODs work often show a Powerpoint slideshow that illustrates the corner of 65th and Folsom transforming from a one-story car-oriented corner to a dense mixed-use corner.

New vehicluar entrance to Sac State? That's news to me...interesting.

[goldcntry]

:awesome: Can I just present a one-man Standing Ovation for this project???

This will add sooooo much to that corner. My family and I are there quite often (Dos Coyotes, Jamba, game store). Once apon a time, they promised a Borders Books there... hopefully there'll be a book store there as well!

Build it! :whip:


:tomato:

[wburg]

I kinda hope they offer a spot to the burger place on the corner right now in one of the buildings: they do a mean cheeseburger. Plus it might be nice to have some local business in with the corporate chains.

I assume part of the reason for the parking structure is to maintain the park & ride aspect of the light rail station, as most of the project's current space is occupied by a parking lot.

I'm trying to think of places on Folsom Blvd. with "huge planter strips." Are you talking about landscaped strips in the middle of the street?

[Majin]

I kinda hope they offer a spot to the burger place on the corner right now in one of the buildings: they do a mean cheeseburger. Plus it might be nice to have some local business in with the corporate chains.

I assume part of the reason for the parking structure is to maintain the park & ride aspect of the light rail station, as most of the project's current space is occupied by a parking lot.

I'm trying to think of places on Folsom Blvd. with "huge planter strips." Are you talking about landscaped strips in the middle of the street?

No, Im talking about the landscaped strips on the sidewalk along Folsom Blvd. For example, the huge landscraped strips in front of the office max building at F65. All of that can be taken away and street parking be added.

[wburg]

No, Im talking about the landscaped strips on the sidewalk along Folsom Blvd. For example, the huge landscraped strips in front of the office max building at F65. All of that can be taken away and street parking be added.

One foreseeable problem is that the landscaped strip is generally part of the property owner's domain, rather than city property that can be taken and converted into parking. The other problem with parking that close to a busy intersection (where cars are typically traveling 35-45 MPH, or very backed up) is the strong possibility of accidents from people trying to parallel park into traffic. In either case, they have a parking lot in back (which removes cars from view and puts the building and lanscaping in the front) instead of street parking--which makes more sense than putting parking in the front and landscaping behind the building.

[YouSoSpecial]

I assume part of the reason for the parking structure is to maintain the park & ride aspect of the light rail station, as most of the project's current space is occupied by a parking lot.


That's not a parking lot - that's the bus transfer center. There are a half dozen bus lines that use it. How are they accommodated in this plan?

[sugit]

East End Gateway Site 1 at 16th and N is up for Design Review on Jan 16th. (http://www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd/meetings/commissions/design/2008/documents/DR07-389_DC_10-17-07.pdf)

- 15-Stories
- 125 Units: 63 1B/1B, 53 2B/2B, 3 townhouses, and 6 penthouse units
- 3,450 Retail Space

One thing I noticed right away that I like is how they wrap the parking with housing. That's such a damn site for sore eyes after 621 and Meridian II.

The down side is they are looking to use precast concrete...I'm not a fan of that stuff at all.

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/1121/eeg11gc0.png

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5245/eeg12un8.png

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3999/eeg13an0.png

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8123/eeg14hf4.png

[innov8]

Cool, thanks sugit. Been waiting to see these. I'm glad they wrap the building
to hide the parking too... I wish the city would make that mandatory for
new proposals. That stretch of 16th is going to be a buzzing with so much
in the works right now.

[Grimnebulin]

Does anyone know of a website for Tapestry Square? I searched and couldn't find one. Thanks!

[wburg]

Does anyone know of a website for Tapestry Square? I searched and couldn't find one. Thanks!
http://www.tapestrisquare.com/

[sacamenna kid]

among the nicest renderings of new things for Sacramento that I've seen in a long time. I think the wrap-around parking helps immensely, esp. so close to the Capitol Building. But the design itself (apart from the pre-cast stuff), and lower levels on N, make for fine composition.

