Fred Mayes Jewelers’ Clock Restoration

Today the City of Sacramento Department of Transportation loaded up the only public street clock still remaining on the streets of Downtown Sacramento and haul it away for restoration.

The refurbishing of the clock to the period of its historical significance will take place at the Art Foundry & Gallery Downtown. The clock will be restored to the most recent “art moderne” style at the time it was designated as a City historic landmark in June of 1982. The project team expects the repairs to take the entire summer, with the clock being returned to 10th and J around the first week in September.

Old Sacramento State Historic Park

Today the Planning Commission will hear a Preliminary General Plan/Draft EIR for the Old Sacramento State Historic Park reconstruction project. The current draft plan includes; Horse Car Loop  (circling around Front Street, I Street, L Street, 2nd Street) and 17 mile Railroad Operation, reconstruct buildings of the 1860’s-70’s at the current Old Sacramento State Historic Park, viewing of sunken ship, improved bike trail to the foot of J Street, restore passenger station to 1873 appearance with a restaurant and excursion train boarding down to the Sacramento Zoo and as far as Pocket/Meadowview and Hood area. The formal planning process started in Fall 2010 and public viewing will availlable till Spring 2012. No estimated construction costs have been mentioned yet. Read more here at the California State Parks site.

 

Funding for K Street Streetscape

The K Street's streetscape project includes paving materials, street furniture, trash receptacles, landscaping, lighting, enhanced intersections and gateway elements and relocations of two Regional Transit ( RT) mini-high platform stations between 8th & 12th Street costing $5,733,111. With Police layoffs and other budget cutbacks now under way I was vary curious as to where the money was coming from to do this project, so here it is: Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sacramento Tax Increment Funds in the amount of $5,328,515, Park Development Funds in the amount of $4,596, Transportation Funds in the amount of $400,000. Tonight the City Council will authorize an additional $50,000 for the project to be used for repair and maintenance of landscape irrigation on K Street.

This streetscape project is a separate development than the opening of K Street to traffic which is expected to cost an additional 2.7 million.

I can’t believe K Street improvements are a higher priority for funding than the funding of having more police on the streets, but that’s where we are today in this city and many others across the country.

Sutter Bridge

Starting Monday and lasting for the next several months, L Street will be closed from 29th Street to Sutter General Hospital while a three level bridge is built between buildings is constructed.

Traffic will be detoured around the construction until the middle of November, while a three-story structure to connect Sutter General and the new Anderson Lucchetti Women’s and Children’s Center is built.

Paying for a new Arena?

I think we all know why the Kings are still in town… passionate fans and a last ditch effort by politicians and local businesses to show that Sacramento can still pull together big deals. Building a new arena is now priority #1, a big spending project that should be done for the greater good of Sacramento.

In the last issue of Sactown Magazine (April/May) there is one section called: “Riverfront: Veto the Vote” that talks about whether the Kings decide to stay or go, and that it's time to start treating the arena issue like every other major project the city has undertake for the good of the people. And that means not asking the people what's good for them.

This method that Sactown Mag., refers to is done by raising bonds with the backing of public money. The Sacramento bond project list is longer than you might think. Just to list a few, there’s the billion dollar airport expansion, $751 million “Capitol Improvement Program” in 1987, both the Hyatt and Sheraton, and the convention center expansion in 1992. None of these projects went to a vote of the people; the city did not wait around and hoping for some wealthy family or company to build for us allowing others to decide our fate for us. All these were done by raising bonds and backing it with public money. The bonds were paid off with funded user fees (where ticket buyer pay a few extra dollars each visit), hotel, car rental, parking, and concessions.

This has been a standard method for several other cities to build big project when private money was not enough to make it happen. Since an arena serves a public purpose, therefore it does not need voter approval.

If our city leaders are serious about keeping the Kings in town, they better look to the past to help finance a new arena in the near future. Take a moment to check out the article here, it illustrates the point much better than I have.

