Powerhouse Science Center

After nearly a decade, it appears the science museum will have the first of two phases of construction completed in fall 2017. The Sacramento Magazines reporting that of the $90 million needed to complete the project, $34 million has been raised from corporate sponsors, government grants and other sources; $7 million more is needed to pay for the first phase of construction. The project promises two buildings with a planetarium and nature center. A bond sale is planned for the end of this year to secure financing with groundbreaking expected for Spring of 2016.

Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects
Developer: Carson Development Company
Science Center: 42,000 sq ft
Learning Center: 5,000 sq ft
Restaurant & Conf. Center: 14,000 sq ft
Completion Fall 2017 

Rendering of Powerhouse Science Center

PG&E Company Sacramento River Power Station 1912

i15 Project Cancelled

i15, a mixed-use project of eight stories at 1431 I St.

After nearly a 1 1/2 years of planning, D&S development has cancelled a mixed-use project planned for I Street. According to The Sacramento Bee, the reason is that the 8000 SF site is to small. The location is now up for sale asking $1.595 million. D&S Development has successfully completed other projects in the downtown area including 16Powerhouse and the now under construction 700 K Street.

Vanir Tower Could Go Taller?

According to the Sacramento Business Journal, the Vanir Tower could go taller. Really? Seems far fetched to me considering they have not spent one cent to start the entitlement process with the city in the year since the the tower was proposed. What's also strange is that the Vanir Group says that entitlement process will take at least two years when in reality it should take no longer than 9 to 12 months.

I've been watching this whole developer/proposal/publicly/flame-out process in Sacramento for over 30 years now and so far this proposal sounds no different than many other developers who stalled out but told the public a different story. I'm using history as my guide, but I hope I'm wrong. The comments I received from my last post about this tower were pretty brutal, one guy told the developer to put your money where your mouth is... maybe they will now?

700 K Street

Foundation work is underway for the 137 apartments to be built on the alley behind the K Street buildings. This $55 million project will have a combination mixed-rate and affordable housing.

700 K Street Sacramento, CA

700 K Street Sacramento, CA

Vanir Tower Project "inactive"

Proposed Vanir Tower at 601 J Street - Sacramento, CA

As of yesterday, the Vanir Tower project has not submitted any revised plans to the city after withdrawing them shortly after November of last year. A city planner has labeled the project as "inactive" because they haven’t worked on the project for several months. In my opinion, this is a big indicator that despite being located across the street from new Golden 1 Center, the downtown office market vacancy rate is still to high to absorb a project of this size.  Colliers-Sacramento predicts that Class A asking rates will increase 4% year-over-year due to activity surrounding the Golden 1 Center. As of the end of the third quarter, there is currently 813,617 SF vacant class A office space in downtown and another 586,408 SF vacant class B office space open. Combined, that’s about the size of 3 ½ 25 story towers vacant in downtown. Even with all the improvements the market has shown from several years ago, actual rents are not currently at a level high enough to justify new construction.

Second Street & Capitol Mall Connector Update

Construction of the 2nd Street and Capitol Mall Connector Bridge providing a new entrance for cars, bicycles, and pedestrians into Old Sacramento from Capitol Mall at 2nd Street and Neasham Circle. Improvements to the Capitol Mall Bridge over I-5 include the addition of green bike lanes, wider sidewalks, and street planters. The project will also include the construction of wider sidewalks and new railings on the O Street Bridge across I-5 adjacent to the Crocker Art Museum. Expected to be completed in fall of 2016.

2nd Street and Capitol Mall Connector Bridge

2nd Street and Capitol Mall Connector Bridge

Proposed 2nd Street and Capitol Mall Connector Bridge Project

Golden 1 Center Construction Photos

Current work being done on the arena includes installation of rebar for elevated concrete deck pours at Main Entrance. Installation of raker beams in the lower bowl to support lower bowl concrete stadia. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection rough-in. Installation of the upper bowl HVAC ductwork. Interior metal stud wall framing. Interior drywall installation at mechanical and electrical rooms. Exterior metal stud wall framing at low roof parapets. Installation of exterior façade metal panel and glazing systems. Installation and connection of underground utilities at L and J Streets. Under-slab plumbing and rebar installation for event level slab pours. Installation of roofing at the Practice Facility and arena low roof. Source

