What will it take to bring K Street to life? Planners and a developer weigh in
rlillis@sacbee.com
Published Sunday, Apr. 26, 2009
Over the past decade, public and private investors have poured more than $170 million into the K Street Mall.
Results have been mixed for the six-block pedestrian strip between Downtown Plaza and the Sacramento Convention Center. In the 700 and 800 blocks, 14 empty storefronts face K Street. Most evenings the street is empty.
There are signs of improvement. Work has begun on a nightclub, bar and gourmet pizzeria between 10th and 11th streets, and a 409-room hotel has been proposed for the vacant lot at Eighth and K. The city is about to begin a $4 million streetscape project.
But success remains elusive.
The Bee asked a local urban planner, a K Street developer and a Denver planning expert what it takes to bring a street to life.
Finding a tipping point
A number of factors have conspired against K Street over the years, said Paul Shigley, editor of the California Planning and Development Report.
The decision four decades ago to close off the street to vehicle traffic didn't work, and some current and former property owners didn't do enough to help turn it around, he said.
The city of Sacramento also made "a series of bad decisions that at the time did not seem that bad," he said.
He referred to putting light rail tracks and stations in spots that cut off parts of the street.
Other factors he cited were cold, uninviting storefronts, and the lack of quality residential options in the area.
"When you've got people living there, they're always watching the neighborhood," he says. "Right now, you would want to be planning for the next real estate market."
As for the million of dollars that have been poured into the street, Shigley said, "It seems like you should be getting a bigger bang for that."
"You need to get to a tipping point when more things start happening, when success feeds off itself," he said. "It seems like K Street can never get to that point."
Shigley doesn't think the down economy has been any rougher on K Street than it has other places.
"K Street has been through three or four different recessions and booms," he said.
Still, he said, some of the projects that have recently opened or are being planned provide "lots of reasons to be optimistic" about K Street.
Less retail, more night life
Bob Leach created the luxury Le Rivage hotel on the banks of the Sacramento River near Greenhaven. Now he is developing a proposal for a hotel at Eighth and K with 409 rooms, meeting space, a day spa, fitness center, elevated pool and sky bar, and a parking garage that would serve K Street. The Hilton chain is interested in the project.
Leach said he has a letter of intent from a financial backer to provide $80 million toward the $110 million project and plans to go to the city with a formal presentation within a month.
Despite the blighted canvas in the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street, Leach is optimistic.
"If we can launch this hotel, it will really help the 700 block retail-wise," Leach said. "Great things are happening at the (east) end. We just need to pick up on that momentum."
Leach likes that many of the newest projects are aimed at night life and don't rely on shoppers.
"The idea that it's shaping up as an entertainment district is better than putting all your money into retail," he said.
Create people magnets
John Desmond, vice president of urban planning and environment for the Downtown Denver Partnership, helped turn around its 16th Street.
Today, the street is a collection of more than 200 businesses along 16 blocks. It has free buses that make frequent stops, granite sidewalks, trees, vendor carts and sidewalk cafes. An estimated 50,000 people ride the bus system and 30,000 pedestrians hit the mall every day.
Zoning changes have led to more welcoming storefronts, and the mall has become the first- or second-most visited destination in the Denver area every year, Desmond said. Unlike many downtowns that rely on 9-to-5 business, 16th Street is bustling 18 hours a day.
Entertainment drives the district, as 60 percent of tax receipts come from those businesses. There is also a steady stream of public investment in the mall, including money spent on transit, holiday lighting and new businesses.
Dense residential projects have developed in the area. A vacant high-rise was converted into apartments, and 10,000 people live within four blocks of 16th Street.
Desmond said in order to succeed, urban areas must offer something special to attract people.
"You can't count on the space itself to be the anchor," he says. "You've got to have other things that feed into it and support it."
Besides its shops and restaurants, 16th Street has benefited from its proximity to an art museum, stadiums, a convention center and the state Capitol.
Desmond suggested looking at several factors when mapping out K Street's future, including maintenance, public safety, a mix of businesses and pedestrian access.
"If it's seriously wrong, you've got to take a hard look at all of the elements that are not contributing to its success," he said.
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