Downtown Focus for Arts Programming

Starting this month, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, in partnership with Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, Center for Contemporary Art and Crocker Art Museum is preparing to launch West of 16th Street, East of the River.

The extensive series of arts-related programming and special events throughout Downtown will highlight public art and historical architecture, the Crocker family’s legacy, Downtown’s sculpture garden, a unique collection of Chicano art and temporary art exhibits by local artists.

Taking a cue from other cities’ efforts to revitalize districts via arts related activities, DSP is utilizing ground floor vacancies for temporary art installations. Colliers International, St. Anton Partners and the CIM Group have donated space for temporary exhibits by various local artists and designers. Their work can be viewed at various locations throughout Downtown.

Arts programming aims to support downtown businesses, museums and galleries and was developed out of requests for more Second Saturday and summertime activity. “Businesses have expressed interest in connecting with Midtown’s very successful Second Saturday event,” said DSP Programming Manager Julia Beckner. “Downtown is home to the city’s oldest and most interesting public art and architecture, yet the district is often overlooked as a center for arts and culture. We hope that, with this summer schedule of arts related programming, we can bring attention to all that Downtown has to offer.”

Property owners interested in donating space should contact DSP Programming Manager Julia Beckner at jbeckner@downtownsac.org. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.downtownsac.org/secondsaturday.

Content provided by: Downtown Sacramento Partnership

Certified Farmers’ Markets

Downtown will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. providing shoppers with the opportunity to buy California grown produce and flowers at four Downtown locations. For details visit downtownsac.org/farmersmarkets.

• Roosevelt Park (10th & P streets): Every Tuesday May through September

• Fremont Park (15th & P streets): Every Tuesday May through September

• Cesar Chavez Plaza (10th & J streets): Every Wednesday May through October

• Downtown Plaza (4th & K streets): Every Thursday May through October

Courthouse Could Rise on Capitol Mall?

Bob Shallit of the Sac Bee’s reporting that two locations are now under consideration to build a new state courthouse. The newest spot is now at the abandon Towers site at 3rd and Capitol with negotiations starting this summer. The original site for the 12-to-16-story, $540 million courts building was to be between Fifth and Sixth streets, just north of H, on the edge of the downtown rail yard. To pay for the building, Sacramento County will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in court revenue bond funding from SB 1407 (Perata) in 2008, which authorized the issuance of $5 billion in revenue bonds to fund court construction projects in the State. Nacht & Lewis Architects and HOK have been chosen to design a new courthouse in Sacramento.

Why would they consider moving this project so far from jail where prisoners would then have to be transported on the streets to and from the court everyday? This makes no since to me? The original plan was to build the courthouse at the corner of 5th & H Street that included a tunnel under ground where inmates could be moved to and from the jail with vary little risk of escape. The H Street locations also better because the lands owned by the county, where as the Capitol Mall land is not.

I hope they keep with the original plan to build by the rail yards, the proximity to the jail would save the county lots of money in the long run.

Zapata Park Playground to be built in one day's time

This Thursday, May 20, a brand new playground is being built by 200 volunteers in the downtown area. Through a variety of partnerships, this playground will be a state-of-the-art space measuring 2,500 square feet. And, it’s all being built in just one day! This is exciting for several reasons. First, there will be a lot of happy children and families thanks to the new playground. Second, I think it’s further proof that downtown Sacramento is becoming a re-invigorated location with thriving businesses, hotels, and now—family locations.

WHERE:
Zapata Park
905 E Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814

WHEN:
Thursday, May 20
8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Project Kick-Off
9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Best viewing of playground construction
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Final construction phase and adjustments
2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. “Board-Cutting" closing ceremony
(Note: All times approximate)

CONTACT: Lesley Miller at (916) 442-1394 or lesley@3foldcomm.com

Volunteers from the Home Depot, KaBOOM! and Community Housing Opportunities Corporation join.

Globe Mills Gone Bad

It appears the good intentions to convert the Globe Mills feed and flour mill into affordable senior housing isn’t faring so well. According to the Sac Bee, after being redeveloped two years ago with the help of government funds, Globe Mills was billed as a safe yet hip place for seniors to settle. But police calls to the building have been frequent. Residence have been attacked in the complex's elevator and are fed up with the criminal activity of other tenants, drug dealing and prostitution which are common place according to some residents whom are starting to move out.

