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  #61  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2008, 6:03 PM
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I like this sort of thing. I'm still hoping that at some point we get a UC campus or private university downtown (someplace like the Railyards or the Docks) but it's nice to see efforts to raise the profile of Sac State. At about the same time that Sacramento's industrial capacity was slowing down, Sac State was there training the knowledge workers--businesspeople and technicians and scientists--in the postwar era.

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Sacramento leaders rah-rah over college-town talks
By Ryan Lillis - rlillis@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, September 15, 2008
Story appeared in OUR REGION section, Page B2

Berkeley. Palo Alto. Sacramento?

For the first time, officials with the city and its universities are talking jointly about development projects, educational programs and job growth. The goal: make Sacramento more of a college town.

Talks between California State University, Sacramento, and the city began last year and were laid out in a memorandum of understanding signed last month. And while most of the attention has centered around how to involve Sacramento State in the city's growth, the city is now in similar talks with UC Davis Medical Center and the Los Rios Community College District.

"In all great cities in the United States, there's a great connection between the city and the universities in those cities," Sacramento City Manager Ray Kerridge said. "For us, we're no different. We believe that the future of the city of Sacramento is tied up very much with our universities."

So far, discussions have resulted mostly in ideas.

Officials have a conceptual outline that includes a research park, and faculty and student housing just south of Highway 50 and the Sacramento State campus. Close by, a developer already has plans to construct a "transit village" near the 65th Street light-rail station that includes a hotel, as well as residential and retail space.

Beyond the campus, there have been discussions about building student housing along the R Street corridor and downtown, while also bringing the university's business programs closer to the central city area.

Both sides also have been working to create more areas of study at the university that deal with green technology, a billion-dollar industry Sacramento is trying to attract.

The city has considered helping startup firms establish themselves near UC Davis Medical Center by writing down the cost of possible lab space.

The ideas have some roadblocks – the poor economy means construction is not likely to begin soon and the extension of a key thoroughfare south of the Sacramento State campus is held up by complicated state and federal barriers – but school and city officials say the fact they're talking is significant.

"The university really has been isolated, physically," said Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez. "Both from a physical point of view and the view of the city itself, we are a part of the city. We are trying to embrace the city and make the city become a part of us."

Ramona Avenue could be the physical link.

The thoroughfare currently ends near the light-rail tracks south of Folsom Boulevard, but there is a plan in place to extend it north to the Sacramento State campus.

The street, which leads into an industrial area near Power Inn Road, would connect the campus to a mixed-used technology village of faculty housing and research facilities. It would also be part of a proposed route for a street car system running to the university.

The extension would have to cross the light rail and Union Pacific Railroad tracks and travel under Highway 50. The work would also involve moving old floodgates.

Despite the hurdles, city officials said they are confident the street will eventually link the campus to a key development site – and help open up the university's southern entrance.

"Most of the city can't tell on a regular basis that we have a university," said Mayor Heather Fargo. "It's to our benefit as a city to play up the connections with our institutes of higher learning."

Fargo and others point to the $1 billion impact Sacramento State has on the region's economy as a key reason to get the work going.

"For whatever reason, we didn't acknowledge or honor or respect the role of Sacramento State in the area," said Alan Porter, a senior planner with the city who is involved in the effort. "We'd like to reframe that and say they really are an economic motor and let's get it going."
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  #62  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2008, 10:09 PM
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The developement along 65th has been a sorely needed to this point but not much can be done to change the fact that the school is pretty much surrounded at all sides like a castle by elevated railroad tracks, the river, and a major cross street. Hard to create a collegetown feel when the school is so detached from the surrounding neighborhoods and businesses. Much different from older schools were the universities almost fill in seemlessly alongside the neighborhoods around it making it difficult to discern were one begins and one starts like Cal, USF, UCLA etc. As you mention wburg, adding a very small private university component as part of the railyards might be the only feasible way.
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  #63  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2008, 10:19 PM
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Some major street reconfiguration would be needed but its doable. They just need to stop being lazy and go for it.
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  #64  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2008, 10:31 PM
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Go Roseville!

