SACRAMENTO | Project Rundown

[tuy]

I think that the 750' is an estimate. It would be nice to see something official.

[enigma99a]

If it is to scale, it's around 750 -- give or take a few feet.

35' lobby and restaurant floor

7 floors parking at 10'

4 floors office 13'

45 floors @ 11' (Mechanical and other)

98' roof & spire


= 750'

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by enigma99a

If it is to scale, it's around 750 -- give or take a few feet.

35' lobby and restaurant floor

7 floors parking at 10'

4 floors office 13'

45 floors @ 11' (Mechanical and other)

98' roof & spire


= 750'

Then that would be 135 feet taller than the "Towers"

Sweet.............

[colemonkee]

Bah! This would be the tallest building in Sacramento??? The older, shorter design was worlds better. This design is unbalanced and awkward at the top, which ruins the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, I want Sacramento to get more towers, but this one just isn't it.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Bah! This would be the tallest building in Sacramento??? The older, shorter design was worlds better. This design is unbalanced and awkward at the top, which ruins the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, I want Sacramento to get more towers, but this one just isn't it.

I think I liked the first design better myself. However the new facade (or windows look to be a bluish tint, which I think works much better in Sacramento. I despise dark tinted wondows.....

[colemonkee]

^ I'm with you on the dark windows issue. Give me blue windows anytime. But blue windows can't save this new design. The subtle setbacks of the old design are lost here on the wider footprint, and the l-shaped floorplate at the top is made extremely awkard by pitching the roof on one side and leaving the other flat. This building will look very bad from a lot of angles, which shows that the architect did not put a lot of thought into how this building fits into the built environment. They were probably just trying to maximize floor space on the land acquired. Pity. The first design was very nice.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

^ I'm with you on the dark windows issue. Give me blue windows anytime. But blue windows can't save this new design. The subtle setbacks of the old design are lost here on the wider footprint, and the l-shaped floorplate at the top is made extremely awkard by pitching the roof on one side and leaving the other flat. This building will look very bad from a lot of angles, which shows that the architect did not put a lot of thought into how this building fits into the built environment. They were probably just trying to maximize floor space on the land acquired. Pity. The first design was very nice.

The City's Design Review & Preservation Board, have really been coming down on developers and architects about how towers look from every angle. Hopefully this gets tweaked some more before it's actually built.

[colemonkee]

^ That's good to know. At that height, this tower would inevitably become a symbol of Sacramento, for good or for bad. I trust that the Design Review Board realizes this and will pressure the developer for a symbol that better represents the city.

[urban_encounter]

Treasure Island rebuilder Top Pick for (Sacramento's) Docks Venture

The docks total 35 mostly vacant acres
between Capitol Mall and Broadway,

Ironic that the site is 35 acres (exactly the size of Portlands South Waterfront)

[urban_encounter]

Edit

Duplicate........

[urban_encounter]

'Year of the crane'
Restaurants. Housing. Visitors. Many factors show the city's core is soaring high.

Mayor Heather Fargo sums up the state of Sacramento's central city in two words: "under construction."

With more than 4,000 new housing units planned by 2010, an additional 2.5 million square feet of office space on the drawing board and a restaurant boom under way, Fargo told an audience of downtown supporters Thursday that the looked-for renaissance is here.

"We're past the dreaming, past the scheming and really full blown into implementation," Fargo said, as part of her annual State of the Downtown address at Memorial Auditorium.

Her assessment was seconded by guest speaker Kyle Ezell, a former urban planner, current downtown consultant and author, as well as self-professed "city freak." He said he was thoroughly surprised and impressed by Sacramento's core, and prodded Sacramentans to get over their inferiority complex.

"Going to 'the city' still means going to San Francisco - why is that?" Ezell said. "People need to realize that Sacramento's downtown is incredible and coming into the spotlight."

To listen to Ezell and other city officials, 2006 could be described as the Year of the Crane in Sacramento, signifying renewed growth and prosperity.

A surefire indicator of a vital downtown, Ezell said, is the appearance of construction cranes working on large projects.

For example, a crane is operating at 15th and L streets at the site of a new Marriott Residence Inn; another is doing demolition work at Third and Capitol Mall, the planned future home of two, 53-story towers that would include a luxury hotel and condominiums; and another soon will appear at 621 Capitol Mall to begin building a 25-floor office and retail structure, city officials said.

"(Cranes) mean downtown is growing, it means more people are coming," Ezell said.