Globe Mills is a former feed and flour mill built in 1914 that has now been converted to affordable senior apartments starting at $650 / 1br. The cost to transformed a former grain storage and flour mill into a mixed-income residential development, $38 million.
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I saw these crime problems coming three years ago when I was in the area taking photos with a friend. It only took a few minutes before we saw some guy taking a pee on the side of the under construction Globe Mills building while across the street homeless were gathering. The real draw back to this location is the steady traffic of downtrodden walking along 12th Street to and from Loves & Fishes. Three years later, I don’t think much has changed. If the city is going to spend this kind of money on projects downtown, they really need to provide a more visible security presents. This has been a sketchy area for decades just like some areas of K Street, so it’s now time to put more police in the area if you want opinions to change of what urban living is like in Sac.

Greyhound Terminal Preconstruction Design

Rudolph & Sletten, Inc. has been awarded the professional services agreement in the amount of $96,673 for preconstruction design-assist services for the Greyhound Terminal project on Richards Boulevard. Work is anticipated to begin on site this summer with completion near the end of 2011. Greyhound’s scheduled to move into the new terminal building by April 1, 2012 when the lease at its current location (703 L Street) expires.

Ad Hoc Committee Created

This Tuesday the City Council will adopt a Redevelopment Agency Resolution to appoint a special advisory committee comprised of the Mayor and three Council Members to review the development team qualifications and project concepts for the 700/800 Blocks of K and L Streets, the Selection Committee recommendations, Staff's recommendation, and provide a recommendation to the Agency Board.

In December 2009, the Economic Development Department issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) soliciting qualifications and project concepts from development teams for the development of mixed-use projects for the 700 and 800 blocks of K and L streets (See Attachment 1, Map of Development Sites). Development teams were encouraged to submit team qualifications and project concepts for any of the development areas or any combination of the development areas. In February 2010, four proposals were submitted by the following development teams:

• Team 1: David S. Taylor Interests, Inc. is the Master Developer of this team and is supported by the CIM Group (Developer/Financial Partner), Domus Development (Associates Developer/ Affordable Housing Partner), and Zeiden Properties, LLC (Associate Developer/Retail).

• Team 2: D and S Development Company is the Master Developer and is supported by CFY Development, Inc. (Developer/ Partner/Contractor).

• Team 3: Bridge Housing Corporation is the Master Developer and is supported by Saca Development (Management and Leasing Services), and Bagatelos Development, LLC.

• Team 4: Rubicon Partners is the Master Developer with St. Anton Partners(General Partner) and Preferred Capital Advisors (General Partner).

Details regarding each RFQ response can be found on the Economic Development website here.

Concerts In The Park Starts Today

Summer Downtown officially begins tonight with the first Friday Night Concert in the Park of the season with performances by Kepi Ghoulie, The Kelps, Dog Party, and Simpl3jack. The free, all ages, outdoor concert series will rock Cesar Chavez Plaza every Friday night from 5 pm to 9 pm starting May 7 though August 13.

The concert series, which attracts on average 4,500 people each night, celebrates the local music scene and will feature a total of 47 bands during the 15-week season.

New features to this season include a new event layout to improve sight lines to the stage, enhanced sound, more food vendors, expanded beer garden and locally produced wine from Revolution Wines. Visitors can park for $5 after 5 pm in the City Hall Garage located at 10th & I streets for park their bikes for free with the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates bike valet.

In addition, visitors can take advantage of special Friday Night Concert deals including a $99 hotel deal at the Residence Inn at Capitol Park and late night happy hour deals on food and drinks. Participating venues include 3 Fires Lounge, Brew It Up!, Cafeteria 15L, Chops Steakhouse, deVere’s Irish Pub, Public Market Bar at the Sheraton Grand, The Firehouse, Ten 22 and Torch Club. For details visit www.downtownsac.org/concerts.

New Bids Needed for Railyard Project

Next Tuesday City officials will ask the Sacramento City Council to reject five bids made for moving the railyard tracks to the north. The City had hoped to see work start this month, but all five construction bids came in higher than the $45 million the city has budgeted for the project. The three lowest bids were in the $57 million range.

The Sac Bee also reported that next Tuesday the council will be asking to proceed with a $4.5 million contract for a new bridge to extend Sixth Street north into the railyard from downtown.