Java City Summer Photo Exposition

For the next several months I will have the pleasure of displaying some of my Sacramento photos up on the walls of Java City in midtown. Please feel free to come by to sip a tasty cup of coffee and browse my display up on the wall. I'm very pleased and excited to see this exhibit come together, it really shows the sexy side of Sacramento. At a later date in August I will be there for a Second Saturday event, more on that later.

Java City
1800 Capitol Avenue

Farmers Markets Spring Up Downtown

Local farmers are prepared for another season of weekly, downtown certified farmers’ markets. The markets began on May 3 and run through October 26. The 6 weekday farmers’ markets are open from 10:00 am – 1:30 pm. There will be two new locations added to the weekly circuit, including East End Capitol Park at 15th and L streets on Thursdays and St. Rose of Lima Park at 7th and K streets on Fridays. Both of the new markets will start on June 2 and continue through September 30.

California certified farmers’ markets provide farmers with a venue to sell their crops directly to the public. Markets eliminate packing, shipping, and wholesale costs and save money for both the farmer and consumer.

Weekday Downtown Certified Farmers’ Markets include:

TUESDAYS
Roosevelt Park, 9th and P streets
May 3 through September 27
Fremont Park, 16th and P streets
May 3 through September 27

WEDNESDAYS
Chavez Plaza, 10th and J Streets
May 4 through October 26

THURSDAYS
Capitol Mall, 6th and Capitol Mall
May 5 through September 29
East End / Capitol Park, 15th and L streets
June 2 through September 29

FRIDAYS
St. Rose of Lima Park, 7th and K streets
June 3 through September 30

Steel Rises at Sutter Medical Center

Design Competition for Capitol Mall

The cities planning an international design competition this summer to overhaul Capitol Mall in an attempt to draw more activates to the area. The city already has about $1 million set aside to begin preliminary work on the mall. Once city officials say they have chose a design they'll go after more money from state and federal grants…as well as private money.

It's my hope that any changes made to Capitol Mall will not include structures or trees that will grow and block the view of the Capitol when seen from the west after crossing the Tower Bridge. This is the only line of site where the entire building can be seen from a distance and makes an awesome visual impact for those visiting our city for the first time. It would be a shame to block the only unobstructed view of the Capitol from this distance where you don’t need to be on a bridge or high-rise to see the Capitol.

Construction Update: Sutter Medical Center

Steel continues to rise slowly for Anderson Lucchetti Women's and Children's Center at the Sutter Medical Center. This $600 million project expected to be topped out in late June and completed in late 2012.

Starting in early summer, L Street from 29th Street to the main entrance of Sutter General Hospital will be closed for four months in order to construct the unique three-story spanning structure that will connect the new Anderson Lucchetti Women’s and Children’s Center to Sutter General Hospital. Crews will be putting up the walls and exterior on the north side of the Women’s and Children’s Center with the hope that L Street won’t have to be closed again during the duration of the construction project.

Construction Update: La Valentina Station

After breaking ground nearly five months ago, La Valentina Station showing some real signs of progress. This $27 million project being financed by a combination of private, state and local funding and consists of 63 apartments and 18 townhouses. Completions slated for summer 2012.

Rendering of finshed building

Drilling Piles at “Seventh & H” SRO

Foundation work began about a month ago on downtowns newest single-resident occupancy building at Seventh and H streets. Below I have captured the process of drilling steel-reinforced piles into the ground at a depth of 70 feet.

This $47.4 million project will house 150 units at a cost of $316,000 per unit. It was just the other day I saw the price tag per unit for the project at another news site and I was floored by this crazy number. Is this why so few units ever get built downtown without subsides? This price was expected during the last real estate boom of a few years ago, but this seems a little steep for a SRO. Were currently in a depressed real estate market but the cost to build in downtown does not reflect that. If it weren’t for both the state and city subsidies to give builders money to build downtown, not much would be built. What does that say about our market? This isn’t something new either; it’s been this way for over a decade and developers have adjusted their business pratices to reflect this. Now that our state and city are broke, will developers take a risk building downtown without government support?