[sugit]

among the nicest renderings of new things for Sacramento that I've seen in a long time. I think the wrap-around parking helps immensely, esp. so close to the Capitol Building. But the design itself (apart from the pre-cast stuff), and lower levels on N, make for fine composition.

I totally agree. I think that may be the best part of the design. Too many times it seems like the design on the side streets is totally forgotten and jacked up. This one interacts and puts eyes on the street.

[creamcityleo79]

I love it!

[creamcityleo79]

Yay for this!
Bob Shallit: Dough's been raised for Freeport Bakery to move
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, January 12, 2008
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1
http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2008/01/11/20/140-6B12SHALLIT.embedded.prod_affiliate.4.JPG

A new banner at Broadway and 19th Street announces the "future home" of Freeport Bakery.

But the popular gourmet bakery won't be moving from its current digs, just one light-rail stop south near William Land Park, for at least two years.

The sign? It went up because developers of the corner site – an impressive mixed-use project to be called Broadway Lofts – recently hosted an Urban Land Institute meeting and wanted to showcase their mouth-watering future tenant, says Marc Jasso, whose firm, Millennium Real Estate Services, is the project's lead partner.


Freeport Bakery's owners, Marlene and Walter Goetzeler, also are partners, along with an unnamed Bay Area company.

Under current plans, the bakery will more than double in size, occupying a 6,000-square-foot space facing Broadway. The rest of the new building, which wraps around the corner onto 19th Street, will include retail shops and live-work housing units. Up above will be four floors of LEED-certified apartments. Also in the works: a separate six-story office building at the block's northwest corner.

The existing building, which will be demolished, is occupied by a state prison office, a medical call center and church offices.

Jasso says his development team will seek City Council approval later this month and hopes to begin demolition work by early summer. Construction could take another 18 to 20 months, he says.

[BrianSac]

East End Gateway Site 1 at 16th and N is up for Design Review on Jan 16th. (http://www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd/meetings/commissions/design/2008/documents/DR07-389_DC_10-17-07.pdf)

- 15-Stories
- 125 Units: 63 1B/1B, 53 2B/2B, 3 townhouses, and 6 penthouse units
- 3,450 Retail Space

One thing I noticed right away that I like is how they wrap the parking with housing. That's such a damn site for sore eyes after 621 and Meridian II.

The down side is they are looking to use precast concrete...I'm not a fan of that stuff at all.

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/1121/eeg11gc0.png

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/5245/eeg12un8.png

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3999/eeg13an0.png

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8123/eeg14hf4.png

Shweet! So much better than that Lionakais eyesore proposed at 15th & Capitol(Taylor's new building)

[Web]

Shweet! So much better than that Lionakais eyesore proposed at 15th & Capitol(Taylor's new building)


isnt 15th and capitol fully developed???

[TowerDistrict]

isnt 15th and capitol fully developed???

State budget crisis forced the sale of the east lawn of Capitol Park.

Where have you been??!

[BrianSac]

isnt 15th and capitol fully developed???

I was actually talking about 15th and K streets...my bad.

[urban_encounter]

Wathcing the replay of the city council meeting from 1/8/08 (at 6:20 p.m.) the Metropolitan was appealed and called up for council reconsideration (due to a challenge to the EIR from Davis Attorney William Kopper.


Apparently his three secret clients (presumably the same three who are challenging the railyards), challenged the EIR..

But the really funny part is that the city council started complaining about the Metropolitan.

The Mayor said that she would personally call up large projects until the city has a height restriction in place.

Cohn (although not present) wants the building to go back to the design review for redesign and new setbacks because he wouldn't be able to see the Capitol building from his city hall office. Lauren Hammond echoed the same meesage.

The Mayor thinks the building is designed too "sleek" for the historic surroundings..

Apparently the council is less interested about getting a major residential highrise off the ground than they are their views from city hall..

Saca will eventually throw his hands in the air and realize the chances of getting a residential highrise built in this city are slim.

[Majin]

Man you really have to be kidding me...

Why are these kind of people in power? Can someone get this circus out of here?

