"What's going on Sacramento" Chit-Chat

[j_deguzman10]

Originally Posted by Pistola916

It’s going to take more than 350 rooms to sway the NBA to bring the NBA ASG here. Frankly, we need like 3000 rooms in the urban core, and a big chunk of those hotel rooms would need to be from a JW Marriot, Ritz Carton, etc

I don’t know to believe anymore. Projects get proposed and nothing comes of it or delayed for several years. The one project that I am absolutely stunned and impressed with is 19J. By city standards, construction started quickly. If sales go well, I wonder if she will go bolder and built downtown somewhere in the 12-15 story range.

I know I should I have that the 350 sure would help but regardless that wouldn’t be enough like you said. I don’t think the NBA cares much about the quality of the rooms as so much as the quantity tho. However, it would be nice for people to stay in Rtiz Carltons and Marriotts instead of Motel 6’s.

Like Sfecnoc said before, the office market is in the right direction at the wrong time, and so is the residential market. While suburbs like Natomas are booming again, there isn’t enough apartments on the grid. Like you I’m glad that 19J is being built and that it didn’t take long to start, in fact I passed by a week ago and it already is on its 6th story and some windows have been implanted, but there are other projects that are moving wayyyyyy too slow (cough 19Q 20PQR and 621 Cap cough).

Regarding building height, LivingInUrbanSac said that building heights for apartments are growing taller, up to 11 stories, but it still isn’t tall compared to other similar cities like Atlanta/Buckhead, Raleigh/Durham, and Austin. Those cities used to have no upscale condos, yet so many condos are going up in those cities while Sac is still at Stage 1. Hopefully the market will soon prove that demand justifies building taller and that construction costs could fall if Trump cancels the tariff policy.

Speaking of building height and upscale condos, The Metropolitan’s deadline is approaching rapidly. Saca has until July 16th to start the project or else it’ll be cancelled. Looks like another failed project for the city and we’ll have to wait for the next boom for high rise proposals to pop up. For now it looks like we are stuck at mid rises.

[ozone]

With all due respect 19Q and 20PQR and the Press Building are not moving slow at all. Also 1430 Q (15th/Q) is coming along and the Ice Blocks is finishing up. Not to mention several small infill projects that hardly get noticed.

I could be wrong but from simple drive through it looks like Midtown is booming more than Natomas.

I don't know why people still reference Saca as if he is as relevant here as he was 10 years ago. He's not.

[CAGeoNerd]

Originally Posted by ozone

With all due respect 19Q and 20PQR and the Press Building are not moving slow at all. Also 1430 Q (15th/Q) is coming along and the Ice Blocks is finishing up. Not to mention several small infill projects that hardly get noticed.

I could be wrong but from simple drive through it looks like Midtown is booming more than Natomas.

I don't know why people still reference Saca as if he is as relevant here as he was 10 years ago. He's not.

Midtown is doing more than Downtown right now. That may change in the coming years, hopefully.

[snfenoc]

Boy! People are really getting snippy with each other over minor differences in opinion or interpretation.

Anyway, I visited Sacramento last weekend (for the first time in a year), and I was quite impressed with the changes.

However, there are some projects that I wish were further along:

• Why is the Press building only beginning the demolition stage?
• Why is 1430 Q Street only on the second/third floor after 8 months?
• Why is 700 K still not finished? Walking up and down K street, I was disappointed to see the same islands of life surrounded by seas of closed storefronts and homelessness. I thought DOCO was supposed to make Sacramento a world class city? So far, it looks as though DOCO has only cannibalized a few businesses (e.g., Estelle's Patisserie) and created a couple vacancies on K Street. I know patience is a virtue, but come on! Overall, 700 K is a bit of a disappointment to me. The new portion is ugly and cheap-looking (I believe it's an architectural style is called "Developer Moderni$m"), and the old portion is simply "meh." I know, I know...these are just my personal opinions. I DO think that, when it's totally done in 3-4 months (it better not be any longer than that), 700 K will be teeming with business and activity. That will improve the life on K Street. Regardless of how it turns out, with all the subsidies that 700 K received, I think the developers probably should have built something better-looking and completed it sooner.