Rendering of finshed building

DMV Headquarters Upgrade

We can now see the glazed panels of opaque and transparent glass being placed over the current brick exterior. The $127 million project has now been upgraded for seismic stability and energy efficiency that will extend its life another 50 years. This 1960’s structures in it's last stage of a 13-year renovation.

First layer of dual-skin facade

New Central Plant

Old Exterior

Rendering of finshed building

Downtown Plaza for Sale… again

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Westfield Group of Australia has begun seeking buyers for the Sacramento mall and 16 other underperforming centers in seven states.

Westfield's goal: Take advantage of an uptick in the economy to sell the properties, then use the proceeds to reinvest in more successful centers, such as its Galleria mall in Roseville.

Westfield officials had no comment. Neither did Evercore Partners, a New York-based advisory firm that's been hired to market the mall portfolio.

The news comes almost two years after city officials asked Westfield to find a buyer if it wasn't going to make long-discussed improvements. Westfield officials said then they'd sell "under certain circumstances."

It would be big surprised to me if the 39-year-old mall finds a buyer, but there could be some harsh finical forces at play that make it so Westfield has to shed the dead weight.

K Street Mall Traffic

Tonight the Sacramento City Council will act to approve the implementation of a $2.7 million project  reintroduceing cars back onto K street between the 8th & 12th Streets.

The project includes:
• Two-way traffic
• Passenger Drop-offs (no parking)
• New signalized crossing at 11th and K streets
• Addition of edge treatments (possibly bollards, planters or street furniture) to fill large gaps
• ADA improvements at intersections

In my opinion, this is a terrible idea. The city has now thrown away another opportunity to provide pleasant, pedestrian, patio, public space for new businesses. The focus on K Street should be creating more affordable places to live with reasonable prices and removal of trouble makers and bums that have made this stretch of street worse than it really is. A densely populated area will change the atmosphere and draw more new business into the area. I’ve said all this before, so it really does not matter at this point.

Ordinance Amendment: Pedestrian Malls

Powerhouse Awarded $7 Million

The Powerhouse Science Center has been awarded a $7 million grant to pay for the first of three buildings in its planned $50 million science museum on the banks of the Sacramento River. The money comes from Prop. 84, a 2006 bond measure that provided $5 billion for water-quality projects, including public access to natural resources. The center is expected to open in 2013.

Railyards Preferred Site for New Courthouse

The city block bounded by H Street, 5th Street, G Street and 6th Street is now the preferred site for the new Sacramento Criminal Courthouse, the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) announced today. The site, Lot 41-Railyards, was endorsed today as the preferred site by the project advisory group, which includes members of the Superior Court of Sacramento County, city and county officials, and the AOC. The block, part of which is currently a city parking lot, is at the southernmost end of the Sacramento Railyards project, near existing court facilities and key justice partners, with ready access to transportation, including Amtrak, light rail, and bus service.

The Railyards site has received strong support from community leaders, including a June 2010 resolution by the Sacramento City Council and the County of Sacramento in favor of the site for the new courthouse, because it would jump-start vertical development and provide an opportunity for a landmark building in the area. The city is working with the Railyards owner, Inland American, to relocate railroad tracks that currently run through the site.

“The Railyards is the most appropriate site for the new state criminal courthouse due to its close proximity to the county jail, sheriff’s department, District Attorney’s Office, and the Public Defender’s Office, as well as transit services, bail bond, and law offices,” said Supervisor Susan Peters.

The AOC recently published its draft environmental impact report (EIR) under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which includes two sites: the Railyards site and 301 Capitol Mall. The AOC will accept public comments on the draft EIR through May 24, 2011; a public meeting on the draft EIR is planned for May 4, 2011. The AOC must conclude its environmental review, complete due diligence and acquisition negotiations, and secure approval by the State Public Works Board before site acquisition can be completed and architectural design can proceed. The local architecture firm of Nacht & Lewis and the global firm of HOK already have been selected to design the proposed new courthouse.

