Old Sacramento - Gold Rush Days

I took this set late summer during Gold Rush days in Old Sacramento. I plan to have them up on my website soon, but until then please follow this link here.
 

Inland Begins to Layout Railyard Plan

Inland Real Estate Group who took over the defaulted railyards last October will appear before the City Council this Tuesday to discuss some of their plans. According to The Sacramento Press; Dean Stermer of Inland said that "Our primary job is to complete the work that's ongoing right now" and that “item authorizing Interim City Manager Gus Vina to appropriate $7.5 million in federal funds and transfer $1.5 million from the city's State and Federal Grant Match Project for railyards access improvements to Richards Boulevard and Interstate 5. The contract is expected to be awarded in March. The total cost of the project is estimated at more than $10 million."

The City Council meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday will be the council's last for 2010.

La Valentina Station Groundbreaking

Please join Domus Development, the City of Sacramento, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, community leaders and local residents as we mark a new chapter in the life of Alkali Flats and take steps toward transforming an abandoned, blighted area into an attractive, convenient neighborhood.

With transit-friendly living and LEED designed efficiencies like net-zero energy use, projects like La Valentina represent creative new thinking in how California cities and towns can prepare for a growing population.

Confirmed speakers include Sacramento City Council Member Steve Cohn, La Shelle Dozier, Executive Director of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, and William J. Pavão, Executive Director of the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee. Other special guests invited.

Fresh hot espresso drinks will be available, courtesy of Old Soul Coffee. It's a tasty salute to things to come, when La Valentina brings a brand new café to the neighborhood.

When: Thursday, December 9th at 2:30 pm
Where: 12th Street between D & E Streets, Sacramento

Please RSVP to Erin Kelly at erin@domusd.com.

Township 9 granted $1.3 million

One of the few large infill projects still moving forward in the Sacramento area got another financial boost by the state yesterday; this time from the State's Housing and Community Development's Catalyst Projects for California Sustainable Strategies Pilot Program in the amount of $1.3 million. With the combination of several other grants received thus far, the project has lined up $52 million in total grants with $30 million from Proposition 1C and $20 million in infrastructure grant funds.

Township 9 is a 65acre planned mixed use community located in the City's River District and adjoining the southern boundary of the American River. The Light Rail Green Line Station is currently under construction and will begin operations in early 2011. The first major building to begin construction at Township Nine will include 180 apartment units and ground floor retail with the rest of the project constructed incrementally over the next ten years. Township Nine is also expected to achieve Gold status for The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED™ for Neighborhood Development program. The total projected cost to built out this project estimated at $1.7 billion.

Needed K Street Entertainment Coming Soon

The date of January 12, 2010 has been chosen for the opening of George Karpaty vintage Dive Bar, pizza restaurant and upscale night club. Developers David S. Taylor and CIM Group received a city subsidy of $5.4 million to renovate the buildings with Taylor spending nearly that much again on the buildings and the tenant would invest about $1.7 million. The subsidy money came from a pool of proceeds by the sale of the downtown Sheraton and are earmarked for downtown development. Entertainment venues include the Frisky Rhythm Dance Club, Pizza Rock and Dive Bar which will have warm water 100,000-pound aquarium with an occasional visit by a mermaid or a merman.

Will IBM Help Sacramento?

I think this might be helpful and the City should look into this.

Deficits and cramped budgets are plaguing local governments around the country this year. Almost half a million dollars worth of technology and consulting services would be a more than welcome gift for most cities – and this is exactly what IBM is offering with its new Smarter Cities Challenge.

The pro bono program will grant 50 North American cities up to $400,000 in technology and consulting resources to help find solutions for local issues. IBM is now encouraging Sacramento to apply for the grant by December 31.

The grant could be used to make Sacramento greener and more sustainable, or to improve citizen engagement with our city. It could help build out our infrastructure in ways that are both creative and effective, or it could just assist with Mayor Johnson’s plans to improve government and foster economic development.

To learn more about the program, you can visit the Smarter Cities website.

It’s an open question: how could $400,000 in technology-based services from IBM benefit Sacramento?

If you ran the city, what problem would you solve? Is there a project you would help?