Fargo joked to the audience that she once thought crows were the official bird of downtown - but now interim city manager Ray Kerridge has suggested the crane instead.

Many city officials, including Fargo, as well as downtown experts say that building housing downtown is key to a successful revitalization. Between 2000 and 2005, there were 473 housing units built downtown, according to statistics supplied by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

The types of housing were varied, including 82 units for seniors at Ping Yuen apartments at Fifth and I streets and the 21 live/work lofts at 1020 16th St.

In the next five years, another 3,883 are planned - and that number doesn't include the 10,000 units proposed for the Union Pacific downtown railyard.

Fargo said she is committed to making downtown housing available to all socioeconomic levels, and pointed to projects such as Globe Mills at 14th and C streets, which will include 114 senior units.

Ethan Evans, executive director of the Sacramento Housing Alliance, said that although the city requires a percentage of homes in new growth areas to be affordable to people with low incomes, that same requirement does not apply to infill projects downtown, with the exception of the railyard.

"The vast majority of those 4,000 new housing units won't be affordable for working families, won't be affordable for the people working in those new stores and restaurants," Evans said.

By 2010, the downtown population is expected to climb to 42,352, up from 38,769 in 2005.

Probably the biggest retail success downtown is 37 new restaurants that have opened downtown since 2001, and restaurant sales have climbed almost 40 percent since 2000.

"We've had a ton of new restaurants, sales are off the charts," said Wendy Saunders, the city's economic development department director. Saunders said that while downtown hasn't captured a significant number of new retailers, efforts are ongoing.

The city is currently in negotiations with three separate development teams to bring retail, housing and entertainment venues to K Street's most struggling areas: the 700 and 800 blocks, and the corners of Tenth and K streets.

Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, the organization that hosted the State of the Downtown event, said K Street's success is critical to downtown. And, he said movement is needed toward the $80 million planned renovation of Downtown Plaza by owner Westfield Corp. Inc.

Downtown Plaza has been mired in the planning stage, in part by the mall's announcement that it was in talks to bring a Wal-Mart as one of its major anchors. Many members of the council and the community objected, saying they preferred a more unusual or upscale anchor.

"I think Westfield has gotten the message and they are now doing all the right things targeting other tenants," Saunders said, adding that a new anchor tenant would probably be announced within six months.

Ault said he is greatly encouraged by the growth numbers, but he cautions that there is still a lot to do downtown.

"I heard some people leaving the event today saying, 'Good, I'm glad downtown is done," Ault said. "If they think that we're even close to done they're missing the point. We need to stay focused and finish the job."

One of the biggest deciding factors on the fate of downtown will be how the City Council decides to spend $100 million in bond funds for the downtown redevelopment area.

"If we're not very strategic, we're going to limit our opportunities to be successful," Ault said. "If we try to sprinkle the money too broadly, we can't make an impact."



Special thanks to Sugit who origionally posted this in the Sacramento Construction forum.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/s...14899111c.html

[urban_encounter]

Sturdy economy fuels gains for commercial landlords
By Jon Ortiz -- SacBee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Saturday, January 21, 2006
Story appeared in Business section, Page D1



The Sacramento region's commercial real estate picture remained bright for the last quarter of 2005, with housing and job growth fueling gains in the office, retail and industrial sectors.
Office vacancies were down. Retail property landlords continued to charge top dollar in suburban markets where empty store space was nearly nonexistent. Industrial lease rates rose and vacancies declined as tenants acted quickly to sign deals for new space.

According to real estate brokerage Cornish & Carey Commercial, fourth-quarter office vacancies in the greater Sacramento area fell to about 14.1 percent, down nearly 1.3 percentage points from the same quarter in 2004.

The average lease rate rose to $1.73 per square foot, up 6 cents from a year ago, according to CB Richard Ellis figures.

Commercial real estate watchers said the falling vacancy rates were proof of the Sacramento area's economic strength. Demand for office space generally parallels demand for workers.

"This is a positive sign that 2006 is going to be a good year for employment," said David Lyons, a state labor market analyst.

Higher demand translated into richer office lease contracts. Downtown Sacramento office landlords charged the highest rates for the best office space, averaging $2.60 per square foot. Roseville followed at $2 per square foot. Natomas and Folsom leases respectively averaged $1.90 and $1.85 per square foot.