The new courthouse, 405,000 square feet and up to 16 stories tall, would provide 44 courtrooms (35 to be relocated from the Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse and 9 for new judicial positions), would consolidate most of the court’s criminal operations, and would centralize court operations from other downtown leased facilities. The proposed project includes a renovation of the Schaber Courthouse, and the AOC is also making plans for public parking options as a part of the project.

The proposed project is funded by Senate Bill 1407, enacted by the state Legislature in 2008 to authorize up to $5 billion for 41 new and renovated court facilities using court user fees, without impact on the state’s General Fund. This project was ranked as an “immediate need” in the judicial branch’s capital-outlay plan, making it among the branch’s highest-priority infrastructure projects. The project is expected to generate economic benefit in the form of thousands of jobs, both those directly related to the construction effort and others indirectly affected by it. Construction is scheduled to start in early 2013 and be completed in 2015.

More about the project is on the California Courts website: www.courts.ca.gov/2761.htm

Downtown On-Street Bikeway Project

Phase One

Despite the substantial number of bicyclists in the Downtown area, there is a lack of planned bikeways for this area of the City.

City staff is initiating this project to determine appropriate locations for additional bicycle access in the downtown area and to implement those improvements. Phase 1 will be comprised of bikeways that can be added to the existing street system without removal of any vehicle or parking lanes. Phase 2 will include conversion of one-way streets from three to two one-way lanes with both left and right side bike lanes. This phase also requires an environmental assessment of the reduction in travel lanes. The project purpose is to make downtown streets more complete by restriping the streets to add new on-street bikeways.

Phase Two

The Central City Two Way Conversion Project has an unobligated balance of $631,419. Approval of the transfer of local transportation funds (Fund 2001) in the amount of $629,000 from the Central City Two Way Conversion Project (T15008000) will be sufficient to plan, design and implement bicycle enhancements for Phases 1 and 2 in the downtown area.

City staff has recommend that the City Council approve the project and will be discussed this Tuesday the 12^th.

City Budget Woes

It’s crunch time again and the City of Sacramento is now seeking public input on the upcoming 2011-2012 budget with an online survey. The City is also hosting a community Budget Open House at City Hall on Saturday, April 9. Attendees are invited to stop by anytime between 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to learn about the City’s budget and provide input on budget priorities and solutions. Results from the survey will be presented to the City Council in early May as part of the proposed budget process.

The open house will take place in the New City Hall lobby at 915 I Street in downtown Sacramento.

Sacramento is suffering from the prolonged economic recession. As a result, the City is anticipating a budget deficit of $35 to $40 million. This projected shortfall represents the need to reduce the $237 million net General Fund operating costs by nearly 20 percent. Although the City has initiated several budget-saving strategies over the last several years, next fiscal year’s budget will represent the fifth consecutive year of budget reductions because expenditures are growing at a faster rate than available revenues to pay for those services.

An online “Budget Input Survey” has been posted to the City’s web page, http://www.cityofsacramento.org/, and will be open through April 23. For more information about the city budget, download the Budget 101 fact sheet.

L Street Lofts Foreclosure

Developer Sotiris Kolokotronis mixed-use loft project at 18th and L streets has now been scheduled for a foreclosure auction April 13 on the courthouse steps. With only 22 of the 92-unit condominium sold, L Street Lofts LLC has defaulted on a $33 million loan held by OneWest Bank. This foreclosure sale might be one of the biggest bargains in midtown with prices tumbling as much as 50% or more off current asking prices. I’m sure several investors will be waiting to get a piece of the iconic midtown building.

Update 10/22/2011: It was foreclosed on and still has not yet been sold. I understand they would like over $20,000,000 which is higher then the current value according to local developers. The foreclosed value (the loan amount) was about $28,000,000. No one purchased the building at the courthouse so the bank got it.