K Street Pedestrian Mall Renovation

[TowerDistrict]

leroy95822 at 6:14 AM PST Tuesday, September 18, 2007 wrote:

THE CITY DOES NOT DEAL WITH PEOPLE

The city does not deal with people, it prefers to make demands and push them around. When a citizen pushes back, the city is outraged, and sues. Courts are historically very sympathetic to the city's demands - but not in this case!

Good for Moe! He represents us all.

9 out of 12 people found this comment helpful.

Bmanofthecity at 8:50 AM PST Tuesday, September 18, 2007 wrote:

Fine Job Fargo

Another job not so well done by Mayor Fargo and her fine City Manager. What a great vision they have for downtown, turn it into Portland Oregon. What is wrong with being Sacramento, CA?? Perhaps instead of pushing property and business owners around the cast of clowns down at city hall should consider helping those property owners and business owners willing to take a chance on investing in downtown. Oh no they want to hobnob with wealthy out of town developer types. What a great legacy for Fargo and her team, a giant hole on Capitol Mall, Small business pushed off of K Street and 40k squandered in a hopeless legal skirmish. Moe, the people of Sacramento are behind you. The folks at city hall should stop and think about their misguided vision for K Street and start helping the store and property owners already there. A good place to start would be to reduce the beaucratic development approval process required for improvements to downtown properties.

2 out of 3 people found this comment helpful.

[Majin]

Moe, the people of Sacramento are behind you.

What exactly has this guy done to "invest" in downtown?

Do these people even know who this guy is?

[innov8]

Well, another vision for K Street has been dimmed. I think about a 1 1/2 ago
Lucky Strike Lanes was planning on opening up an ally on 10th & K... not now off to
the Arden area like Urban Outfitters.


A makeover to bowl you over
By Bob Shallit - Bee Columnist
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, September 8, 2007

Lucky Strike Lanes runs retro chic bowling alleys in 16 cities. Jeffrey Berger is building one as part of his $55 million remodel of the Red Lion Hotel on Arden Way.
Lucky Strike Lanes

Let's get the puns out of the way. Jeffrey Berger is bringing Sacramento into the fast lanes. He's "sparing" no expense. He's pulling an old game out of the gutter.

What he's doing, in fact, is bringing in one of the nation's hottest new entertainment companies -- the Southern California-based Lucky Strike Lanes -- as a central element of his $55 million remodel of the Red Lion Hotel on Arden Way.

Lucky Strike, now in 16 cities, operates upscale entertainment centers that are more hipster hangout than bowling alley. They feature modern art, designer lighting, plush sofas, DJs, movie memorabilia, gourmet food and a swanky bar. And bowling lanes with giant plasma TVs.

There's even a dress code, for gosh sakes. And no one under 21 is allowed in after 7 p.m.

"This is the Hard Rock Cafe of bowling," says Berger, president of University Capital Management Inc.

Bowling rates? They vary depending on the time of day. But generally bowlers pay about $6 per person per game, more if they're in the curtained-off VIP lanes. Rates there go much, much higher.

The super-chic, 25-lane bowling center will be in one of two buildings Burger is putting up near the Red Lion, which sits between Arden Fair Mall and the Capital City Freeway. Also included in the 376-room hotel's renovation: new restaurants, a health club, spa and salon.

The entire Arden Village project is due for completion in the first quarter of 2009.

Berger says he heard about Lucky Strike from his real estate broker, Stan T. Wong, who is related to Lucky Strike CFO Cheryl Oto Inouye (daughter of the founders of Sacramento's new Oto's Marketplace).

Before signing on, Berger checked out the three Lucky Strike centers in Southern California.

"I was sold," he says. "They had a very cool, hip, and at the same time, retro feel."

You might say it was right up his alley.

[Majin]

Remind me, where is Red Lion Hotel? Please don't tell me its that Hotel by Sears...

[snfenoc]

http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sa...ml?t=printable

Texas Mexican returns to K Street
Sacramento Business Journal - 9:30 AM PDT Tuesday, September 18, 2007
A tenant evicted from K Street to clear the way for redevelopment is returning to its former location. Texas Mexican restaurant and several other businesses were evicted by the city's redevelopment agency last year. But redevelopment plans on the street have stalled because of a dispute between the city and property owners, including landlord Mohammed "Moe" Mohanna.

The restaurant, a tenant of Mohanna's, will reopen in the 800 block of K Street after moving to the State Capitol basement.

[wburg]

I have noticed a lot of activity over there...there were workmen in the beauty salon next to Texas Mexican.

The problem, majin, is that you can't just pay the guy off. You pay him and then he turns around and asks for more money.

[otnemarcaS]

Originally Posted by Majin

Remind me, where is Red Lion Hotel? Please don't tell me its that Hotel by Sears...

Yes, it is the hotel by Sears at Arden fair.

Regarding Mo, it is time for the city to get back to the negotiating table and just pay this guy off and move on. This thing will just continue to drag on for years. It's simply amazing how one guy has managed to cripple development of a critical stretch of downtown.

[Majin]

Originally Posted by wburg

The problem, majin, is that you can't just pay the guy off. You pay him and then he turns around and asks for more money.

Has the city even officially made him an offer (not a property swap, straight out cash) on the property he owns on K street?

[ozone]

OK a client came up with a suggestion for K Street the other day (somewhat evil like -and I like it). Why doesn't the city put some money into creating a couple of day-care facilities and/or urban charter schools on the mall. After that just wait and see how many of those poor helpless residents staying in those fleabag hotels will legally be able to remain in the area.