State Office Buildings 8 & 9

In the next month or two an eight year renovation project will be completed for State office buildings 8 & 9 which included 540,000 square feet of office space for the State of California Department of Social Services (DSS). These two 18 story towers had new mechanical, electrical and telecommunications systems, structural upgrades addressing seismic considerations, overall building upgrades meeting current code requirements, and minor repairs to the exterior shell. The seismic retrofit upgrades include epoxy dowel installation and hydraulic dampening system incorporated into the newly installed steel brace frames. Remaining renovations included the HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire/life systems.

The State of California, Department of General Services (DGS) relied on MatriScope to perform geotechnical engineering, micro pile installation, and perform special inspection and material testing related to cast-in-place concrete, epoxy anchors, masonry, structural steel, high-strength bolting, fireproofing and LEED Silver grade. A 12,000 SF addition will provide a secured lobby for the two buildings, a second-level walkway connecting OB8 and OB 9, and a child-care facility. Construction cost: $110 million.

Arena Negotiations Begin

On Tuesday the City Council unanimously agreed to a four-month exclusive negotiating agreement with developers Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor and their team, known as Sacramento Convergence LLC.

During the 120 days, the developers must provide the city with a detailed financing plan and a conceptual plan for the sports and entertainment complex proposed for the downtown railyards. From those details, the city can evaluate the proposal’s financial feasibility.

As agreed, the Kamilos team has 10 days to submit to the city agreements with the National Basketball Association, the owners of the Sacramento Kings and Cal Expo. The developers have 30 days to turn in their detailed Convergence proposal, and 60 days to submit plans for the sports and entertainment complex.

The Kamilos group also must pay the city $170,000 for expenses during the four months. The money will pay for a full-time city project manager with expertise in developing sports complexes, at least one financial adviser, and an outside attorney to help craft a pre-development agreement.

The proposal has the backing of the NBA and Maloof Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Kings and Arco Arena.

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I for one think this Convergence plans a joke and won’t happen because of two reasons. One, the state legislators would have to agree to sell Cal Expo for the purpose of building Sacramento a new arena ($450 million) and pay off the debt owed to the City ($69 million) and I just don’t see the lawmakers going for that. Two, according to the Sac Bee story on April 28th, Kamilos' development team would give the state $2 million to spend on planning the move from Cal Expo to Arco Arena with the assumption that the State will pay to build new fairgrounds. If Cal Expo sold for $1.5 million per acre that would net $525 million which would cover both the Arena and what’s owed to the city leaving $6 million for new fairgrounds at Arco. That’s not nearly enough to do the job if they were lucky enough to sell the land at that high a price tag, so who else to pay for the new fairgrounds other than the tax payers of California during the biggest budget deficits in the States history. I don’t think the City Council had their heads on straight when they approved to move forward the Kamilo’s team… Kamilo didn’t even provide a rendering of the proposed arena which was a something the six other development groups did do.

Funding for Vehicles on K Street

Today the City staff will recommend the transfer of approximately $2.7 million of existing capital improvement project money to fund both the design and construction phases to allow vehicle traffic back onto K Street from 8th to 12th Streets. This action will only be for budgetary purposes and does not constitute final approval to implement the project. The design and construction phase has an estimated cost ranging from $2,689,000 to $3,248,000. The City of Sacramento's departments of Economic Development and Transportation has retained DKS Associates to conduct both the engineering study that began in June 2009 and options for mixed flow traffic and transit along the street.

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I’m still not thrilled about the idea that having cars back on K Street. This streets problems mostly occur in the 700 & 800 blocks where rundown buildings by shady landlords have allowed it to descend. Both the 1100 & 1200 blocks seem fine to me. The city is currently spending $4 million to re-surface 700 block while also have plans to re-surface several more blocks and reintroducing auto traffic which will then tear up the streets again... so what's it going to be?

One more thing if anyone in the City Council is listening, please turn on the speakers that are already installed along K Street and play some Jazz again or some other kind of calming music. Back in the 90’s, Jazz music was pumped onto K Street and it seemed to bring a relaxing atmospher to the street, but  then after several years they were turned off… why? Since the speakers are already installed, just flip the switch on again.

