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  #781  
Old Posted Jul 24, 2015, 3:45 PM
Deno Deno is offline
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Natomas is losing the arena.
Kaiser would have been a good fit there. Easier access for the public and emergency vehicles.
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  #782  
Old Posted Jul 24, 2015, 9:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deno View Post
Natomas is losing the arena.
Kaiser would have been a good fit there. Easier access for the public and emergency vehicles.
I'm still not sold. People living downtown need to have amenities that serve them. The more amenities, the more residents, the more patrons for businesses surrounding the soccer arena and the hospital. It is common sense. That hospital is not going to be a dead zone. It is going to be a thriving hub of activity nearly 24/7! Natomas can still get a hospital...just not this one!
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  #783  
Old Posted Jul 25, 2015, 10:21 PM
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Sounds like they're talking primarily mid-rises (think 16th Street, 5-7 stories of wood over concrete podium) for Railyards housing, rather than Type 1 construction (high-rise, concrete/steel construction.)

Sorry Natomas. Maybe you can have a Bass Pro Shop or something?
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  #784  
Old Posted Sep 2, 2015, 9:24 PM
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  #785  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 12:09 AM
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“I think what you’d get is something similar to the lifestyle centers you see in the suburbs, but in an urban area,” he said.

Guess their saying railyards developement will be bringing the suburbs to downtown. Maybe I read that wrong.
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  #786  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 12:54 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deno View Post
“I think what you’d get is something similar to the lifestyle centers you see in the suburbs, but in an urban area,” he said.

Guess their saying railyards developement will be bringing the suburbs to downtown. Maybe I read that wrong.
I saw that part too and that very much worries me. I hope he is in for a rude awakening by the planning commission and city council if he tries to bring suburban elements (surface parking, setbacks, too much open space, etc) to the railyards.

In fact, I really don't want to see too many parking garages there either. Light rail, street cars, and biking should be the primary transportation medium in Sacramento 3.0.
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  #787  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 2:35 AM
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The city commissions only provide resistance to a developer's plan if they think there's huge public momentum in that direction, and even then not always. So if your vision for the Railyards includes more residential and a more urban form, you'd better start writing letters and calling councilmembers and commissioners now, or joining organizations willing to take a stand for the kind of city you'd like to see. My guess is Downtown Partnership, Region Builders, the Kings organization et al will be gaga over whatever plan is proposed for the Railyards, and will tell Planning and the Council to pass the amended EIR with all possible haste.
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  #788  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 5:32 AM
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^This.

Decision makers and especially elected officials need to hear early and often how constituents feel to even have a chance of influencing important decisions. The Railyards especially need input from more than just the owner of the site if the city expects to see anything close to a traditional urban form. Lobby like there's no tomorrow.
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  #789  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 10:12 PM
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I was exceptionally concerned with the "lifestyle centers" comment, too! If that happens, what a disgrace and a horrifying waste of an opportunity! I really do hope residents speak out against this en masse! VERY underwhelming! This project is supposed to be catalytic! This is more of a downgrade, IMO! I would rather have that remain a big empty lot than what seems to be proposed!
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  #790  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 10:20 PM
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Who here is actually going to put your balls on the table and show up to the city council and protest?
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  #791  
Old Posted Sep 3, 2015, 11:37 PM
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When?
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  #792  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2015, 12:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Deno View Post
When?
No specific date. When suburbanesque proposals start showing up.
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  #793  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2015, 4:18 AM
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By the time an item goes before City Council the issue has already been decided. Currently the developer is preparing an amendment to the existing Railyards EIR. The Notice of Preparation went out in June, and the comment period (basically asking for what sort of things they should look for) ended 30 days later in late July.

Environmental impact reports are hosted on the City website, here:

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/Comm...Impact-Reports

And here's a link specifically to the Railyards NOP.

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/~/me...e%20062615.pdf

The next step is a Draft EIR, probably a few months out, that will explain their proposal, and that's what the Planning Commission will be reviewing. If you want to participate in the process, you have several options. You can write a letter to the city where you critique the conclusions of the EIR, addressed to the planner in charge.

You can contact the members of the Planning Commission, here is their contact info: http://www.cityofsacramento.org/Comm...20and%20Design . You can contact any of them, schedule a meeting, and present what you (or a group you represent) think about the Railyards project, discuss the importance of the existing plan, or your concerns about proposed changes like those reported in the media--or you can discuss what you like about that plan.

Keep an eye on the Planning Commission page and the news for announcement of the completed Draft EIR. You can write a letter to the city critiquing the EIR, pointing out anything you think they did wrong or should have done differently, and the city has to respond to each letter section by section--although they don't necessarily have to change anything, just explain how the city is doing its due diligence by giving a complete analysis of the environmental impact of the project.

Generally there will be a Planning meeting about the Draft EIR asking for Commissioner input, on the EIR and on the project. Go to that too, and reiterate whatever message you gave them at your private meeting.