[goldcntry]

I like it! I like it!

[econgrad]

Originally Posted by ozone

OK a client came up with a suggestion for K Street the other day (somewhat evil like -and I like it). Why doesn't the city put some money into creating a couple of day-care facilities and/or urban charter schools on the mall. After that just wait and see how many of those poor helpless residents staying in those fleabag hotels will legally be able to remain in the area.

That's a damn good idea....

[ozone]

There's an interesting article in the SNR about the Westfield DP. It shows very clearly how the Westfield people think. Let's just say they are definitely not urban mavericks types. According to them the only WWB (women with bank) in the region all live in Roseville.

Anyway, I generally support their upgrades and moving around things.
They want to open up 4th Street to traffic (between L and J) which I guess would be a good thing. I wonder if they'll have to move that power line-cum-clock tower art thing? If they do I would like to see it moved down in front of the Esquire IMAX Theatre and outlined with LED/neon lights.

[wburg]

I noticed that article too: normally I consider the SN&R to be a slightly more left-leaning version of Pravda, but that article was pretty good, and I figured it would have some appeal here.

There was also an article on the local "housing first" homeless programs, which included some specifics from Portland: a homeless person on the street costs more than $40,000 a year, while supportive housing costs about $16,000 a year--considerable potential savings, as also seen in Denver. The program will include quite a few purpose-built units throughout the city. It's not exactly the high-end development you guys talk about, but it's a proven solution that can actually get people off the streets and into housing, instead of just shoving them into another part of town.

[wburg]

The new Midtown Monthly is out, and it features an article on redevelopment efforts on K Street over the past 30 years or so, written by Scott Soriano. It's not online yet (the magazine's website at http://www.midtownmonthly.net features some stories online) but it's worth a read if you're someplace where you can pick up a copy.

[Fusey]

As the following editorial says, it's about time Fargo got actively involved with the K Street land swap (and calling on Mohanna to act in good faith). From today's Bee:
http://www.sacbee.com/110/v-print/story/411445.html

Editorial: Mayor must lead to resolve K Street impasse
Fargo's response to key property owner sets stage for reviving stalled negotiations
-
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, October 3, 2007

It took far too long, but Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo finally has stepped into the K Street land swap fight.

Last week, Her Honor sent a letter to downtown business owner Moe Mohanna. In it, she accepted his request for a face-to-face meeting to help resolve the increasingly acrimonious dispute between Mohanna and the city's redevelopment agency. The dispute concerns the stalled land swap deal on the blighted 700 and 800 blocks of K.

Good. It's about time the mayor took the lead on this issue, which is crucial to downtown's future.

K Street is the vital spine that runs through the heart of downtown. From Esquire Plaza at 14th and K to the old Woolworth's building at 10th and K, there are signs that the street is beginning to come alive again: New restaurants, a nightclub and even some housing have been built either right on K or nearby. Construction has begun on a live theater complex and a boutique hotel.

But the 700 and 800 blocks remain wastelands, a drag on other parts of K Street. Those two blocks need the concentrated attention of the city's top leader.

No one expects Fargo to hammer out the gritty details of a complicated land deal, but she should use her position to bring all the parties -- including Mohanna, Joe Zeiden, the other major player in the stalled land swap deal and the city's redevelopment agency -- to the table.

In fact, given the current poisonous atmosphere between redevelopment officials and Mohanna, the mayor would be smart to bring in someone fresh to facilitate the negotiations, a high-profile professional who all sides trust to broker an agreement. The mayor's job is to cajole, to persuade and even to threaten if need be until a good deal is struck.

The alternatives to settlement -- either more-expensive litigation or protracted condemnation and eminent domain proceedings -- will not achieve the city's goal of expediting K Street redevelopment.

On the litigation front, there is no guarantee that the city could win its lawsuit against Mohanna. In a preliminary ruling, one judge said the city is "not likely to prevail" and ordered the redevelopment agency to back down from legal actions it had taken that made it difficult for Mohanna to lease or refinance his K Street properties.

With eminent domain, the city risks placing itself in the awkward position of taking property from one private landowner and giving it, along with millions of dollars in subsidies, to another. Such an action would likely embroil Sacramento in the upcoming statewide ballot fight over eminent domain in ways neither flattering to the city nor helpful to those seeking to retain this important governmental tool.

Of course, Fargo's efforts will be for naught if Mohanna doesn't negotiate in good faith. Mohanna owns some of the most troubled properties downtown. Over the years he has invested far too little in upgrades and maintenance. He insists that he really wants to settle the K Street dispute and help shape a revitalized downtown.

He can demonstrate that by responding positively to the mayor's letter, negotiating a fair deal and sticking by it. If he doesn't, the mayor will have to use different tools to resolve this impasse.

[ozone]

Yeah but they kept saying that Fargo is finally taking the lead.. isn't that oxymoronic?

[Web]

more businesses opening up on k between 7th and 8th.....a pizza place is now open as is a cell phone place.....Moe is back in the renting business.....

[BrianSac]

Originally Posted by ozone

Yeah but they kept saying that Fargo is finally taking the lead.. isn't that oxymoronic?

No, its oxyCLEAN, just a little dab with get the dirt out!

[goldcntry]

All I know is that the thought of Mayor Do-Nothing taking the lead just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[arod74]

Originally Posted by ozone

Yeah but they kept saying that Fargo is finally taking the lead.. isn't that oxymoronic?

Yes very much so... like jumbo shrimp or Moe Mohanna, Sacramento Grand high rise developer.