Sacramento: EPIC Tower Project 50 Story 638’
50-story 638-foot tall building
694,380 gross square-foot
354 residential
65,380 gsf of retail and office uses
413 parking spaces
Location: 12 & I street
Danial Libeskind Design
Status: Pending Certification of the EIR
The DRAFT EIR was finished July 2006
50-story mixed-use
The two towers in this rendering at the foot of Capitol have been canceled
INTRODUCTION
The proposed EPIC Tower project (proposed project) would be located on an approximately 40,000 square foot (sf) lot in downtown Sacramento and would be developed with a mix of residential, office, and retail uses. The proposed project is a 50-story mixed-use high-rise building with associated amenities.
The proposed project is a 694,380 gross square-foot mixed-use residential, office, and retail development. The proposed project includes the construction of a 50-story 638-foot tall building. The first floor would contain retail uses, such as a restaurant and café, the second through fifth floors would include office and retail uses, with the remaining floors dedicated for residential uses. The project includes 354 residential one and two bedroom condominium units, two guest apartments, a total of 65,380 gsf of retail and office uses, and 413 parking spaces to accommodate the building tenants and the office space. Building amenities include a small gym, locker rooms, outdoor pools, office space, guest apartments, terrace area, wine cellar, entertainment suite, and other tenant amenities. Parking would be provided on floors one through six in a parking structure located at the rear of the building accessible from I Street and the alley off 12th Street. The first floor would also include the tenant entrance and reception area and storage areas for the tenants.
The exterior building materials include a blue tinted glass in a clear aluminum frame for a majority of the building elevation.
At approximately the 20th floor (240-feet), the building has been designed to extend over the public right-of-way on 12th Street to provide the required clearance for RT. This portion of the building would extend out nine feet three inches from the 20th floor to the top of the tower (638-feet).
Primary vehicular access to the parking garage would be provided via I Street and off 12th Street onto the alley, as shown in Figure 2-4 landscape plan. Access to the loading dock and trash area would be via a public alley off 12th Street. Pedestrian and visitor access would be along I Street. The project proposes to include street lights along 12th Street and I Street as well along the alley off 2th Street and I Street, as well as security lights and building lights. New landscaping and ecorative paving would be installed around the project site and 1 percent of the total construction cost of the project would be dedicated for public art.
Project Approvals
As a public agency principally responsible for approving the proposed project, the City of
Sacramento is considered the Lead Agency under CEQA. The City of Sacramento has the authority to either approve or reject the project. In addition to certification of the EIR, additional entitlements have been requested for the proposed project. The proposed project would require the following approvals:
City of Sacramento
• Environmental Determination: Environmental Impact Report;
• Mitigation Monitoring Plan;
• Tentative Map to merge parcels to designate the site for condominium use;
• Special Permit to construct 354 condominium units in the C-3-SPD zone;
• Special Permit for a Major Project over 75,000 gross square feet in the C-3-SPD zone;
• Variance to reduce maneuvering width in the parking garage; and
• Variance to reduce the required setback for a portion of the building along I Street.
The exterior building materials include a blue tinted glass in a clear aluminum frame for a majority of the building elevation. At approximately the 20th floor (240-feet), the building has been designed to extend over the public right-of-way on 12th Street to provide the required clearance for RT. This portion of the building would extend out nine feet three inches from the 20th floor to the top of the tower (638-feet).
Site Preparation
To accommodate the proposed project, this portion of the block would be cleared, including removal of the existing surface parking lot and associated landscaping and lights. A total of 11 trees in the interior of the site would be removed. The existing trees along 12th Street and I Street would remain and would be protected during construction. The building foundation would sit atop a foundation system, consisting of piles driven into the ground to a depth of between 55 and 75 feet. The actual depth of piles would be determined based upon the performance of test piles. The project proposes to uses a torque screw displacement steel pile method to construct the building foundation. This
method does not create the pounding or vibration associated with a “driven” pile system. The noise associated with the torque screw method is similar to noise produced by a passing City bus. During project construction access to the alley would be maintained at all times. Construction equipment in use would be stored on-site while other construction equipment would be temporarily housed off-site within 2 miles of the project site.
Project Background
The project site includes a total of five parcels on the corner of 12th and I Streets, all previously entitled for development (APN 006-0051-013 through 006-0051-017). On January 16, 1979, the City Council approved a Special Permit (P8421) for a Major Project to develop a 128,284 square foot (sf), five-story office building with 50 parking spaces on the proposed project site. The building was never constructed. On October 6, 1992, the City Council approved the River Tower project (P89-186/DR92-172). The project involved construction of a 34-story, 505,605 sf office building with ground floor retail and 825 parking spaces. An application (P94-099) was filed to extend the Special
Permit approval for the River Tower project by two years, however; the building was never constructed.
In March 2000, an application was filed to construct a 105-space, surface parking lot
(P00-037/DR00-038). The application was withdrawn in September 2000 and a City-owned surface parking lot was constructed as a City capital improvement plan project. The approximately 110- space surface parking lot is currently in operation and would be removed to accommodate the proposed project. The current application (P05-138) was filed with the City in August 2005.