Design Concept for K Street Traffic

This Tuesday the 2nd  Thursday November 4th, Sacramento City Council will approve a Preliminary Design Concept with DKS Associates for final design for Vehicular Traffic Options on the K Street Mall in an amount of $238,873 and extend the time for completion to October 31, 2011. The objective of reintroducing vehicular traffic to K Street is to revitalize the area and improve circulation.

It’s the City staff's recommendation to approve the project and environmental document, the preliminary design concept, and Supplemental Agreement No. 2 with DKS Associates in an amount not to exceed $238,873 to prepare final plans. Should Council approve these actions, an invitation to bid and will return to Council in Spring 2011 for approval of the construction contract. Cars may return to K Street as early as Fall 2011.

History: K Street was once the bustling core of downtown, but since cars were removed in the late 1960s, the vibrancy has diminished. Recently, however, there have been successes on K Street and the City of Sacramento is interested in building on those successes and recreating K Street as a vibrant part of downtown.Vehicular traffic has been cited as one technique that can generate additional economic development and change perceptions of the corridor. The project purpose is to increase access and visibility to businesses, promote a safe environment, stimulate additional economic activity, and improve circulation.

In 2009, the City and the Downtown Sacramento Partnership commissioned a Downtown Activation Strategy from Downtown Works, a leading retail consultant. The report explains that in the late 1960s Sacramento made a similar mistake that numerous other cities across the United States made in the 1960s through 1980s by closing off streets to vehicular traffic and creating pedestrian malls. The intent was to replicate the feeling of the suburban mall which at the time was becoming increasingly popular. This strategy actually had the opposite impact and decimated retail in numerous downtowns, including K Street in Sacramento. The removal of vehicular traffic disrupted the Downtown grid and eliminated traffic which is critical to the success of retail.

On April 22, 2010, City Council approved an approximately $2.7M budget for the K Street Mall Traffic Study and its implementation. It also authorized a supplemental agreement with DKS to prepare preliminary plans. Council Supplemental Agreement

Sites chosen for new County courthouse

The State Public Works Board on Monday narrowed the choices for a new $439.1 million Sacramento County Superior Courthouse to two sites — the vacant 301 Capitol Mall lot that was once the proposed site for the Towers on Capitol Mall high rises and property within the Sacramento Railyards.

The state’s Administrative Office of the Courts will now begin a negotiation process with the owners of each lot to determine where the new courthouse will be built.

The office expects to complete site acquisition in one year and complete the project in early 2015.

The 301 Capitol Mall is owned by The Towers On Capitol Mall LLC, which is controlled by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System.

The Sacramento Railyards site is across the street from the Federal Courthouse and now owned by Inland American Real Estate Trust.

It’s unclear what the value of either property would be in today’s market, although the county has assessed the Capitol Mall lot at $21 million.

Sacramento Business Journal
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This news isn’t anything we did not already know before but this doe’s show that the project is still moving forward. I hope they choose the Railyards location and jump start that area with development.

Inland American takes over Railyards

As reported by News 10, Georgia developer Stan Thomas lost control of the largest infill project in the country at a courthouse foreclosure auction Friday afternoon going back to the lender, a subsidiary of Illinois-based Inland American Real Estate Trust, after nobody offered a bid at the company's opening price of $50 million. Inland says they “are pleased to move forward. Inland American can now start to roll up its sleeves and work with the city of Sacramento and state agencies to allow the project to proceed. We look forward to working with the community to redevelop this important part of the city.”

Inland American said Thomas Enterprises would serve in a consulting role during the ownership transition. The company said it was already assembling a project development team for the Railyards and was in the process of establishing a local office.

Inland American promised a more extensive update on its plans and progress within two months.

B Street Theatre

It's being reported in the Sacramento Press that the new B Street Theatre will soon start fundraising to build the $15 million project.  They plan on financing 5 or 6 million but will need to raise at least 9 million to build the 365 seat theatre for children. If all goes as planned, groundbreaking would take place in 2012, followed by 14 months of building, then holding its first show in 2013 at the corner of at 27th Street and Capitol Avenue.  
 

Maydestone Renovation

The Maydestone apartments are finally getting the rehab that we have been hearing about since 2006. Built in 1912 and continually having tenants until 2003 because of a fire, in 2009 Sacramento developer D&S Development took over an option to purchase the historic 34 room building. On the southeast corner of 15th and J, the Maydestone apartments have been vacant for five years and underutilized for decades. The $7.2 million renovation should be finish in late 2011 and clean up a busy corner on J Street. SHRA will contribute $4.57 million of low-moderate housing set aside funds. $2.29 million in the form of a 30-year forgivable loan (loan forgiveness based on performance) for seismic and historic renovations. Additionally, SHRA will provide a hard loan of $2.28 million for 40 years at 4 percent interest. Brief Project Overview

12th Street Improvement Project

The City has been awarded $900,000 in federal funds from the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) to upgrade the existing traffic signal system on 12 th Street corridor from Richards Boulevard to L Street. The 12th Street Corridor Safety Improvement Project (T15115000) was established and federal funding in the amount of $900,000 was programmed with the adoption of the FY2010/11 Capital Improvement Program.

