Sacramento Commons

The current Capitol Towers apartment mega block on 7^th Street is slowly going through the review and entitlement process for a pair of 25 story high-rises and 22 story building. The Sacramento Business Journals reporting that the developer, Kennedy Wilson Inc., has released some renderings of the project. No public hearings have been scheduled yet. The proposal includes 1,200 new apartment and all ground floor villas would be demolished. Hopefully this project can break ground before the market correction.

The Metropolitan Comeback?

It appears as if this former proposal that never got off the drawing board in 2007 is going to make another go at it. Sactown Magazine’s reporting that an estimated ground breaking for the tower is on the horizon in 2015. Of course, the economy has to improve further for this proposal to break ground.  The housing component is being promoted as “luxury”, does downtown have enough willing buyers make this possible? The last big project that sold units like this was the L Street lofts and it was only able to sell 22 of the 92 units in the building… now they are all rentals and the building was foreclosed on.

16th Street Senior Housing

700 16th St. as Senior Artist Community @ Mansion Flats

The former Clarion Hotel at 700 16^th Street has a mixed use project planned for the site intended for seniors. According the Sacramento Business Journal, the current building would be wrecked and replaced with a four story 156,481sf project that would include 160 living units and ground-level commercial spaces at the corners.

Downtown Plaza is History

Farewell to Sacramento's Downtown Plaza as it once was! Unfortunately over the last 10 years the mall has declined to where more than half the stores are empty, and there is almost no one shopping. I can still feel the vibe of the mid 90’s when America Live was an entertainment destination and the new mall was vibrant, and full of shoppers. 

Sacramento Downtown Plaza



Sacramento Downtown Plaza



Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza



Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Men's Macy's at Sacramento Downtown Plaza

Sacramento high-rise



Where foot print of new arena will be in the current Downtown Plaza

300 Capitol Mall

View from above of Downtown Plaza

16th Street Resurgence

CADA has really come through in the redevelopment of 16^th Street. East End Gateway 2 & 3 has turned out better than I had hoped. It took seven years from proposal to completion and the results are fantastic. Development Costs $26 million.

East End Gateway 2 & 3

East End Gateway 2

East End Gateway 3

East End Gateway 2 & 3

16 Powerhouse is moving right along. Work is currently being done on 6^th floor and the installation of windows. This high-end, six story complex with apartments going for $1,700 to $3,500 per month will be Sacramento's first privately funded midtown housing development at $16.4 million.

16 Powerhouse

16 Powerhouse

16 Powerhouse

The Warren is just starting to move the dirt around. This $34 million project is a far cry from what was proposed there in 2007 link. Construction ends first quarter 2015.

The Warren

Sacramento City Unified School District-owned property

Sacramento City Unified School District-owned property… several proposals being considered.



16th and N Street Proposal

 
D&S Development has proposed developing Sacramento City Unified School District-owned property at 16th and N streets in midtown Sacramento into a 132-room boutique brand hotel topped by 30 penthouses, 50 apartments through adaptive re-use of the former school building on the site, 9,400 square feet of retail and 10 townhomes on the property. The Sacramento Business Journal is reporting, the D&S proposal would lease rather than buy the property at 1619 N St. for 100 years at $100,000 annually, with 5 percent increases every five years. In doing so, the development would infuse the property with far more long-term value for the district. Estimated to be a $60 million investment. Two other proposal are also being considered for the site, including another mixed-use housing project dubbed The Jefferson Midtown and a proposal dubbed the California Tribal Life Center, which would involve relocation and expansion of the existing Native American health center in midtown, a cultural center, office space and housing.

Kings Arena Approved

The Sacramento city council has approved the final Kings arena plan last night with a 7-2 vote. The city will now go ahead with selling $298.4 million in bonds for the $477 million project, with about $226 million of that ultimately coming out of the public’s pocket. Over the life of the Bond the city will pay $715 million in principal and interest.

