Sactown Urban Update

Sactown Urban Update

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Sacramento’s Community Center & Theater District, (CC&T) “the ugly, the bad and the good?” [Part one of two]

Making Urban Living more livable. 

The Community Center & Theater is underutilized and has ADA issues, especially around the exterior, AND, as the DT core gets re-invigorated, CC&T will get further out of step with the times.  Some of Sacramento’s business leaders have been looking to the future and considering alternatives.  Those alternatives at present are: 1) make do 2) look for a new site, 3) do a makeover in place.  What might be called the ugly, the bad and the good!  This blog looks at the “make do” and the “new site” options; part two will look at the “make over” alternative.

MAKE DO. (The ugly?) What’s wrong with the way it is?  Many are saying that the Community Center, (AKA the Convention Center), is just not competitive for visiting conventions and shows.  And the Theater is outdated for modern performances fitting for a region of our size.  The city may even be losing patrons to Folsom’s Harris Center for the Arts or Davis’ Mondavi Center.  And Sacramento is losing trade show business to San Jose and San Diego who have modern convention facilities.  That, plus a lack of adequate hotel room space means we are losing visitors and the revenue they generate.  Plus the locals may have a lower level of performing arts than is possible.  Yes we can make do; and continue to loose revenue and enlightenment opportunities.

A NEW LOCATON. (the bad?)
Another idea is to simply look for a new place to build a modern Community Center and Theater.  But it seems to me that the present location, virtually across from the Capital and centered between Downtown and Midtown IS the ideal location. A new site may not be the best approach what with land acquisition and building costs; plus if that new site where in the DT core it may take an opportunity away from building something else new and exciting that people would want to go to.  Another draw to our core!  Admittedly, my perspective is perhaps a bit skewed since I come from a city where the town hall was reputedly rebuilt in the 1200’s but it appears to just make more sense to me to reuse (and re purpose) what we already have.


Next up: A MAKE OVER – SCRAPE verses SCRAP (the good?)… Proposals to “Re purpose” the existing Community Center and Theater…

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