Friday, September 12, 2008
Drexel: Big plans in works despite sluggish economy
Sacramento Business Journal - by Melanie Turner Staff writer
Constantine Papadakis


Drexel University president Constantine Papadakis continues to lay the groundwork for a four-year campus near Rose­ville next week, when he celebrates a graduate school in downtown set to open in January.

He called the graduate center at One Capitol Mall a “first step,” saying its success is a “prerequisite with us moving forward with a full-fledged university effort in Placer County.”

The timing may be perfect for the graduate center, which will offer courses for adults looking to add value to their résumés during the current economic downturn. The flip side is that it could mean Papadakis’ vision for a 600-acre campus near Roseville will have to wait.

The Roseville campus would be built next to 557 acres that could be developed for housing to finance the four-year university. The land would be donated by the Angelo K. Tsakopoulos family, William and Claudia Cummings and the Wayne L. Prim family.

“The market is not conducive to selling real estate,” Papadakis said. “We have to wait maybe two or three years to allow the sale of 550 acres to take place at an attractive rate so that money can fund the rest of the initiative.”

“It’s important to maximize those proceeds,” added Julie Hanson, the project manager representing the land donors.

Papadakis said the economy is “not necessarily going to delay things.” It takes two to three years to recruit high school students for the first freshman class, plus it will take time to convince Drexel’s board of trustees to proceed with the project and secure land entitlements.

By that time, he said he believes the economy will improve.

The land donors are working to get the matter in front of the Board of Supervisors before the end of the year, Hanson said. The board would consider approving a specific plan outlining the land use and zoning for approximately 1,150 acres.
Ramping up

Papadakis sees the Sacramento region as an opportunity to expand the 117-year-old doctoral research university in Philadelphia into a growing market.

During Papadakis’ four-day visit next week, the nation’s sixth-largest private university will host an invitation-only gala Wednesday for business and community leaders and alumni at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in the Central Sacramento Public Library.

“We are ready to go,” Papadakis said of the graduate school.

In January, master’s programs designed for working adults will be offered in business administration, engineering management, higher education, information systems, and library and information science.

Four programs will be added in September 2009 in nursing education and faculty role, nursing leadership in health systems management, science of instruction, and human resource development.

If Sacramento’s program works, Drexel wants to develop as many as four more graduate centers over the next six years, in other high-growth areas such as Phoenix, Miami or Los Angeles.

“Nobody has ever opened another network of graduate centers in the United States,” Papadakis said.

The hard-driving university president said he’s proud of how quickly Drexel has been able to establish a presence here, along with a $10 million scholarship fund.

“Usually, those things don’t happen so fast in academia,” he said.

Since Papadakis’ first visit to the region a year ago, he’s met with more than 90 executives of area companies and organizations, from Hewlett-Packard Co. and Sutter Health to Wachovia Corp. and the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce.

“The reception we have received has been heartwarming and has made us feel welcome,” he said. “We know we are going to bring value ... to the city and the community.”

The 62-year-old former Bechtel Corp. executive is known for running the university like a company, calling students “customers” and promoting for-profit online learning.

In his 13 years leading Drexel, the university has been transformed from one that was low on funds and in disrepair to a financially stable university with a $700 million annual budget, the nation’s largest private medical school and a law school. Full-time undergraduate enrollment has doubled to 12,000, with 21,000 total students, and the university’s endowment has grown from $90 million to $640 million.

Drexel sought to crack the top 100 on U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings and did so this year, jumping 19 spots to No. 89.

In the Sacramento region, Drexel invested at least $1 million in the past year marketing its brand. Papadakis points to Rose­ville’s ranking among the “100 Best Places to Live” in Money magazine’s August issue as proof that people are starting to talk about Drexel. Roseville ranked 90th on the list. The magazine said the city “boasts lots of good jobs,” and “What’s more, Sacramento State University and Philadelphia’s Drexel University have explored opening satellite campuses here.”
Marketing, Forging ties

Drexel wants to prove the value of its brand with its graduate center.