Maydestone Moving Forward

On Tuesday the City of Sacramento will approve a loan increase to the Redevelopment Agency to increase the loan from $4,570,000 to $6,100,000 for acquisition, construction, and permanent financing of the 32-unit historic Maydestone apartment building. This 4-story landmark building is located across the Memorial Auditorium at 15th and J Streets. The property has been vacant and boarded for more than six years due to a fire and needs substantial improvements.

Since Redevelopment Agency funding approval was obtained in April 2009, D & S Development, Inc. (Developer) has been working diligently to secure conventional bank financing to proceed with the renovation. Under the current restrictive lending environment, the Developer has been unable to obtain a construction or permanent loan from a conventional lender. The result is a loss of approximately $2 million in project financing. To fill this gap, the Developer is contributing an additional $100,000 of Owner Equity, costs savings of $370,000 have been identified, and the Developer is requesting an additional $1,530,000 in Agency funds. Staff is seeking approval for an additional $1,530,000 in Downtown Low/Moderate Housing Funds to augment the existing $4,570,000 Agency loan which will increase the loan to $6,100,000.

The $1.53 million of new Agency funds will consist of a $1.23 million nonforgivable loan and $300,000 to be forgivable pursuant to costs associated with ADA/accessibility upgrades including related off-site improvements due to public funding requirements. In consideration for the increased Agency loan, eight market rate units will now be restricted at 110% of Area Median Income for 55 years.

The 4-story apartment building built in 1915 has been vacant and boarded for over six years. The proposed project will convert 32 dilapidated units into 24 studio units, and 8 one-bedroom units affordable to households who earn between 60 -110% of the area median income. Amenities will include a renovated basement for primary use as community space with a community room, manager's office, exercise room, individual storage, and a laundry room.

The Developer must complete construction of the project by February 1, 2012.

Grant to Aid in Clean-Up at Former PG&E Power Station

The City of Sacramento was awarded a $200,000 United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean-Up Grant to aid in environmental remediation and clean-up efforts at the former PG&E power station on Jibboom Street. The power station, built in 1912, has been shuttered since the early 1960s. The EPA Brownfield grant will be used to remove contaminated soil from the interior of the building in preparation for the development of the $40 million riverfront Powerhouse Science Center – a science, space and technology center that is planned for the vacant building.

The City will use its Brownfield Clean-up Grant to perform remediation activities at the former PG&E power station. This will include the excavation and disposal of approximately 1,960 cubic yards of contaminated soil at an off-site hazardous waste facility. Following the remediation, soil samples will be collected to verify that adequate soil has been removed. The environmental clean up efforts are being overseen by the California Department of Toxic Substance Control.

Ultimately, the future science center will link other riverfront amenities by transforming the site from unused land to a regional amenity that will also include a restaurant and educational center, a planetarium, and an inviting open space park area.

Press Release

7th & H Street SRO Proposal

Mercy Housing California of West Sacramento proposing affordable housing at the corner of 7th & H Street that will include 122 studios (325sf) and 28 one bed room (500sf) units as well as sixteen parking spaces, retail and health clinic on the ground floor. This eight story 102 foot tall building’s designed to replace other single room occupancy (SRO) units in downtown that are going to be replaced with other developments in the future.

There will be 3,900sf of retail space as well as 3,750sf health clinic, residential lobby, and a structured parking garage. 7th & H will also be designed to have a LEED-Silver standard and registered with the US Green Building Council. This project is the first mid-rise residential tower in the newly redefined Central Core District, and the first project to use the new Urban Design Guidelines. It located across the street from the County Jail and on an existing RT light rail line located along the north side of H Street, and a future RT line proposed on the east side of the 7th Street.

The project will require the Planning Commission approval of entitlements and to combine 5 existing parcels into one lot for the commercial condominium purposed. The Planning Commission is scheduled to hear this project on April 21st and then again on May 6, 2010 for Final action.

Preservation Commission to hear K Street Projects Today

The Sacramento's Preservation Commission will meet at City Hall today to discuss the four projects proposed for the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street. The Commission will be adding their review and comment on the proposals concerning several historic landmark buildings as well as historic buildings that not currently on the city register. Several of the proposals also involve other historic buildings not in the project areas.