12th Street also contains high pedestrian concentrations. Along with the two light rail stations, there is high pedestrian activity in the vicinity of the Loaves and Fishes, and around the K Street Pedestrian Mall.

Formerly, 12th Street between Richards Boulevard and F Street was under the jurisdiction of Caltrans. The roadway was relinquished to the City of Sacramento and the City has inherited a number of issues associated with the condition of the traffic signals. Also, the light rail programming and train detection has not been updated since 1987 when light rail started operations.

The proposed improvements are as follows:

• Rebuild the entire electrical system along the corridor to meet current City, Light Rail, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Public Utility Commission (PUC) safety standards and address the operational and safety issues with the traffic signal/Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.

• Improve signing and striping along the corridor to better indicate lane assignments for all corridor users. Vertical delineators will be added to augment the separation between trains and vehicles.

• Existing deteriorated and compromised conduits and wiring will be replaced.

• The project will install countdown pedestrian signals at all intersections, and provide Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPI) at locations with high pedestrian activity, disabled or senior citizens.

This Tuesday the 12th; City Council will adopt a resolution to move forward with this project. Report

Crocker Art Museum Grand Opening

Crocker Art Museum
Sunday, Oct 10, 2010
10:00 AM until 10:00 PM
*FREE*

The Crocker's Grand Opening will celebrate Sacramento's arts community at large, with participation by local and regional arts organizations and artists. Highlights of the day include performance by the Sacramento Youth Jazz Band, Symphony and Choir; Salsa, Indian, Mexican African and Irish dance and music; ArtCar Fest - 2010, the West Coast's largest gathering of art cars; and a 9:30 PM Laser Light Show to conclude the day's festivities.

Musical Menagerie by Sacramento Philharmonic from 10 AM-2 PM
Multimedia presentation Welcome to the New Crocker from 11 AM-8 PM in the Auditorium
Art Cars and Chalk it Up on O Street from 10 AM to 6 PM
Art workshops and demos in the Studio Art Spaces from 11 AM to 8 PM
Art activities and docent spotlight talks in the Galleries
Creative Community Court in the E. Kendell Davis Courtyard from 11 AM to 6:30 PM
Totland (for 5 and under) 11 AM-6 PM, Discovery Gallery
Beer & Wine Gallery in the E. Kendell Davis Courtyard from 4 PM to 10 PM

216 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
916.808.7000
http://crockerartmuseum.org/

Iconic Capitol Mall

One of my favorite views down Capitol Mall from the Embassy Suites. This sure would have been an awesome view if just a few more of the proposed towers came to fruition a few years ago. This is a five photo stitched panoramic taken on 9-3-2010.

Sacramento Silhouette

Fall mornings lay a nice thick haze in the air creating awe-inspiring silhouettes from the west. Taken 9-26-2010. This is a five photo stitched panoramic, to view the entire photo click here.

2035 Metropolitan Transportation Plan

The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) will be hosting workshops throughout October to gather input from residents on transportation and land use planning in the Sacramento region.

SACOG is a land use and transportation planning agency for the region including Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo, and Yuba counties. As part of the transportation planning process, SACOG updates the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) every four years. The MTP includes investments in transit, freeways, roadways, and bike and pedestrian improvements.

In an effort to plan thoughtfully for all regional travel needs, SACOG will host 9 public workshops around the region in which residents can get information and provide input on the MTP. This process is very important because the MTP will guide transportation over the next 25 years. Residents can help shape the plan by voicing their needs, experiences and thoughts on transportation in the Sacramento area. Everyone is encouraged to attend; no previous meeting participation or transportation planning experience is needed. The workshops are FREE and food will be provided.

Workshops will be held in October, registration online is now open at www.sacog.org/update or by phone at 916-321-9000. For more information about SACOG, the MTP, or the public workshops, please visit http://www.sacog.org/. Also, here is a link to download the MTP2035 Newsletter http://www.sacog.org/mtp2035/email_docs/MTP_Newsletter_09-2010.pdf

New Sacramento Central Utility Plant

The new Central Power Plant between Q, P, 6th and 7th streets.  The old plant was shut down by the EPA for discharging hot water into the river.  The new plant utilizes a huge water cooling tower.  Instead of trying to hide it- which is impossible- the design embellishes it with colored panels and a space frame.  The treatment at the top is supposed to represent a splash, just like a high speed photo of a milk drop splash. The remainder of the building is intended to look like an office building, but it is simply a big mechanical plant inside with pipes and ducts, etc.

The new $181 million Sacramento Central Plant will replace an aging 40-year-old facility, efficiently heating and cooling 5.5 million square feet of office space in the Capitol and 23 other state buildings in downtown Sacramento. Although called a renovation, this project consisted of constructing a new plant outside the footprint of the existing plant and once complete the old plant was demolished to make way for TANK and site amenities. The new structure is about 80,000-SF. More info here.

