[wburg]

That's exactly what the plan is--turn an outside surface lot into this new village thing. There isn't much that can be done about the railroad--a tunnel or even just a Reno-style trench would be incredibly expensive and impractical considering that it is also a secondary flood levee, which means that more tunnels through it would risk that levee. Building taller might be a worthwhile alternative--that way at least people could see the buildings from the other side of the levee, or from the freeway.

Sacramento has gotten rid of secondary levees before--R Street used to be a levee, and so was Broadway--but there isn't really a way to get rid of the levee adjacent to the river, or the railroad. It's not an insurmountable problem, just one that requires a different approach. Elevated walkways/bikeways and automobile bridges OVER the tracks might be an answer, they would eliminate the need for tunnels while providing an "aerial" view of the Sac State campus. That would give a dramatic look at the campus from a higher perspective, something you can't see from the ground. And of course I think it could use a streetcar to carry people from the 65th Street station, but everyone pretty much expects that from me by now.

Connecting the north end of campus more directly to East Sac/Arden-Arcade would help too. There was some talk of revamping the transit center on the north side of campus, that might help that task. But the south end, with the dirt parking lots, is really the blank slate right now.

edit: Looking at the map again, it looks like the development would front directly onto Folsom Boulevard, albeit in a spot where people generally don't stop, and on the side where pedestrians can't walk (there is only one pedestrian underpass at the railroad bridge.) Having walked from the existing light rail station onto campus that way, it's extra horrible because the traffic speeds by and there is only one crosswalk, on the far side of Jed Smith Drive. Putting another stoplight, improved sidewalk and crossing there, plus another entrance to Sac State at Stadium Drive, would provide better pedestrian access coming to/from light rail, plus allow another traffic outlet from Stadium Drive, and potentially another way for a shuttle bus to enter campus--plus provide a lot of through vehicular traffic past retail locations at the project corner. Add a bike lane and it's something like a complete street.

The other plus is that the route is actually more direct than the current "Hornet Tunnel" route that goes under the tracks via Elvas/65th--that way has a fence that runs much of the length of campus, making direct trips to the southern portion of campus or the library/student union impossible unless you hop the fence.