"Roseville and Rocklin are on steroids," said John Frisch, senior vice president of Cornish & Carey's Sacramento office. "There's a lot of job growth there, and it appears to be higher-paying jobs because companies are moving into more expensive space. It's the most expensive space in the region, aside from downtown Sacramento."


Retail remains strong
The fourth quarter closed with retail vacancies slightly higher than at the same time last year, but finding empty space was nearly impossible in Auburn, Elk Grove, Folsom, Natomas and West Sacramento.
Those cities registered retail vacancies at or below 2 percent, while vacancy rates for the region overall rose to 4.7 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier, according to CB Richard Ellis figures.

"There seems to be no slowdown to retail development in the Sacramento area," said David Smith, real estate manager for developer Opus West Corp. "With all the new housing built over the past five years, retail has spent the last couple of years just trying to catch up with pent-up demand."

The uptick in regional vacancies was caused by new space coming on line and moves up by businesses looking to expand or upgrade, said sales and leasing broker Wayne Stokes of CBRE's Sacramento office.

"We've been building at a rapid pace everywhere," Stokes said. "So most of the rise in vacancy is caused by new product. ... Right now, if you're in the right market with the right anchor tenants, you can't build retail space fast enough."

To that end, developers have more than 3 million square feet of new space under construction and another 3 million planned in the four-county area.

Opus West is in the mix with the Sacramento Gateway project at Truxel Road and Interstate 80. When completed in September, it will add 660,000 square feet of retail space to the region, plus office space and two hotels.

Other major projects include the Marriott Residence Inn, under construction at 15th and L streets in downtown Sacramento, and a 230-room InterContinental Hotels to anchor The Towers high-rise at Third Street and Capitol Mall.

Swedish home furnisher Ikea will open its West Sacramento store in March. Retail developments are on the boards for Elk Grove, Roseville and Folsom. Florin Mall will soon start a massive makeover to be completed in 2007.

Stokes expects retail leasing activity to "cook along" for the first six months of this year. Things may slow slightly, he said, if local home building softens as space now under construction opens up.

"But I don't see a big rise in (retail) vacancy for '06," Stokes said, "and demand for restaurant space will continue to be especially strong."


Industrial leasing up
Nearly 400,000-square feet of newly built industrial space in the Sacramento region was absorbed by active leasing during the fourth quarter.
Vacancies remained steady at 14.3 percent, according to real estate brokerage Grubb & Ellis, down one-tenth of a percentage point from the previous three months.

The sector has clearly left the gloom of 2004 behind, however, when vacancies topped 17 percent.

Like office rents, industrial leases got pricier as companies looked to add workers and capacity. Average asking lease rates for all types of industrial buildings for the last three months of 2005 hit 58 cents per square foot, up from 52 cents for the previous quarter.

More companies leased than purchased space during the quarter and prospective tenants were "quick to pull the trigger," said Bob Dean, executive vice president for Grubb & Ellis.


http://www.sacbee.com/content/busine...14928423c.html

[enigma99a]

Updates as of 1-25-2006.

An application has been submitted to the city for the Metopolitian tower (35 stories)

Also the twin towers at 301CM look like they will be 55 stories instead of 53.

[urban_encounter]

High Density Residential/Office/Retail (Updated 3/4/06)

18 Towers currently in various stages; Proposed/Planning/Approved/Or Under Construction. (Not including K street residential proposals, The Docks or the Rail Yards.



Currently under construction


* Twin 53 story towers, "The Towers" 301 Capitol Mall (615 ' each) 750 Condos/276 room Intercontinental Hotel & Ground floor retail SACA development. Demolition work wrapping up on the site, with load bearing tests of piles underway.

* 25 story/400' 621 Capitol Mall, office tower. Developer David Taylor.

*15 story Marriott Residence Inn & Condominiums 239 hotel rooms/30 Condos top three floors

*Plaza Lofts 225 Lofts/22,000 sf retail (CIM Group)

*1850 L street 176 units/9,600 sf retail (Sotiris Kolokotronis)

*Capitol Terrace 21st & L street 65 units/3,000 retail (St. Anton)

*19th & O 10 lofts/10,000 sf ground retail

*12th & K (Old Sears Building) 12 Lofts on the 3rd & 4th floors/Ground floor retail

*9th & K (Former Hale Dept Store/office building) 33 Lofts

*North End Lofts II 14th & H street 11 Lofts

*H street Lofts approximately 8-10 Lofts

*IronWorks (Triangle Area Of West Sacramento) 180 Lofts

*Globe Mills 12th & c street 143 Flats/Lofts

* Upper Eastside Lofts (Transit Oriented mixed use Development Planned are 140 units adjacent 65th street RT Metro station) --Ravel Rasmussen Properties/partnering with Separovich Domich.