Railyards Bridges

Despite Thomas Enterprises still lingering default to pay investor Inland American, work continues on the 5th and 6th Street bridges. By the end of September, the soffit and stems (lower deck) of the 5th Street bridge will be poured with concrete, and 6th Street structures will follow shortly after. All structures will be complete in early 2011. The Railyards redevelopment picture provided by http://www.sacramentorailyards.com/  and clicking on VIEW LATEST IMAGES.

$50 million Powerhouse Science Center

The former Pacific Gas & Electric Co. power plant on the Sacramento River will soon turn into a $50 million Powerhouse Science Center. PG&E workers will begin removing power lines Sunday, and then on Wednesday, will start removing the large towers that hold the wires. Construction is set to start in a year and set to open in 2013.

Renderings provided by Dreyfuss & Blackford.

Hotel Berry Renovation

This $24.5 million project is set to start renovations next month and take a year and a half to complete. The historic hotel at 729 L St. was built in 1929 and since the 1970s, the hotel had been used for affordable housing, referred to as a single-room occupancy (SRO) hotel. The renovation, will outfitted each room with a kitchenette and the ground floor will be remodeled.

In September 2009, the Hotel Berry Project was awarded nine percent tax credits through a competitive process. The Project exchanged the tax credits for an award of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds in the amount of $13,561,066 in December 2009. The ARRA award completed the Project's required financing. The necessary agreements have been executed to proceed with disposition of the property by the Redevelopment Agency to the developer Jamboree Housing Corporation (Jamboree). Jamboree will develop and own the Hotel Berry.

In July of 2010 Jamboree submitted plans to the City Building Department and anticipates receiving permits in October of 2010. Construction is expected to begin immediately after building permits are issued with completion estimated by the end of 2011. Sacramento City Ordinance 2006-056 requires that the City maintain an inventory of not less than 712 residential hotel or comparable units. The Hotel Berry is the second largest of the remaining downtown residential hotels and one of nine properties that comprise the City's SRO inventory. Granicus

Curtisfest 2010

Curtis fest is a community celebration of art in all it's forms, we will have local artists, artisans, and food vendors in Curtis Park this Saturday September 11th, 2010. Join your friends and neighbors from 10am to 4pm in Curtis Park, Sacramento. For more information email info@sierra2.org or call 916-452-3005.

This weekend Gold Rush Days & Chalk it Up

This Labor Day weekend Sacramentans have lots of activities to choose from. In Old Sacramento more than 200 tons of dirt will be dumped on the streets of Old Sacramento as the annual festival "turns back the clock," Gold Rush Days, transforming Sacramento’s historic district into a scene straight out of the 1850s. Costumed re-enactors, Wild West gun fights, musicians playing period instruments, and many aspects of life during the Gold Rush will be highlighted during the four-day event. The event is FREE, September 3-5, Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-7pm, Mon 11am-4pm.

In Fremont Park at 16th & O Street, Chalk It Up is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year as Sacramento’s longest running chalk art and music event as hundreds of sidewalk chalk artists and dozens of live music acts come together for yet another fun-filled, family-friendly Chalk It Up! Chalk art festival! September 4 -6, 10am to 6pm daily.

Images of Sacramento

Tower Theater - 2508 Land Park Drive- Built in 1938

1615 Capitol Ave. Department of Public Health

300 Capitol Mall - Built in 1983

Deadline for Railyard Developer Today

Today Thomas Enterprises could lose funding for the Railyards project if the developer can’t prove it has the money to continue the job. The state of California has said it will pull $30 million in grant funding if developer Thomas Enterprises cannot clear a notice of default with investor Inland American.

There is also another $50 million grant as well as another $35 million allotted from the state transportation commission, putting more than $100 million in funding at risk. Inland American says it will work to protect the state grant funds, with or without Thomas Enterprises. (CBS13)

The Next American Dream

The Next American Dream
Is Sacramento Ready?

We used to get dressed up to go “downtown.”
It was an occasion.
It was the place to be.
It was the energy of every growing city.
But times changed.

Suburbia was born.
And we deserted downtown.

It’s time to rebuild our urban cores.
Does Sacramento have the will to rebuild?

Please join us at the Crest Theatre
for a screening of
The Next American Dream,
a documentary film about a downtown coming back to life.

Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010
Social Hour – 5 to 6 p.m.
Screening – 6 to 7 p.m.
After-Party – Social Nightclub (10th and K)

This screening was not brought to you by an association, a chamber, a media outlet, a developer, a politician or the filmmaker. This film was brought to you by people who call Sacramento home. Most importantly, this film was brought to you by a group of people who ready to change the landscape of our region.

For more information about The Next American Dream, visit nextamericandream.com.

Some local Sacramentans are putting this screening on: a new vision for downtown Sacramento.

Check out the trailer at http://nextamericandream.com/.

I think you’ll find it well worth your time

Updated DMV Headquarter Renderings

Thanks to my friends at Lionakis who is both the Architect and Designer of this project, I have some updated renderings that includes a new central plant. In addition to the other upgrades I mentioned in my previous post, the exteriors south-southwest portion of the facade will be a dual-skin facade. The purpose of this feature is to provide an insulation barrier which may also be ventilated naturally (through a stack effect: heat rises). The central plant is also currently construction, one block south of the headquarters.