Streetcars in our future? And what has that to do with DT/MT realty issues?

Downtown Sacramento business leaders have been trying to raise the awareness level of those in city hall and even some council members about the need for and benefit of a street car system that would tie West Sacramento together with Sacramento’s Downtown and perhaps (Midtown) districts and even beyond.  West Sacramento appears ready for the concept, Sacramento, not so much.  The idea is to reduce the need to build and maintain parking lots or develop parking spaces within developments.

As currently proposed (for the Sacramento side) the line would cross the Tower Bridge, then north on 3^rd street, right on H street.  At 6^th and 7^th the line would return south to K street and at 12^th Street make a loop around the blocks along 12^th, L, 19^th  and returning on J street west to 7^th for the return trip to West Sacramento.  The coverage area now being looked at would be a starting point with later expansion perhaps connecting Broadway and the Rail yards.

Meanwhile, business leaders, and to some degree city staff, have been exploring funding methods to get a street car system built and operated that would include federal, state and local funding shares. They’re looking at options including an assessment district verses Mello-Roos, the latter would mainly affect property owners closest to the envisioned streetcar lines. Key concerns among business leaders include: the people paying the assessment should decide, not city staff; they don’t want Sac to be paying a disproportionate share; and that if the benefit doesn’t outweigh the burden then the project should not move forward.

A lot pf complex issues to work through and something of a chicken and egg problem: build a streetcar line so people will gravitate away from autos or get people downtown with new development then expand public transportation services.  Washington State’s Portland downtown development was cited as a very successful example of building the line first then the places for people to move to and live. A working group to dig into details is planned by Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

Next Up: ESC update and other news

What's planned/proposed for Capital Towers?

Are you ready for the transformation being considered for Sacramento Commons (Currently Capital Towers)?

A developer has outlined his vision of what they’d like to see at the site – a high density, residential and mixed use live/work community.  It would include mid-rise and high rise buildings bordered by 5^th, 7th, N and P streets, a transit priority area, and the developer’s goal is to retain the existing park like setting with recreational facilities on top of the buildings.

They envision a 300 room hotel plus a condominium combination on the N and 7^th street side of the property but if a hotel is not feasible then that area would have all owner occupied condominiums. 

The developer has plans for more than 1400 units altogether if a hotel is built or closer to 1520 without the hotel. There would be perhaps as many as 450 condos/work spaces in midrise buildings with the balance of the housing built as market rate apartments contained in two 23 story towers.

The idea is for this development to be a transit focused property and this location would be ideal for that – right on two light rail lines in the heart of downtown, bordered by 7^th and 5^th streets on the east and west, and N and P streets on the north and south.  They plan to retain the tree lined park-like feel of the current development and they believe they can retain the majority of the 32 heritage trees currently on the site and mitigate for those that would need to be relocated or moved.  Parking is planned with a ratio of 1 parking space for each unit.

The project is currently working its way through the city’s Design and Review process which is expected to take until he end of 2015, with public hearings expected to be scheduled in the late summer or fall

Next up: Are streetcars your desire?  ESC Groundbreaking in about 2 weeks?

ESC: Entertainment & Sports Complex: Construction begins soon... What's the impact on the public?

ESC: Entertainment And Sports Complex: Noise/an eye on progress/Truck traffic

Will the demolition and construction that’s about to begin at the K Street Mall be as noisy and distracting as large construction projects often are?

Turner Construction and the other contractors involved in this project are taking a “3 M” approach to try to lessen the noise and dust: that's Mitigation through Means and Methods.  They have considered how they will go about working through the project (the “means”) and looked at the “methods used” to limit the noise, dust and distraction.  For example; rather than using  pile drivers they will be drilling holes in the ground to place the building support beams and will be draping sound absorbing material on the interior of the site fencing and safety barriers to help muffle the noise.  And a host of other techniques, large and small…

Want to see what’s going on?  NO texting while driving, and no rubbernecking either!  The L street perimeter will have a solid construction fence/barrier that will not permit gawking – but on a good note it has sound absorbing lining on the construction side to help dampen some of the sounds from the site. But, you’ll be able to see what is going on at the corner of L and 5th and J and 5^th.  Streets.  At those corners there will be sections of chain link fencing left open without paneling  so pedestrians can see what is going on.   And inside the mall there will also be large “portals” cut into the construction barriers that will separate the remaining west end of the mall from the goings on at the building site.

And pedestrians on the surrounding streets, J, L and, 7th ^streets and the western end of the K street mall will find Routing Maps to guide them around the construction site.  Easily visible signs will also be posted throughout the project with a phone number to call if you have a concern about what is going on – and we've been promised a quick response to public inquires.

During demolition and construction, when a steady stream of trucks will be hauling away materials to recycling centers and later on bringing in new materials to the site - they will be staged on vacant parcels a few blocks away from the project and radioed in to the site on demand so that they do not clog up J and L streets and the freeway on and off ramps.  They've devised a route that from the north will take them from Interstate 5 to Richards Boulevard to 7^th Street or from the south on Interstate 5 to Q Street and 7^th Street to the staging area.

Next up: What is happening at the Capital Towers – the Sacramento Commons Project? 

It's about MUCH more than basketball!

Our Downtown rebirth begins!

ESC: Entertainment And Sports Complex: Demolition/Traffic/Parking

Remember Gottschalks?  More recently known as Macy’s Men’s store?  That part of the K Street Mall will soon to be a hole in the ground.  Plans are afoot to begin the serious demolition of the eastern 2/3rds of the K Street Mall.  Initial preparation work has begun. The wrecking ball arrives soon and we may see action there before the end of July.

There is just one catch to that timetable; the city still does not own the land (and sky above) at the old Macy’s Men’s.  The “Special Servicer” that has control of that property has not relinquished control despite the city winning their eminent domain lawsuit.  And that’s because the second phase of that suit, how much are the land/air rights worth, has not been resolved.  Yet.

The lead contractor who is building the ESC (Turner Construction) is working with the City to minimize disruption to the downtown businesses, pedestrians and traffic.  It’s a major construction site so there will be disruptions – but the contractor and city are working on a plan so that disruptions will be periodic – in waves rather than constant commotion.

Parking losses.  The public entrance to the underground parking lot at L street will be the first to be closed, probably fairly soon.  This will be followed by the lot entrance on J Street (just past 5^th street) and the entrance on 7^th street too.  Mall employees with monthly parking passes were notified some time ago about alternative parking sites.

Lane closures on J and L Streets?  A mini Fix 50?  Actually no.  Per the plans I’ve heard about there will be some re-shifting of lanes but J Street will continue to be 4 lanes at all times. At least one pedestrian walk will be relocated, the one at 5^th and J will be moved to 6^th and J.  L Street will also continue to have 3 lanes at all times.  About 13 L Street parking spaces will be eliminated for the duration of the ESC construction to make way for the lanes that will be shifted.  5th street however, will lose one lane.  This street has one of the lightest volumes of any downtown street and the lane given up will be dedicated to trucks entering and exiting the constructions site.  If you’ve headed south on 29^th Street during the recent construction of Sutter Hospital’s major expansion and seen the lane shift there, then you have an idea of how it will work.

Next up: Noise/watching the progress/Truck traffic