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Originally Posted by brandon12
I agree with Cozmoose's line of questioning. The way I see it, if the arena isn't going to be built downtown, in the railyards or on W Sac's waterfront, then just rebuild the thing in Natomas. I would argue that it's MORE CENTRAL than Cal Expo because you can use two major freeways to get there, rather than the capitol city freeway. Neither of them have light rail or trolley lines, and either of those would be a pipe dream for at least a generation. I bet if I drove, it would take me an hour from the time I got in my car at my house in midtown until I turned the car off in the parking lot of a new arena at Cal Expo. That's about, what, 3 or 4 miles? I guess the thing that Arden has in it's favor is the land is worth more, thus the opportunity to pay for the arena by developing the surrounding parcels is more realistic.
BUT I think Thomas could have not only given the maloofs free land for an arena, but he could have PAID the maloofs $10,000,000s to occupy some of his land with an arena. The reasons are several: 1) it would have jumped started development of the railyards. By this I mean that the arena would have been an irresistable catylist for other development immediately surrounding it. Why, because 2) the land would all of the sudden be in the middle of one of the coolest in-fill opportunities this side of the Coors field area of Denver. Whereas before the railyards was just an emoty plot of dirt, now it would be a dining, cultural, entertainment and housing opportunity that any developer in his right mind would want to be a part of. And they'd be willing to pay for it in amounts sufficient for Thomas to realize a nice return on his 8-figure gift to the Maloofs. 3) the city would have fast-tracked Thomas cutting through the tons of red tape involved with getting the development off the ground. Like any other business, time is money in the development world. If Thomas could develop the entire railyards in 15 years instead of 25 years, that's HUGE. Thomas would rather earn $75M over 15 years than $100M over 25 years.
Plus, transit is ALREADY in the railyards. not just light rail, wich is great, but Amtrak would be just as significant. People in Roseville wouldn't have to wait for a light-rail extension in order to get out of their cars- Amtrak already exists and could drop them off within a few blocks of the arena. And here I'm thinking outside the box (so bear with me), but if enough people from Auburn, Rocklin, Roseville, etc took the train, maybe Amtrak could run a special train that dropped people off at the arena 1 or two hours before the game. Let's say it cost $20/Person, but with it you got a coupon for a drink on the train. and you also could present your ticket for a free or discounted appetizer or drink at any of the new establishments surrounding the arena. Amtrak wins, passengers win, nearby establishments win. Maybe the Maloofs could even "charter" a special "game-day" train and split any profits with Amtrak. Amtrak may be willing to do it for little more than break-even if it means introducing 1000's of people to their train service. I could see how the train ride itself might become a popular side-show to the game itself. People having a good time talking, drinking, relaxing or getting fired up and rowdy prior to big games and after big wins.
I truly believe an arena built at Cal Expo rather in the railyards will go down as one of the biggest mistakes and missed opportunities in Sacramento-development history. The sad thing is, it looks inevitable.
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Unfortunately i don't think this is "inevitable". In fact i still think an arena being built is a long shot.
As an entusiats of a vibrant downtown I agree an arena should be built downtown, but Stan Thomas, thinks a hulking shell of an arena will cost more than what it will contribute to his project<< (and who knows it might..)
Which brings me to my next point,
Cost..
There's just no way that a new arena along with the needed infrastructure can be built in the railyards today for less than $700-$800 million.
And while i would agree that failing downtown (or my favorit back up of the Trianlge Area, which wont happen), then the arena should just remain where it is. I think that's why the MaGoofs sabotaged the last area deal, imho. They wanted the guaranteed parking revenue that they enjoy in Natomas and there were no guarantees for them in the railyards. And if they don't get the same kinds of concession from Cal Expo they wont want anything to do with this proposal either.
We live in a city that thinks and dreams small, a city fearful of recognizing that it's growing; not to mention a pitiful lack of leadership. and th
So now our only opportunity to keep this team (the Kings) in town is to build an arena in a congested part of the city. The land at Cal Expo can be utilized to help pay for a new arena and for badly needed upgrades to the aging exposition.
Neither of those two things are bad either.
There are ways to minimize traffic, such as using RT to service designated pick up points throughout the metropolitan area; (as VIA does in San Antonio).. Failing that perhaps it will prompt SACOG to address the notoriously bad bottleneck on the Captial City Freeway through the American Ricver Curve? A street car would be nice, but remains fantasy.
This has to get down, but I'm skeptical that it will.
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