[Majin]

How about the forumers plan a trip to city hall to the next council meeting and present to try to knock some sense into the council? I mean, with most of these "arguments" presented by them such as not being able to see the capitol from their office, it just seems unreal.

Why in the world you send the project through more hoops for something stupid like that? "Too sleek"?

Sorry, this is just making me fustrated beyond belief.

[cozmoose]

By Marcos Bretón - mbreton@sacbee.com

Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, January 13, 2008

Sacramento is facing a $55 million budget deficit, has critical development projects pending downtown, and Mayor Heather Fargo offers this bit of wisdom:

We each need to change one light bulb to a compact fluorescent because it's good for the environment. Oh, and be sure to walk more and drink tap water to promote a "green Sacramento."

No lie. Such were the primary points Fargo made during a "State of the Downtown 2008" speech to an auditorium filled with regional leaders and serious people last week.

Delivered at Memorial Auditorium, her talk was amazingly lacking in substance, and ultimately depressing considering our complex times.

There is no political risk in promoting the idea of a "Green Sacramento." It's like saying we should all be nice to each other.

If you really want to make Sacramento green, why give a dumbed-down version of how to do it? Fargo knows the issue, has pushed the city toward embracing lowered energy use and carbon emissions. Why not tout that in a serious, detailed way that resonates with people?

When you have a room full of large-scale developers, as Fargo did, why not use your pulpit to educate them on how "green" building materials can be cost-effective too? Why not show them that they can still make their money and build projects that are better for the environment?

The point is, there was no point, no vision, no risk, no message of any real substance.

There was also no sense from Fargo of how the city will respond to Sacramento's budget shortfall and the inevitable pink slips for city workers and cutbacks in city services.

Others were left to articulate the brutal work of developing the downtown railyard in a depressed economy. Fargo wanted to announce that the downtown Greyhound bus station may be moving after 20 years of failed tries – but there is no deal yet. So she announced that there may be an announcement. Maybe.

And then she tried flattering the Westfield Mall conglomerate after the City Council had disparaged the owners of the Downtown Plaza last month. No matter. Westfield sued the city the next day.

The impression left is of Fargo not as a strong mayor, but as one frustrated voice on a City Council incapable of managing a tough, powerful, city tenant.

"It was a missed opportunity to talk about the future of downtown, no question," said Matt Mahood, president and CEO of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.

In March, Fargo is scheduled to give her "State of the City" speech before Mahood's group. Here's a tip: Try harder. March is also when time runs out for Fargo challengers to get their names on the June ballot. Fargo is running unopposed for a third, four-year term.

There has been a lot of clandestine smack talk around town about how Fargo has no vision – how she can't marshal five votes on the council; is driven by issues others see as arcane; is about the process over results; plays it safe; and leaves tougher issues to others, such as City Councilman Rob Fong.

But Fong says he isn't running, and a host of supposed political talent is staying on the sidelines and sniping – but never on the record, of course.

(Insert chicken sound here).

It was tough watching Fargo struggle as she walked to the podium to give her flawed speech. The effects of multiple sclerosis are clearly progressing.

But it was even tougher listening to her because Sacramento needs much more from its mayor.

[BrianSac]

How about the forumers plan a trip to city hall to the next council meeting and present to try to knock some sense into the council? I mean, with most of these "arguments" presented by them such as not being able to see the capitol from their office, it just seems unreal.

Why in the world you send the project through more hoops for something stupid like that? "Too sleek"?

Sorry, this is just making me fustrated beyond belief.

Sleek, in my opinion, are some of the most attractive buildings.

Serna is flip flopping in his grave as we speak. ;)

[Majin]

Hey guys, im serious about us forumers organizing to either convince current city council to change their ways or if that fails, overthrow them and install a new council. Who's with me? We should start comming up with some talking points, spread them throughout the grid (don't bother with the suburbs) and organize a grassroots campaign for a coup of the current council. Again, I am dead serious about this.

Also, does anybody know how I would go about contacting John Saca?