*Whiskey Hill Lofts (30 lofts and carriage houses at 21st and S streets/Rite Aid Drug Store, just one block from the Meridian project. (Paul Petrovich).

*1531 L street Firestone Building (Dining/Retail) Cordano http://www.cordanoco.com/project_pdfs/firestone3.pdf



Approved (Awaiting start of construction)

*Aura 39 story 440' residential tower 615 Capitol Mall (Approx 282 Condos) ground Floor retail). BCN Development (Est Construction start March 2006). Final Approval given 10/27/05

* L street Lofts 8 stories 92 Lofts 5,850 sf ground floor retail (Sotiris Kolokotronis)

*11th Street Lofts (11th & R street behind exisitng 3 story brick building) 14 Live Work Lofts

*12th Street Lofts (12th & R street) 16 Live Work Lofts

*Capitol Lofts/CADA Warehouse 122 lofts/condos (Spring 2006)

*East End Gateway (16th & N) 130 units with ground floor retail (Lambert Development)

*East End Gateway (16th & O NW Corner) 34 Lofts (Loftworks)

*East End Gateway (16th & O SW Corner) 56 Units/ground floor retail

*East End Gateway (16th & P) 34 units

*SoCap Lofts (Phase I) 32 high density loft style homes North side of R street between 6th and 7th street (2006)

*Alchemy on R Street, High density residential townhomes/lofts N. side of R street between 26th and 27th street

*McNamme Townhomes S.E. Corner of 26th and R streets

*Cooper Union Building 16th & H street 13 units/ground floor retail

*M.A.A.R.S Project (Midtown Area Art, Retail Scene in Sacramento's Lavender Heights/Midtown)
Heller Pacific http://www.hellerpacific.com/mars-1.html





Planning Process

*50 story mixed use tower "Epic" 638' 12th & I street BCN Development. (Est start of construction mid 2006)

*56 story residential tower "Capitol Grand" 13th & J street (estimated 700+'?), undetermined # of Condos/192 room Hilton Garden Inn. Mo Mohanna/John Lamberth (Est start of construction 2006)

*38 story condo tower 'The Metropolitan' 10th & J street, 35,000sf Retail, 330 Residential Units. John Saca Developer

*31 story mixed highrise 701 L street. To have 70-80 apartments (top 12 floors) 160,000 sf ground floor retail/ 233,310 sf office Tower Development (Est Cont start 2006/2007)

*29 story office building 'Parthenon' 500 Capital Mall (Tsakopoulis family trust) Est construction start 2006

*2 Towers, West End State Office Complex, Probably Option #3 a 20 and 26 story tower (with nearby housing)

*23 story residential tower 11th & J street with 200 units. St. Anton/Cordano Development (Est Construction start 2006)

*23 story Meridian Palza Phase II (Office Building) 15th and K street Tony Giannoni Developer

*21 story tower 8th & I street 295 condos with office
and retail (D.R. Horton of Texas)

*Raley's Landing West Sacramento Mulitple towers: Panattoni Development Co (Est 2007 Construction)
1) River One is an 18 story 150+ unit residential tower 245,000sf commerical and 42,000 Restaurant/Retail
2) River Two is a 17 story 150 unit residential tower
3) River Three is a 19 story 600,000 sf and 20,000 sf office/retail complex
4) Washington street property 6 story 550 residential units

* Downtown Plaza (Remodel) Addtition of new anchor store and relocation of theaters as well as Plaza improvements. (Westfield)

*3,000 condos/lofts (West Sacramento Riverfront) Friedman/Rumsey Band. Estimated construction start 2007

*UP Railyards 10,000 housing units/ground retail (application submitted to the City Millenia Associates) pending sale of UP railyards.

*SoCap Lofts (Phase II) 32 high density loft style homes South side of R Street between 6th and 7th street (2007)

*Cal Pers High density housing project on the South Side of R street between 3rd and 4th street



Proposed

*Sacramento Docks Project. 35 Acre Riverfront High density residential, dining, riverfront park (South of Old Sacramento). San Francisco's Kenwood Investment.

