FOOD! Multiple courses are coming to a plate near you!

This weekend kicks off our city's 3rd annual Farm to Fork event but there's a lot more courses coming after the dishes are done!

UCD and Rice Growers are sponsoring a speaker's series. Sac State's has planned a farm to fork academy for high students...

Then there's the Food Bloger's convention coming to town, and food will be the talk of the town, here and hopefully around the globe...

Next up... A Food Conference - The Food Tank - looking at the entire food system...

 Click here for more food courses...


Content and images from the SBJ

Downtown Plaza? So yesterday! Meet Downtown Commons

The Sacramento Kings and JMA Ventures LLC Are re-branding the former staid and uninspired Downtown Plaza as they build a new entertainment and retail center.  The brand projects a new vitality and energy and gives us a glimpse of great new experiences soon to be found in Downtown.

[ And while the current focus of "the Commons" is a 6 block Downtown district, local leaders expect the brand to eventually come to include Midtown too.]

Designed as a destination for locals and travelers alike, it will be where friends and families will hang out and visitors from around the world experience Sacramento at its best.  They aim to make Sacramento the next Great American City and the common ground will be Downtown Commons or "DoCo".

 

Check out their press release...Downtown Commons and the DOCO website!.  You will not be disappointed!

Erector set...Big Time!

The downtown arena, aka the Entertainment and Sports Complex... aka Kings Arena that's anchoring and activating the re-birth of our civic center is taking shape!

Exterior framework is up - you're starting to get that "crushed aluminum can" feel ...

 ...and they're constructing the framework for the roof...

From the bowels and the bowl: A look from down at the level where the Kings and the concerts will play shows how the supporting roof trusses, the framework that will support the roof shell, are being put in place...

When I visited the site, the first major cross member was 2/3 built and was being tied to the south east side arena wall at L street.

Where's my seat?

...the future?

Future Grand Entrance!

..Future visitors locker room, kitchen operations etc

And finally, the current "no-where bridge" to the past: the future connector to a renovated Downtown Plaza which will soon be built (and Midtown will be welcome too!)

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Transformers - the developers at 700 K Street...

Recently, I was part of a fascinating walking tour of the south side of the 700 block of K Street being redeveloped by CFY Development.  Despite the 102 degrees that day what we saw was very cool!

Ali Youssefi, VP of CFY Development pointed to the historic facades of his company's latest project, those 1930's to 1970's something store fronts, many now held up by long metal crutches, and told us "we are going to keep as much of the original faces of these buildings as possible".  And with that we took an inside out tour of the shells as they are being reborn to be tomorrow's happening places.

A former theater's original Frank Carson 1970's mosaic will be retained

If you've ever been to or seen photos/images of the great cities of Europe, with their wide sidewalks, cafes studded with outdoor seating and people enjoying the day, then you'll start to see where this part of The Kay is headed.  With a 40 foot expanse between the building fronts and the center of the mall, the block will someday soon be an exciting place to linger.

Inside, work is going on to prepare the street, basement and mezzanine levels for future chic and interesting restaurants and bars that will feature farm to fork local foods prepared by expert chefs.

Getting above it all in Downtown/Mitown.  Behind the businesses will be 137 mixed income apartments of varying sizes and rent levels from studios to penthouses.  These high rise apartment homes have been set back 90 feet from the storefronts so as to avoid the tunnel effect they would create if they were built above the businesses.  Very Thoughtful!

  Fifteen units will have mall views

Update! The Empress rises to new depths!

From "new depths" to new heights!  Empress Tavern opens today!  Read more...

The Empress and the Crest Theater

The historic CREST Theater was originally opened in 1912 as the Empress Theater and was used as a vaudeville venue for some time before it became known as the Hippodrome.  But the name change seems to have brought bad luck with it.  It's said that during one of the vaudeville acts a trapezist  fell to his death under suspicious circumstances; and in September 1946 the Hippodrome's marquee suddenly fell to the pavement below, killing one bystander and seriously injuring another.  Shortly after the tragedy, in 1949, the building was completely remodeled to it's present form as the Crest Theater.

But there's more for Downtown/Midtown to enjoy...

In 1986, Sid Garcia-Heberger and three partners - her husband Bill Heberger, Andy Field and Gary Schroeder leased the property and got involved in the running and restoring of The Crest to it's present-day glory. Then in 2011, Robert Emerick, a fifth generation Sacramentan purchased the property because he "wanted to preserve a signature regional asset".  When the tenant's lease came up for renewal last year, landlord and tenants were unable to agree on terms and Bob Emerick took over the operation of the theater, expanding the "going to the movies" concept to include serving alcohol and eventually food.

The Empress re-enters...

Bob Emerick has also put together a group to renovate and re-purpose the Crest's lower level (AKA the basement) with a side entrance.  They're putting in a restaurant/bar called the EMPRESS TAVERN serving high quality "Pub Food" with seating to accommodate couples, individuals and groups; and perhaps cooking classes too!. But the big news is the old world atmosphere they are aiming to create: brick lined, arched ceilings reminiscent of some of the taverns of London's Soho district or parts of France.

 Very Euro, very cool!

Sources: Wikipedia, Bob Emerick, Cathie Anderson at SacBee

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/cathie-anderson/article2607747.html#storylink=cpy

HOT stuff! Getting to 10,000 housing units...

Friday was HOT, both the weather and the talk about the need for overcoming inertia to get  ideas into reality for more housing in the city's core. (The A/C system at the invitation only event went on the blink so the venue really was HOT!)

The Mayor and several other civic and business leaders led a cheer leading session AKA the "Mayor's Housing Initiative Kick Off", the formal start to his goal of adding 10,000 housing units to Downtown and Midtown in the next 10 years.  Business leaders gave their personal insights of the benefits of creating a creative place for people to live, work and play.  Fascinating stuff!

[photo from SBJ]

Also on Friday, LaShelle Dozier, executive director of SHRA, (Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency - a joint city-county agency) said she and others are finalizing policy guidelines to simplify the approval path for developers who want to build those homes.

And the city is working on bringing in resources to help with infrastructure and financing.  Possibilities include using Cap-and-Trade dollars applied to transit-oriented developments and using the new federal "Promise Zone" incentives to expedite funding applications.


For more see getting to 10,000 housing units

Go Downtown Sac!

Downtown Sacramento Partnership launches its new consumer website and improves it's business oriented page!

After almost a year and a significant financial investment in determining what is needed for the public and for it's business constituents, DSP has rolled out it's new sites; and it's Mobile app is great too.

Two competing firms collaborated to develop very user friendly experiences that are really INFORMATIVE!



For businesses, check out http://downtownsac.org/ 

and...
Learn (about Downtown)
Start (a Business)
Grow (your business)


Consumers, visitors can GoDowntownSac

 and...
Explore downtownE
check out Events
get downtown and Midtown News you can use

The new DOWNTOWNSAC image represents our Downtown/Midtown re-birth, our rivers and the Downtown and Midtown/Central Business Grid.  I totally get that!