[wburg]

"overthrow" and "coup" generally involve lining people up against the wall and shooting them. is this what you have in mind, majin?

[Majin]

"overthrow" and "coup" generally involve lining people up against the wall and shooting them. is this what you have in mind, majin?

Something a little less extreme.

[Web]

Also, does anybody know how I would go about contacting John Saca?


Go into a Filco store and ask......

[wburg]

Something a little less extreme.
Okay then...I was worried you were going to end up like Yukio Mishima!

Contacting John Saca:

http://www.saca.biz/index.htm
77 Cadillac Drive, Suite 150
Sacramento, CA 95825
Call:(916) 920-0400
Fax:(916) 641-0400
Email: reception@saca.biz

[creamcityleo79]

I withdraw any support I had of Heather Fargo in the past! She is a NIMBY and is now showing her true colors. Get that bitch out NOW! For once, I'm with Majin!

[BOTC]

I withdraw any support I had of Heather Fargo in the past! She is a NIMBY and is now showing her true colors. Get that bitch out NOW! For once, I'm with Majin!

:haha:


Self expression isn't a problem for you is it neuhickman...

[creamcityleo79]

:haha:


Self expression isn't a problem for you is it neuhickman...
I'm a Leo, I'm gay, and I sing and write music! I think I'm okay in the self expression department! ;)

[Majin]

C'mon, all we have is me and neuhickman so far? We have been sitting here bitching on the forums for the past 2 years and it's got us nothing. We need to stop bitching and start taking some action.

Lets come together and get this thing started.

[innov8]

C'mon, all we have is me and neuhickman so far? We have been sitting here bitching on the forums for the past 2 years and it's got us nothing. We need to stop bitching and start taking some action.

Lets come together and get this thing started.

Who will lead this movement? I believe about 2 1/2 years ago 6 or 7 of us
tried something like this to see it fizzle after a few months. Remember "SACFRG"?
TowerDistric even got a website up and going for SACFRG.

[Majin]

Who will lead this movement? I believe about 2 1/2 years ago 6 or 7 of us
tried something like this to see it fizzle after a few months. Remember "SACFRG"?
TowerDistric even got a website up and going for SACFRG.

We can get our members together and vote someone to lead, but we all contribute equally to the cause. Ironicly, I think maybe wburg should (for now) be leading things since it seems like he knows far more than us about how things currently work. He may have very different opinions than most of us, but I think even he can agree the current administration is broken and needs to be fixed (gee, where have we all heard this before??).

Whats the url for the website again? We need to get our talking points on the website, with our plan to get the current administration out, and what we want to bring to the table.

I can also spiffy up the website a little if its needed (i'm also a web designer). I'm ready to pull my full time effort into this outside of my normal work hours.

[econgrad]

^ Good luck with that you guys.

It is kind of sad, I predict West Sacramento rising upwards while Sacramento just kind of...fizzles...

[wburg]

Sorry, I'm already on too many community boards...besides, I'm probably going to vanish again as soon as the semester starts at Sac State! It's too bad that the city has cancelled the latest "Planning Academy" session: that was a fantastic way to learn how the city runs.

[innov8]

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7041/500cm320080111fpl7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7978/500cm420080111fnl5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Majin]

Ok, the lack of response is kind of sad.

I guess its back to bitching on the forums for another 2 years.

[urban_encounter]

Ok, the lack of response is kind of sad.

I guess its back to bitching on the forums for another 2 years.



Oh puh lease!!


Listen you were invited repeatedly to come down and join us (to get involved when SACFRG was an idea beeing floated around) and the only interest you ever showed was to volunteer to help establish a website; (which you never stepped up to the plate to follow through). So you'll excuse us if we don't take this latest offer of yours too seriously..

I used to have an interest in getting SACFRG off the ground and in fact i wrote letters and hand delievered them to memers of the Assembly & Senate when Mr. Bow Tie; Godzilla menacing the dome was trying to put the breaks on 301 CM...

I've spoken at various council meetings, commissions and boards and honestly Majin if you wanted to get involved why in the world have you waited this long?