Construction on the sports facility will break ground this summer and open in time for the 2016-17 season. The 17,500-seat arena will be slightly larger than the Kings' current aging facility.

Downtown Mall Demolition

Downtown Mall as it is today

Is it fair to say that if demolition does not start by this time next year, the new arena project will be behind schedule? In my rough estimate, the cost to demo four blocks and clear the land before any work can be done will be around  $40 million or more.  My number is based on what it cost John Saca to clear the land at 3rd & Capital Mall which was $8 million. The old Sacramento Union building occupied only about half the block and did not have any underground parking.  The malls foot print covers nearly 100% of each block with two floors of below ground parking.

Is this demo expense going to be absorbed by Ranadive as an assumed cost overrun?

Groundbreaking of the WAL (Warehouse Artist Lofts) formerly Capitol Lofts

301 Capitol Mall Six Years Later

 

301 Capitol Mall former Towers site

It’s hard to believe how much has not changed at the former Towers site… it's been six years today since the job to construct two 53-story residential towers at Third Street and Capitol Mall was halted. Even if the two 600-foot towers estimated to cost $750 million project had been built, with the regions record home foreclosure rate over the last 4 years, today I imagine it would sit more than half empty like the L Street Lofts which only sold 22 of the 92-units. My contact at CalPERS says there are no plans to develop the site in the near future.

Just think, if 17 more condominiums would have sold to reach the bank requirement of 400 units, money from CalPERS and Deutsche Bank would have continued to invest in the project.

Sacramento Courthouse Delayed Indefinitely

Judicial oversight committee makes recommendations because of potential loss of funds designated for court construction.

SAN FRANCISCO—The Court Facilities Working Group voted today to recommend that four additional courthouse construction projects in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Fresno, and Nevada City be delayed indefinitely if the Legislature directs that court construction funds be used to finance the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach.

The recommendations—which Justice Hill hopes will go before the Judicial Council in January 2013—include: a new criminal courthouse for downtown Sacramento, a replacement for the overburdened courthouse in Huntington Park for the Southeast Court District in Los Angeles, and renovation projects planned for downtown courthouses in Fresno and Nevada City. The draft
recommendations include a special direction for the Sacramento project: a recommendation that site acquisition proceed for that project, a $10 million commitment to the developer of the Railyards that would allow the project to proceed as planned when funding becomes available.

During the meeting, courts whose projects were slated for deferral gave presentations and answered questions from the working group. Using the same process that ultimately delayed seven projects last fall, the working group will post the draft recommendations on the California Courts website
for two weeks for public comment, then submit finalized recommendations to the Judicial Council for review early next year.

Sacramento - New Sacramento Criminal Courthouse - Draft Recommendations: Indefinitely delay, but move forward on site acquisition. http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/CFWG-121312.pdf

http://www.courts.ca.gov/20171.htm

Blue Trees Art

The Blue Trees art installation in Seattle earlier this year - Courtesy of Konstantin Dimopoulos

Sactown magazine is reporting that on On Oct. 9, Australian artist Konstantin Dimopoulos will begin coloring about 20 sycamore trees on both sides of 13th street between J and K streets in downtown Sacramento, flanked by the convention center and the Sheraton Grand Hotel. Using eco-friendly, bright, ultramarine blue pigment, the artist will make a bold urban design statement while hoping to draw attention to global deforestation issues.

 

The Tree Foundation quickly partnered with the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau and Sactown magazine to help organize and fund the event. In only about a week’s time, the team raised approximately $25,000 from community groups and leaders to make the project a reality.

 

With the help of volunteers, Dimopoulos will paint the trees over the course of five days (Oct. 9-13). The paint is expected to last until the bark begins to shed in spring, so the trees will remain blue for approximately six months.

Space Shuttle Flyover

 

This is Space Shuttle Endeavour's last fight over downtown Sacramento before before going on display in Los Angeles at the new Samuel Oschin display pavilion. Photo by Derek Hocking in Old Sacramento.