Although it’s opening at a time when the economy continues to slump, Papadakis said the downturn will help since the programs are geared toward working adults. It’s during down times that people tend to seek better careers or upgrade their skills, he said.

The graduate courses are just the beginning, he said, adding that Drexel is not just going to “teach a few courses downtown.”

“It’s going to be a relationship with the community,” he said. Drexel will bring speakers, sponsor seminars to address issues of importance to the community and form local partnerships.

For example, he said, Drexel’s School of Public Health won a $14.3 million federal grant in April to study environmental risk factors for autism in pregnant mothers and their babies.

“I’m going to have our researchers from Philadelphia visit the (University of California Davis) M.I.N.D. Institute in October to see if we can coordinate some work together,” he said.

Drexel has forged at least one partnership already with the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Together with the chamber, Drexel will offer free tuition for a master’s degree once a year to a Hispanic professional.

Diana Borroel, president and chief executive officer for the Hispanic Chamber, said a final selection is expected in time for the first award recipient to start a graduate program in January.

Joe Womack, vice president for university advancement at William Jessup University, said the four-year Christian university in Rocklin is “cheering them on.”

“We’d be very excited for Drexel to be in the area,” he said. “The Sacramento metropolitan area, despite having two wonderful state universities, is underserved with regard to higher education.”

Drexel, he said, would complement California State University Sacramento and UC Davis, as well as community colleges such as Sierra College.

University of the Pacific provost Phil Gilbertson also said he welcomes more higher education to this region that is “seriously underserved.”

“I’m just pleased that we’ve got a school of Drexel’s stature looking to develop a university in Sacramento,” he said. “Having competition from nationally ranked universities is our way of life.”

melanieturner@bizjournals.com | 916-558-7859
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  #65  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2008, 11:08 PM
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Jesus econgrad why do you keep posting this crap? I clicked the back button right after I saw the word Roseville.
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  #66  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 1:14 AM
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^ and when you have something remotely intelligent or original to actually say in your posts, I will have a heart attack.
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  #67  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 4:43 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by econgrad View Post
^ and when you have something remotely intelligent or original to actually say in your posts, I will have a heart attack.
HA!!! Majin's good for bazaar shock value statements (as we all know)...
were lucky to have such a diehard urbanist who’s so passionate about the city
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  #68  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 7:01 AM
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The difference is I'm pretty much the only one on this forum that actually puts their money where their mouth is. Maybe wburg too but hes a NIMBY so he doesn't really count. I live in the grid, spend 90%+ of my free time in the grid or very close to it (east sac/land park/etc). On the weekends I party all over the grid and especially second saturday. I invest my money in the community and always keep it sactown. How many of you can say the same? How many of you sellouts go to Roseville or El Dorado Hills on the weekends for shopping/dining? Or even worse San Franciso? Those places will never recieve a dime from me.
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  #69  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 7:37 AM
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Is Downtown Sacramento a neighborhood or a religion?
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  #70  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 4:29 PM
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philip: For many, it's not so much a religion as a state of mind--but then, the idea of "neighborhood" is an intangible thing. For Majin, it's a religion, of the convert-or-die variety: everything is either skyscrapers or suburbs, with no in between.
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  #71  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 10:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Majin View Post
The difference is I'm pretty much the only one on this forum that actually puts their money where their mouth is. Maybe wburg too but hes a NIMBY so he doesn't really count. I live in the grid, spend 90%+ of my free time in the grid or very close to it (east sac/land park/etc). On the weekends I party all over the grid and especially second saturday. I invest my money in the community and always keep it sactown. How many of you can say the same? How many of you sellouts go to Roseville or El Dorado Hills on the weekends for shopping/dining? Or even worse San Franciso? Those places will never recieve a dime from me.
OK, that's great. This opinion does not affect me in any way shape or form. It is nonsense to me. I do not care where anyone lives, I do not have time to care. I couldn't care less about the grid, or any of the gridders who live there. It is too small and too small of a scene to me for it to be significant. Good for you investing in the community you live in. I could never call anyone a sellout for living in Folsom or Roseville. People who are the most successful and educated in our Sac metro area choose to live in my area as well as Roseville, Davis, El Dorado Hills, etc. That is not the point either, the whole entire metro area is still too small of a "scene" for many like me. So we would like to see it grow, creating more customers for our services and investments. Houses in new neighborhoods, build them, we are not worried about sprawl, it is inevitable and good for business! Highrises and skyscrapers in downtown, build them, more people in one place makes it easier to promote and sell your products and services! Do you want to live in a victorian in midtown, great. Do you want to build a custom home in American River Canyon, live on 4 acres with horses, build it without any Gov. interference and have a happy life. Anyone can be involved in their community no matter how small or large they decide it to be. Die hard urbanists? A passing fad.
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  #72  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 10:11 PM
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econgrad I am still unsure why you are even on this forum. Most people here are not as hardcore as me but they at least have a passing interest in urbanism and skyscappers. You seem to have neither.
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  #73  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 10:31 PM
Michael Kramer Michael Kramer is offline
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Maybe he's on to Promote Sarah Palin