*Jiboom Street Partners (PG&E Power Station). 15 story riverfront residential highrise, to include refurbishment of the historic PG&E Building, possible Science and Space Museum (and Planetarium), as well as restaurants and an Amphitheater. (D.R. Horton of Texas)

*9th & L street 15 story officer tower (Cordano Development)

*10 & K street 150 apartments 80 condos 60,000 sf entertainment/retail (Taylor/CIM) pending council agreement.

*800 block of K street 955 units with 107,330 sf retail (Saca/Lamberth/Mohanna) pending council agreement.

*South West and South East corner of K street (at 8th) two Towers, 500 + Condos.

*San Diego developers Meridian announced plans to build 61 single-family homes on the site of an office building at 21st and U
45 detached, three-story townhouses 16 units will be 1,000-square foot carriage houses sitting atop garages.


Complete

*Fremont Mews 118 Lofts/22,000 sf community garden

*16th & K street 23 lofts/ground floor retail (Loft Works)

If anyone has any corrections to what is listed above, please feel free to post it and I'll make any necessary changes.

[colemonkee]

Very cool list. Anyone have pictures of the community garden at Fremont Mews? That sounds kind of cool.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by colemonkee

Very cool list. Anyone have pictures of the community garden at Fremont Mews? That sounds kind of cool.

Well the origional Ron Mandella Garden took up half a city block but was removed to build Fremont Mews. They have completed the Mews, but are still excavating the garden so it's not open to the public yet. When they finally open it it will be on quarter city block. There are (two other) gardens in the DT Area. A much larger one over by Southside Park and a third about to open off of 11th street. The Southside Park site was opened to offset the loss of 1/2 the Mandella garden. When the garden opens back up I'll snap some pictures and post it.

[urban_encounter]

Bob Shallit: Plans for boutique hotel downtown pique interest


A San Francisco company has plans to turn the Cal Western Life building at 926 J St. into a hotel.

By Bob Shallit -- SacBee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, February 8, 2006


A San Francisco operator of deluxe boutique hotels is proposing converting a historic downtown office tower into a destination inn with 200 rooms, meeting space and fine dining.
The proposal from Joie de Vivre Hospitality has just surfaced and will be considered - on an expedited basis - at next Tuesday's Sacramento City Council meeting. If there's support - and a willingness to provide a substantial subsidy - conversion of the classically styled 14-story Cal Western Life Building at 926 J could begin immediately and be open for business by the end of next year.


"They've brought the concept to us and need feedback quickly on whether to pursue this option," said city senior project manager Traci Michel, referring to the building's owner, Sacramento-based Rubicon Partners.


Without city support, the owners probably will pursue plans to put office condos in the 82-old building, she says.
Initial reactions from city officials were positive Tuesday. The project could become what the Hotel Del Coronado is for San Diego or The Benson for Portland - a destination hotel that brings people to the city, generating occupancy taxes and customers for downtown shops and restaurants.

"You couldn't pick a better location for a boutique hotel," said Councilman Ray Tretheway, whose district includes downtown.

Mayor Heather Fargo said she's long wanted the "charm" of a boutique hotel in Sacramento. "To take one of our most treasured historic buildings and (allow) people to go in the lobby and see the marble and a piece of history, that's intriguing to me," she said.

But should the city spend as much as $15 million in public funds to make that happen? "The money part is a little intimidating," Fargo said.

The proposed project is not on a blighted corner. Funding it would mean not funding something else. Still, the mayor said, it would establish the kind of venue Sacramento doesn't yet have "and it's something this city should have."

Rubicon acquired the building last year and looked at several use options. Then the offer came in from Joie de Vivre.

Rubicon principal Kipp Blewett declined to discuss the specifics of the proposal. But he confirmed Rubicon has received a proposal "and we are considering it."

Joie de Vivre was founded in the late 1980s by Chip Conley and now operates 28 hotels, all but one in Northern California. The exception is the newly opened Hotel Angelino in Brentwood. Its newest San Francisco property is the Hotel Vitali, a 200-room hotel near the Embarcadero.


(special thanks to innov8 who posted this in Sacramento Construction forum).

[urban_encounter]

Not a new development, but a great reuse for one of Sacramento's historic gems. Directly across from Caesar Chavez (Civic Center) and one block from the proposed K street Central...

[fflint]

I love that building, and would absolutely stay there on my regular trips to Sacramento.

[ltsmotorsport]

The interior is just awesome. Would love to see it happen.