New Arena Proposals

The Mayor made a call out in November for prospective developers to turn in their ideas for a new Sacramento arena by December 24th and seven proposals were received. Of the seven ideas by developers, one over-view site plan was released and in my opinion we can go nowhere but up from here. Above is a plan by Tripp Development/Cachet Realty Group, Inc. and it looks as though it might have been whipped together in a matter of minutes before hustling it down to City Hall.

The Tripp Development plan includes The Towers as if there is still a chance they will be built… but they died three years ago. I also wonder why this rending which was done with a ball point pen also includes a deck over I-5 when just a few months ago the city cancelled pursuing that idea after more than ten years of study. My last thought on this rendering is that it looks as though it was an after thought and hardly something of any merit, I can't imagine any of the others presenting their ideas in this same format. It was only a few weeks ago The Capitol Creative Collective in partnership with The Downtown Sacramento Partnership hosted their first Idea Fair on vision for future downtown development. I think the Mayor should also talk to these guys to see what they come up with… all of whom will also pitch their ideas for free.

In the end it’s all about where the moneys going to come from to pay for the new arena. In the last ten year nearly all but one of the seven proposals submitted to the Mayor have been proposed before. Their is one new site proposal for the The Docks area which doe’s not make any sense when just a few weeks ago the City Council approved both the plan and EIR for the Docks to be developed.

Here is a list of the seven new arena proposals as described by the Sacramento Press.

Thomas Enterprises, Inc. and Team, Sacramento Railyards

The offering proposes to build on years of planning by the city of Sacramento and combines regional mass transit, large-scale community events, arts and entertainment venues in the city's downtown and region.

The Kamilos Company and Team, Sacramento Railyards

The proposed entertainment and sports complex will be located on the city-owned property, south of the newly aligned railroad tracks, within the Railyards Specific Plan.

Tripp Development and Team, Westfield Downtown Plaza

The development location is at the northeast corner of the intersection of Third and L streets, on the site currently owned by the city and developed as a multi-level parking facility.

M&M Group, led by Matt Haines and Team, Sacramento Docks Area

The Docks Area is located in Downtown Sacramento, adjacent to the central business district defined on the north by Capitol Mall, on the east by the I-5 freeway, on the south by Broadway and on the west by the Sacramento River. Immediately north is the Historic Old Sacramento District.

Doug Tatara, Cal Expo

This proposal includes a theme park and arena at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds location.

Natomas ESC Partners and Team, Natomas

The site proposed is the city-owned 100-acre property adjacent to and north of the existing Arco Arena and just south of Del Paso Road, minutes from Downtown Sacramento and five miles from Sacramento International Airport.

Ali Mackani and Team, Westfield Downtown Plaza

(The proposal is) centrally located in the heart of Sacramento’s downtown on the current site of Westfield Plaza’s east end. The plan proposes an extensive retail experience, dining options and a public park.