Redevelopment Lawsuit Halts K Street Project

The SacBee’s reporting that David Taylor’s 800 K Street redevelopment plan has hit a snag with his exclusive right to negotiate the development deal lapsing last month. City officials say they can't restart talks until litigation over the state's attempt to overhaul redevelopment agencies resolved.

The redevelopment plans moved forward with Taylor’s team last July when the City Council asked his team to rebuild the 800 block. It also named a group headed by developer Bay Miry to redo K Street's 700 block.

Government funding for this project and others around the state halted earlier this year when Gov. Jerry Brown threatened to do away with local redevelopment agencies. Cities later sued, saying Brown's plan is unconstitutional. The state Supreme Court has blocked the agencies' shutdown while it reviews the suit.

The project for the 700 block of K Street is still moving ahead with construction scheduled to start early next year.

Update: 800 Block Project

800 K Street

Yesterday a bigger refined proposal was presented to members of the Preservation Commission in what I believe does a better job of integration into the existing cityscape. This proposed project is a collaborative partnership between David Taylor Interests, Domus Development, and SHRA in an effort to build 200 residential units, 22,000 square feet of retail space,184 parking spaces, and the rehabilitation of the historic Landmark Bel Vue structure.

801 L Street

The City Planning Commission is also scheduled to initially hear this project as Review & Comment on March 10, 2011, and again for final review on May 12, 2011. The final hearing for the project before the Preservation Commission will be at a later date in May.

Historic Landmark Bel Vue structure

D&S and Taylor Recommended for K Street

The Sacramento Business Journal’s reporting that a city-appointed selection committee has recommended both D&S Development and David S. Taylor Interests Inc., to develop vacant parcels on the 700 and 800 blocks of the pedestrian-oriented street. The final decision of who wins will be made by the Sacramento City Council, which is expected to address the matter in July. The other teams have proposed larger projects on the two blocks.

From what I have learned in looking over the committee’s own numbers, if they were to choose D&S and Taylor for the site, their proposals would require the largest city subsidies to deliver the smallest number residential units. It also looks to me as if David Taylor’s getting favoritism again. Yeah, he's got a proven track record, but so do the Rubicon Partners, developer of The Citizen hotel. The numbers don’t lie Council members, Rubicon can offer more bang for the buck and I suggest you take a second look at everything they can bring to K Street.

David S. Taylor Interests, Inc. 700 & 800 K Street Proposal

This proposal redevelops both the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street. All structures on the 700 block would be renovated for mixed-use retail with the addition of retail kiosk. The 800 block on the corner of 8th & L Street would include remodeling the Bel-Vue Hotel and opening it up for low income residents. A combination of new construction at the corner of 8th & L Street that would also extend into the renovated Bel-Vue would add an additional 54 housing units with retail at the ground level. The north corner of K & 8th Street would include a new four level building that includes mixed-use retail and 66 market rate housing units. Taylor’s plan also includes renovating both the Kress building and Montgomery Ward building for an additional 45 additional housing units; however, they have not been able to establish a viable financial model for this larger vision. Their goal is to join the Kress and Montgomery Ward buildings with the new building at 800 K Street to form a block of housing, retail and tenant parking. The ground floors of Kress and Montgomery Wards as well the K Street and 8th Street frontages of the new construction would be continuous retail except for residential entries on 8th and 9th Streets.

David Taylor has an incredible track record of getting projects done in Sacramento when others can’t quite make it happen. Although I’m not always a fan of how they look aesthetically, his ability to follow through as promised can not be over looked. Because not all the rendering for the proposal are available, I can’t say yet weather I will like it or not. From the looks the one rendering that is available, it appears to look similar to “800 J” which was completed just a few years ago. I hope (if chosen) this K Street proposal looks better than “800 J” which lacks any architectural personality. The buildings function is exactly what downtown needs, but it’s unfriendly cheap looking street appearance is not what K Street needs. By the looks of the vague rending provided, it appears vary similar to the monstrosity on J Street.