Heck, while you're at it, contact the developer, especially if you represent an organization or group that has a vested interest in the project, and ask to either meet with one of their representatives or maybe even get a presentation about the project. The worst they can do is say no, and you might get a chance to learn more about what they have in mind--and maybe help inform them of local priorities that might expose them to new ideas.

The biggest hazards I see are the fact that the developer is primarily used to dealing with industrial properties in suburban settings, rather than a city center, and the increased traffic (and increased VMTs and pollution) that the changes in the EIR will bring, since there will be less housing in the project, and more employment centers. Because the central city already has a huge jobs: housing imbalance, unless the housing capacity exceeds the workforce capacity by a considerable margin (since only about 40% of the population is in the workforce) it means people will largely have to commute to the planned employment centers and corporate campuses in the new, more business-centered (and thus more commuter-centered) railyard. Will they mitigate the changes through investment in public transit to reduce VMTs? Increase potential long-term population via leaving open spots for high-rise residential along the waterfront while beginning the first phase with mid-rise? You can ask questions, suggest alternatives, point out concerns.

And then, of course, a project this big will probably go to City Council, which means you can individually lobby councilmembers and do the same thing you did with Commissioners, including showing up at Council meetings.

I do this stuff quite a lot, it's more fun than fantasy football or staying home watching the Food Network. I recommend dressing warmly (the council chambers are usually really cold) and having a Gatorade or something before the meeting (no food in the chambers, something to boost your electrolytes will help you avoid getting fatigued in what could be 5-6 hours of sitting in Council chambers) and make sure your phone or laptop is charged if you're going to Web-surf while waiting for your item, do last minute Google searches to fact-check people, or live-tweet from the meeting!
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  #794  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2015, 6:29 AM
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Instead of gatorade, how about a shot or two of tequila before the meeting?
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  #795  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2015, 2:45 PM
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Well, that will certainly help quell any anxieties you have about public speaking.
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  #796  
Old Posted Sep 4, 2015, 7:57 PM
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Is there anyway to view the so-called prelim master plans they mentioned are created?
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  #797  
Old Posted Sep 10, 2015, 6:01 AM
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All of what wburg stated above can't be emphasized enough. The more and different voices expressing concern about this or any topic, the more ears start to perk up. The people on the dais need to know that not everyone is just going along with this new concept.

I think it was the Bee a few months ago that had an article about the R Street corridor, and how in the '80s all the big developers in town wanted to throw the city's plan out in favor of large office developments. Now that we see the fruits of those plans coming around, the value of good planning can be seen over just following the latest market trend. How bad would it have been to have more large, dead-at-5 pm office buildings on R Street, instead of the eclectic mix of uses now there?

The Railyards needs to be a true urban neighborhood, with the new commercial ideas mixed into other uses, instead of what looks to be large, single-use blocks separated out from the other uses on the site.

/rant
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  #798  
Old Posted Sep 10, 2015, 2:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ltsmotorsport View Post
I think it was the Bee a few months ago that had an article about the R Street corridor, and how in the '80s all the big developers in town wanted to throw the city's plan out in favor of large office developments. Now that we see the fruits of those plans coming around, the value of good planning can be seen over just following the latest market trend. How bad would it have been to have more large, dead-at-5 pm office buildings on R Street, instead of the eclectic mix of uses now there?
/rant
Actually, the mixed-use plan for R Street wasn't the city's plan, it was the neighborhood advocates that called for alternatives to a wall of single-use office buildings on R Street. The developers and the city had come up with a plan for R Street largely based on the same model as Capitol Mall, O Street Mall etcetera (lots of offices, no residential, everyone drives home to the suburbs, buildings already there are just obstacles to be removed.) Neighborhood groups like SOCA called for more contemporary approaches, mixed use, adaptive reuse, and ways to reintegrate R Street into the urban fabric of the city--the kind of things we now call "New Urbanism" or "transit-oriented development."

The city didn't have much interest in such things at first, but were convinced by persuasive argument from citizen groups (and continued rabble-rousing) that a mixed-use approach, including housing, was a better strategy for R Street. I read the article you referred to, an editorial by Marcos Breton I think, and shook my head, because he gave city government credit for the work of citizens. The old saying is, "If the people lead, the leaders will follow."
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  #799  
Old Posted Oct 1, 2015, 5:13 AM
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Sacramento developer completes purchase of downtown railyard

The Sacramento Bee
Dale Kasler and Marcos Breton
SEPTEMBER 30, 2015

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/...e37130466.html

A Sacramento development firm completed the long-awaited purchase of downtown Sacramento’s abandoned railyard Wednesday, setting the stage for a new era of development that’s expected to include a hospital, Major League Soccer stadium, university institute and thousands of homes.
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  #800  
Old Posted Oct 16, 2015, 8:49 PM
Mr. Ozo Mr. Ozo is offline
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The proposed changes to previous entitlements include:

1. . Modifications to the current Sacramento Railyards Specific Plan to allow a net
increase in commercial square footage assumptions by approximately 2,137,000
(which includes the Kaiser facilities) square feet and to decrease the residential
units by approximately 6,100 dwelling units;



Natomas 2 here we go !
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