Maybe we could go on to a "Suburban Sprawl enthusiast" site (if there is one) with a picture of Ron Dellums promoting "Dellums for President 2012" and say that you won't discuss politics on this board but will show Dellum's face every time you post. Write about smart growth as the answer to sprwl and fight every boring cookie cutter box center and "pretty strip mall" idea that get's posted. People on that board would react like the poster farted in church.


Here's a slogan for places like Roseville...

"Build everything here...We want it all....as long is it's NOT IN MY PERSONAL backyard" !
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  #74  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 10:42 PM
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More like "we want it all, as long as you build it at less than four units per acre!"
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  #75  
Old Posted Sep 16, 2008, 11:34 PM
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I have to back up Majin here...Every time econgrad or someone else starts raving about Elk Grove or Roseville I get immediately bored and move on. Isn't this forum supposed to be about SACRAMENTO?
The University of Sacramento stuff is at least somewhat relevant to this forum because of its potentially large impact on the region, but most that other crap is just irrelevant and boring.
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  #76  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2008, 3:53 AM
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^ No its not, its about the greater Sacramento area (says on top, Sacramento area). It is about developments, this site is called Skyscraper Forum, not the Urbanism movement forum. Therefore we can discuss topics of development anywhere that is important to us. I will never ever leave this forum, partially because the development of the greater Sacramento area interests me, and partially its fun to see you guys try to censor me or post/flame me like fascists. Its too bad many of you cannot handle an opposing point of view and try to understand it or them, no man is an island, and when a group of people attempt to block out another group of people's opinions and beliefs there is nothing left to do but fight, or go to war, and I sure see a lot of criticism about the war we are in now all over this forum. Too bad Majin, Wburg, Ozone and everyone else, I will never be silenced.

And FYI: I am not against skyscrapers, I am angry Sacramento has no skyscrapers yet. I also want Rancho Cordova, Natomas, and West Sacramento to have high-rises and skyscrapers as well. Multiple downtowns like the LA area, all connected by roads and public trans. Variety is the key.
If you think something is irrelevant and boring, don't read it. You do not see me cry or make a fuss about what others post on here that is irrelevant, especially opinions about what should be posted here. Til now, and this is just in response to the crying and whining. All we should be crying and whining about on here are the demise of the towers and Aura, not the success of Folsom and Roseville.

Last edited by econgrad; Sep 17, 2008 at 4:06 AM.
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  #77  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2008, 4:07 AM
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I agree. It's sad that a chosen few have so much hate for other
that doesn’t see things the same way. Majin's full of himself, most of his
comments are head scratchers and make me shake my head in disbelief.
I hope most of it is tongue and cheek, is it Majin?

Last edited by innov8; Sep 17, 2008 at 4:23 AM.
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  #78  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2008, 4:22 AM
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Fine, I have my crew and you guys can have your crew. So far it's me, jsf8278, and wburg. Who else is with me?
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  #79  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2008, 4:24 AM
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  #80  
Old Posted Sep 17, 2008, 4:26 AM
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I hope most of it is tongue and cheek, is it Majin?
Nope I'm all in, its legit.
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