Old Postcards and Photos

 

A view of the K Street Mall under construction on December 3, 1969, with 10th Street in the middle of the photograph, seen under the Fox Theater sign on right.



1950's Sutters Fort

 

Old Sacramento

 

Al & Bud's Platter - now Pancake Circus 1961

 

I have now seen much of anything to post for a while, so here are some cool old photos I found on the web.

16 Powerhouse



16 Powerhouse - 1601 16th Street, Sacramento 95814

16 Powerhouse has an improved new design for the East End Gateway Site 4 directly across from Fremont Park off 16th Street between P St & Powerhouse Alley. This project has a proposed construction date for spring 2013, thus far, no info has been released stating how much it will cost or if the same developer who made the original design is also behind this proposal.

This project is being labeled as a green & sustainable net zero mixed use development featuring grey water and storm water recycling, solar hot water system, solar PV, Vertical Farm, R30 wall insulation, R50 ceiling insulation, Superior building envelope, Variable Refrigerant HVAC system, and LED lighting. The building includes 45 luxury rental apartments built to condo spec for when the market might be right for it. In addition, approx. 7,700 sq. ft. of ground floor restaurant & retail space, 45 parking spaces, onsite waste management, building management system to monitor energy usage, orientation to optimize daylight and natural ventilation, and automatic solar shades.

16 Powerhouse also has a Facebook page here.  Below is an image of what was originally proposed for the site by CADA

 

The 22nd Annual Chalk It Up to Sacramento Festival!

This Labor Day don’t forget to also check out Chalk It Up at Fremont Park. For three days Chalk It Up will host live performances by many musicians who donate their talents, food vendors and sponsors all to make this their best year yet. This year there will also be the return of Kids Create-A-Zone, where kids are led through activities by local professional artists.

For more information, please visit the website.

Labor Day Weekend • September 1-3, 2012

Fremont Park • 16th & Q Streets

Gold Rush Days 2012

Old Sacramento Gold Rush Days - Front Street

Gold Rush Days are a celebration of Sacramento's heritage.  This Labor Day Weekend Aug. 31st - Sept. 3rd., more than 200 tons of dirt pave the streets in Old Sacramento as this annual festival "turns back the clock," transforming Sacramento's historic district into a scene straight out of the 1850s. Hundreds of costumed performers take on the roles of celebrities, personalities and just plain folks, bringing history to life while bluegrass pickers and old-timey Musicians performed on several stages, evoking the vivid tunes of the times.

Events and performances throughout the district are FREE to the public. Please click here for the entertainment schedule.

Hoofing It to the New Rail Platform

Sacramento Valley Amtrak Station - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

Over the weekend I went out to the new rail platform to take a closer look at the track relocation project, also known as "The Path to Progress." Walking from the Sacramento Valley Station Depot to the new platforms took about five or six minutes and was about a quarter mile. I found myself thinking while shuffling out to the new platform that this is far less convenient for everyone. Even with the covered pathway; the weather is going make this hike even more of a chore with baggage in hand. Something else to consider, if you did not use the restroom before leaving the main depot., you better be prepared to hold it because this $50 million project does not include any at the new platform.

Sacramento Valley Amtrak Station - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

The new platform was built anticipating an intermodal depot would be built close by shortly after completion. There are currently only vague conceptual plans for the new intermodal depot with no additional funding to build it. So this barren hike from the old depot to the platform will now be many passengers first and last image of Sacramento for years to come. The city recently won a federal grant to rehabilitate the current depot with work expected to start next summer.

Sacramento Valley Amtrak Station - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

Walk to the platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

Walk to the platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814



Walk to the platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

Walk to the platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

Walk to the platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

Walk to the platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

Walk to the platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814






New train platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814

New train platform - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814



Looking back at the depot - 401 I St. Sacramento 95814