I want to see Sacramento enjoy quality growth, but I have zero interest investing any more energy getting anything off the ground, when it's pretty clear people either don't have time, don't have a burning desire or perhaps just prefer bi^ching on SSP.

And lastly the people of Sacramento elect people like Fargo, Cohn and Hammond, so we have nobody to blame but ourselves.


My involvement from here on out will be limited to writing a check for a mayoral campaign challenger to Fargo and to casting a vote.

Oh and bi^ching on SSP for the next two years.

[TowerDistrict]

Some thoughts...

I don't think there necessarily needs to be a calculated objective to form a
group that seeks to see well designed developments are approved by the
City Council. The objectives that many of us here share are already built into
the City development process. The problem is when things break down for
personal reasons that don't relate to established development guidelines.

This latest case of the Mayor giving veto to a building that has been
approved by the Planning and Design Commission is a unilateral attack
on the development with none of the guidance and assistance that the other
commissions provide. In other words - she doesn't like it, so she's gonna
make it impossible to build. The commissions giving projects like the
Metropolitan their due oversight were appointed to make such decisions
and to uphold the thousands of minute individual concerns that surrounding
residents have established in the past.

We don't make 30-year General Plan updates to target new high density
growth areas adjacent to job centers and transit, only to refuse them
because the project is too "sleek" or blocks the view of the Capitol from
City Hall. Those two buildings don't share anything other than their
occasional inner disfunction.

But I digress... I think that there is no problem with simply writing to the
Mayor, your council representative, Planning, Design, or Preservation
Commission and advising them to uphold their responsibilities using their
own verbiage. We often complain about individuals, companies, and/or
government organizations taking advantage of the system to exploit their
concerns - but the truth is that they're doing everything within their power
to see things happen their way.

We hold the same responsibility. I'm no William Kopper, Enviromental and
Divorce Attorney extraordinaire, but a few well written and well placed letters
can make a difference when it comes time for a developer to stand in the
face of a misguided and confused council - and even better if you can show
up and read said letter at a hearing to make sure they're listening to, if not
reading what you have to say.

[TowerDistrict]

(and just how can the Council call Metropolitan be too "sleek" for it's historical
surroundings when the new City Hall addition sits right in its own backyard?)

[wburg]

td: The new City Hall was designed to complement the historic City Hall, and does a pretty good job, in detail, materials, and massing. Take a look at the brick patterns on new city hall and you'll note that they reflect the historic building too. It's certainly not impossible to design a modern building that complements a historic environment.

I took a look at the video and Councilmember Tretheway's criticisms of the building sound a lot like sentiments I have seen posted here regarding the building at 15th and K or 621 CM: the side facing the city plaza doesn't have enough architectural interest or detail to meet up to the standard set by the library, city hall, the Citizen, or even the US Bank tower on 9th and J. I don't think the Metropolitan looks sleek so much as plain: it looks like it's made out of Legos in the renderings.

[goldcntry]

"Sleek" is deffinately NOT the word I would have used for the Metro... Maybe "Slack."

Perhaps there is a slightly silverish-looking faux-aluminum foil lining to this decision. Hopefully, developers will start making buildings that have 360° appeal instead of the ghosttown-facade facing the south...

[TowerDistrict]

I'm not bagging on the City Hall addition. I think it looks great. And I know a
building can be designed to compliment historic surroundings, but at what
cost? The materials used in your good examples, were built a loooong time
ago when natural materials were dirt cheap. And the other is a modern office
building, built over 10 years ago, for a different clientele.

The City has watched all it's prized projects fall through the cracks because
they were cost prohibitive, and now they have a few late-comers that are
scaled down and realistic. Reality has obviously set in for housing developers,
when will it kick in for the council? Also, developers are building these glass
towers, not because their architects can't think of anything better - but
because that's what people want to live in.

I don't think the Metro is going to win international design awards, but it's
neither an architectural abomination. I see a lot of function in it's utilitarian
aesthetic. I also see a lot of benefit in seeing it's construction through.