Other projects to be reviewed at the Preservation Commission include a presentation about the Powerhouse Science Center, a museum planned for a riverfront site and another historic building, the old PG&E powerhouse, and a plan for structural and life safety upgrade to the Sacramento Valley Station, another Sacramento landmark, as part of the overall rehab and expansion of the intermodal depot. The Preservation Commission will also discuss policy with The Minimum Maintenance Sub-Committee, which deals with how the city addresses historic properties allowed to fall into disrepair, will provide a report. The Historic/Cultural Resources Survey Committee will report on historic building surveys performed for the city, some of which could result in new historic districts.

New City Hall
915 I Street- 1st Floor, Council Chambers
April 7, 2010- 5:30 P.M.

Tonight’s agenda

Sac Bike Swap in Fremont Park

The Sacramento Bike Kitchen, together with the Friends of Fremont Park, present their First Annual Bicycle Swap Meet in Midtown Sacramento

Here is your chance to get a great deal on used bikes, parts, and clothing from other bike riders and enthusiasts. If you’ve got some things in your closet that you’ve been waiting to sell — old, new, vintage, or perhaps wrong size, this might be a great opportunity to finally get it done. If you’re looking for stuff, this will be a place to find it. Proceeds will go to benefit the non-profit organizations Sac Bike Kitchen and the Friends of Fremont Park.

There are only so many spots available and are reserved on a first-come, first serve basis.

WHEN: Saturday, April 10th, 9-2PM (rain date Saturday, April 17th)

WHERE: Fremont Park in Midtown Sacramento, 1 square block, between P&Q and 15th &16th Streets. It’s the green space located in front of the the restaurant Hot Italian.


ADMISSION: FREE!

RESERVE A SPACE: Use the form below.

• 10′ x 10′ space – $10.00

• Each additional space 10′ x 10′ is $10.00

Check-in starts at 8 AM. All reserved spots must be claimed and paid for by 8:30 or will be forfeited. NO EXCEPTIONS.

FAQs:
No cars are allowed in the park. Items must be carried or rolled in.
There are parking meters in the area, but many side streets have 2 hour free parking.
Set up can start as early as 8:00 AM

For more info and to reserve a space, visit: http://fremontpark.net/2010/03/sac-bike-swap-in-the-park/

http://fremontpark.net/

The View

From atop the Hyatt, you can see far and wide.

To enlarge, please click on photo.

Rubicon’s “The AuthentiCity” Proposal

With this proposal, Rubicon Partners went all the way with a bold plan that includes both high density housing and civic amenities center. Their plan is to develop both the 700 & 800 blocks of K Street in four phases. The first and second phase are on the 700 block called Merchants Square and includes 400 residential units, 2000 seat entertainment venue, 125,000 sf. of ground floor retail, grocery store, and an activated alley. Phase one would begin immediately if this proposal were chosen.

Phase three would include a California World and Agricultural Center focusing on agriculturally oriented office tenants in a 250,000 sf. office tower. This block would also include a year-round Marketplace called “The Boqueria” where culinary products and education would be on display. Phase four would include a 150 condominium and 375 hotel rooms in a single tower.

The Rubicon Partners proposal is about three times as big as any of the other proposals and has lots of clever components that make it stand out above the others. Having the project phased in of over many years is also a smart move by the developer, this leaves the developer some wiggle room in case the economy doe’s not rebound like some are predicting. My biggest question about this proposal is, can Sacramento support something this large? After watching many other condo/hotel/office projects fail to get off the ground during our last economic boom when financing was much easier to come by, how will this fair any better? Above all, can Sacramento support something of this size? I know Sacramento deserve a world class project like this, but is it something enough people will want to buy into? In the last 2 ½ years The L Street lofts have only sold about 30 of its 92 units and it’s in a vary desirable mid-town location. In comparison, who does the developer think will want to buy 150 high end luxury condos on K Street? Who exactly do they see filling up another 250,000 sf of office tower? What stores will open up to fill 125,000 sf of retail across the street from the dying Downtown Plaza?

I could go on and on but I think you understand where I’m going with this. Unless there are guarantees made that this whole proposal would be build, (and we all know that can’t happen) I just don’t see how the Sacramento market can support this. What if only phases one and two get built but the hole in the ground at 8th & K gets abandon because expectations far exceed what the market can support? I would love to see this happen, but unless their proposal comes with lots people to buy condos, rent office space and retailers on a waiting list to be part of the project, it looks to be to far-fetched for me.

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.