Golden 1 Center Construction seen from the 12th floor of 555 Capitol Mall

Golden 1 Center Construction seen from the 12th floor of 555 Capitol Mall

Golden 1 Center 5th & L Street

Golden 1 Center 6th & L Street

Golden 1 Center at 7th & K Street

Golden 1 Center at 5th Street

Golden 1 Center 5th & L Street

Golden 1 Center 5th & J Street

Golden 1 Center 5th & J Street

Golden 1 Center at J Street

Golden 1 Center at J Street

Golden 1 Center from Embassy Suites on Capitol Mall

Sacramento skyline seen from Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area

Tower Cranes at the Plaza Tower

About two weeks ago two tower cranes climbed into the sky at Fifth & J Streets. It appears the next stage of construction is drilling Bored Piles. The 16 story, 250 foot tower will cost $250 million to build and is expected to be completed in approximately 18 months.

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Downtown Sacramento  Plaza Tower construction

Aura Revival?

2005 Aura proposal - 615 Capitol Mall

Back in 2005 Craig Nassi of BCN Development proposed a 38 story condominium at 615 Capitol Mall. The proposal never got off the ground, it failed to acquire financing as well as enough people willing to put down deposits. According The Sacramento Business Journal, the current property owner has recently applied for an extension of a condominium map for that project. The original permits were approved in October 2005, suggesting it had a 10-year lifespan. I highly doubt anything will come of this, as other developers have also realized, high-rise residential towers in Sacramento don’t add up right now, meaning there is no clear track record in Sacramento for high-rise condo success and the history of Aura and others failing to rise proves this. This could be an effort to sell the property with entitlements already in place?

Midtown Dog Park

19th & Q Street dog park concept plan

With funding through the Quimby Act and the city council approval in 2010, a total of $800,000 will be used to develop construction documents, obtain necessary permits and construct the first phase of the park.at the corner of 19^th & Q Streets.  This will be the central cities only dog park with Sutter’s Landing Dog Park nearby on the north end of 28^th Street. The plan includes a public plaza and both a large and small dog area. Link to Dog Park Master Plan and Creation

19th & Q Street dog park master plan

13 Floor Condo Proposed for Midtown

13 floor condominium proposed for 25th & J Streets 

The Sacramento Planning Dept. has received a proposal for 13-story mixed-use building at the corner of J & 25^th Street. As both the SacBee and Sacramento Business Journal describe the project, there would be 134 condominiums over 10 floors, 11,000 sf of retail on first floor and 122 parking spaces in the cellar, third and second floor.

The proposal if built would be the tallest in midtown rising to 179 feet with the Sutter Medical Centers Anderson Lucchetti Women's and Children's Center building on L Street rising to 153.5 feet. The location of this proposal at the corner of 25^th & J Street would sit across the street from St. Francis Manor apartments which stands 9 floors and built in 1978. With the St. Francis Manor midrise just across the street, there should be little reason for the Planning Dept. or locals to act as if this is unprecedented.

The proposal named “Yamanee” is expected to be reviewed by the Planning Commission next year with construction possibly begin in late 2016. Acording to the Sacbee, the project does not have financing yet but are currently seeking city entitlements for the project. The projects land is already under ownership of the proposed towers owner Ryan Heater. 

Preliminary Sacramento Railyards Plans Released

If you have been reading the Sacramento Business Journal lately, it appears the grand urban vision of the Railyards that’s been hyped over the last decade has now been scaled back in many ways. Developer Mark Friedman has asked the city to reduce amount of housing from the target goal of 10,000. The drop in housing goals comes from the reality that high-rise residential towers in Sacramento don’t add up meaning there is no clear track record in Sacramento for high-rise condo success.

Current state of  proposed Railyards area

Later this month LDK Ventures will formally acquire the Railyards from IA Sacramento Holdings, L.L.C., a subsidiary of InvenTrust Properties Corp. While reading another Sacramento Business Journal article on the Railyards, LDK Ventures suggests that most mid-rise offices will have big footprints filling a corporate campus on the northwestern corner of the site. Larry Kelley from LDK Ventures is quoted saying “I think what you’d get is something similar to the lifestyle centers you see in the suburbs, but in an urban area,” he said. After reading this, apparently the new owners gonna turn much of the area into something you find in the suburbs, pretty disappointing considering we have been told for years the Railyards would become the “New Downtown”. 

The only highlight I could find was that Kaiser’s plan for a medical center for the northwestern corner has preliminary plans for a high-rise medical tower on the eastern portion of the 18 acre project. Because of how other projects have gone in downtown over the years, I’m sure this high-rise tower will be scaled down too. Kelly also said that before the existing roads to the site can be opened to the public, another $100 million of infrastructure and several tons of fill dirt need to be delivered to the site.

Proposed Sacramento Republic FC stadium

Larry Kelly did tease the idea that 5 acres along the Sacramento River could be used for high-rise residential development with river views. Although I would love to see this, I’m highly skeptical the final vision will turn out like this.

   

A little background, last January work was competed on $68 million worth of streets, bridges and sidewalks in Sacramento's downtown Railyards. State bond funds paid for $56 million of the project's cost, and private developers paid for the remaining $12 million. The infrastructure project, which broke ground in 2009, is meant to allow private development of the 240-acre former industrial site. The state court system has already chosen part of the downtown railyards for the site of a future courthouse near the Federal Courthouse on I Street. Currently the New Sacramento Criminal Courthouse has been reduced to $300 million from its original budget of $552 million five years ago. The size of the project has also been reduce from a 16-story mid-rise to now a 12-story building and from 44 courtrooms to 35. Somehow with all the reductions of cost, the square footage of 405,500 has remained the same. As stated above, UC Davis has expressed interest in building a satellite campus on the site and the owners of the Sacramento Republic FC have said they would like to build a soccer stadium if the city is awarded a Major League Soccer franchise.

Sacramento Railyards boundary with the Kaiser proposal on the left
and Republic FC stadium on the right

Central Pacific Railroad established the Sacramento Railyards during the steam locomotive era. The company, which later became Southern Pacific, built the first shop in 1868 — before Sacramento gained fame as the western start of the first transcontinental railroad with the driving of the last spike on May 10, 1869.

Golden 1 Center Construction Photos

View from West Sacramento with arena cranes in the air.

Current work being done on the arena is installation of the second primary box truss at the arena high roof. Installation, bolting and welding of the arena high roof structure. Installation of high roof metal decking. Bolting and welding of steel frame exterior façade support “ladders.” Application of spray-applied fireproofing to steel. Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection overhead and wall rough-in. Interior concrete masonry (CMU) wall installation. Installation of interior metal stud wall framing. Installation of exterior façade metal panels and glazing at south side of Practice Facility. Installation of exterior façade metal panels and glazing at north side of arena. Installation of utility vaults for permanent power feed to arena. Source

Golden 1 Center Construction seen from the 12th floor of 555 Capitol Mall

Golden 1 Center 5th & L Street

Golden 1 Center 4th & L Street

Golden 1 Center 5th & L Street

Golden 1 Center Construction seen from the 12th floor of 555 Capitol Mall

Golden 1 Center Construction seen from the 12th floor of 555 Capitol Mall

Golden 1 Center Construction seen from the 12th floor of 555 Capitol Mall

Golden 1 Center Construction seen from the 12th floor of 555 Capitol Mall

Golden 1 Center Construction seen from the 12th floor of 555 Capitol Mall

Macy's having solar panels installed on it newly installed roof.

Golden 1 Center 6th & L Street

Golden 1 Center 7h & L Street with recently installed facade

Golden 1 Center 7th & L Street with recently installed facade

Golden 1 Center at 7th & K Street

Golden 1 Center at 6th & J Street

Golden 1 Center at 5th & J Street

Golden 1 Center at 5th Street

Golden 1 Center at 5th Street

Golden 1 Center at 5th Street

Golden 1 Center looking south from I-5

Golden 1 Center looking south from I-5