I agree with Ozone that there are quite a few smaller projects throughout Midtown that are well on their way. There are also quite a few proposals in Midtown (some small, some larger) that should be on their way very soon. I will add that SKK development seems to be moving along with the old Clarion hotel remodel and the 75-80 unit apartment project across 16th street (the foundation stage has started). Also, I have heard from a good source that the Paragary hotel on 28th and Capitol should begin construction next month (demolition of the old Cafe Bernardo and Monkey Bar building is complete).

My biggest concern is the influence of community activists, along with the responses of their allies in government. I know certain people want to dismiss those concerns. However, Sacramento already faces a lot of economic resistance to development. Therefore, additional resistance from activists and government can easily kill a project. Don't be fooled by arguments about zoning or height - the true cause of these preservationists is opposition to luxury and market-rate housing in the central city. The activists’ next cause will be rent control. If they get what they want, housing development in the central city will be dealt a setback. I find it interesting that people who fight to maintain affordable housing stock do so by attacking supply. Keeping supply low is not how you drive prices downward. The big government "solutions" that activists are demanding will only line the pockets of the rich and well-connected, help only a subset of the poor, create more blight, and prevent development. Basically, the only thing that these activists will preserve is Sacramento's status as a third-tier city.

[innov8]

This is a great list, thanks urban_encounter. It should be noted that all these
projects are being financed by the State/City or generous subsidies.
It would be nice to see more private investment at this scale, sure we have
19J, CADA Site 21, and 15Q but it’s been 10 years since the likes of 621 and
500 Capitol Mall were built without subsidies.

Originally Posted by urban_encounter

There appears to be a lot of construction on Sacramento’s horizon with a good shot of being constructed.

#1 $1.2 billion State Capitol Annex replacement. (Curious to see whether the historic eastern Capitol facade is restored and exposed in such a way that it is again visible from Capitol Park)

#2 $100 million Native American History Museum on the West Sacramento Waterfront. (Glad to see that the state is helping to make this a reality. It will be a very large attraction across the river from the Powerhouse Science Center).

#3. $50 million Powerhouse Science Center finally looks like it’s going to become a reality with the recent groundbreaking.

#4 $460 million Sacramento County Courthouse replacement. (Personally I like the clean design. It’s not what I would define as a skyscraper but will definitely help enliven that area near the Federal Courthouse with more pedestrian activity and help jumpstart construction in the rail yard.

#5 $520.4 million 20 story state office building at 8th and O streets. (Again, not really a “skyscraper” so much as a skyscratcher but it will also help increase pedestrian activity and preserve the historic Heilbron House. It’s a state design so we’ll have to see what the finished product ends up looking like......)

#6 11 story state office building at 1215 O Street. (It will provide space for 1,150 employees)

#7 $240 million Sacramento Convention Center Renovation/Expansion

#8. $100 million Community Center Theater and Memorial Auditorium Renovation.

So these are the projections that are mostly funded and truly in the pipeline....

We still don’t know whether or not we will ever see the long proposed Hyatt Centric Hotel at the historic Marshall Hotel; the proposed 14 story Yamanee (that’s being unnecessarily delayed by firvolous legal action); an MLS soccer stadium in the rail yard or the long delayed CalPERS/CIM 300 Capital Mall project (which I doubt that I will see in my lifetime. )

In any case, there’s no doubt that there are a lot of large scale exciting projects on the immediate horizon that will keep Sacramento’s central core buzzing with construction activity. The only unknown is whether tariffs on steel imports will cause the costs of construction to increase, to be delayed or cancelled outright.

If anyone has anything else to add please feel free.

[enigma99a]

https://www.bizjournals.com/sacramen...tml#g/436884/8
Another red rabbit in Sacramento? I think this building looks great. Can't say I miss the brutalism. I like the more open path on K street

[Pistola916]

Originally Posted by enigma99a

https://www.bizjournals.com/sacramen...tml#g/436884/8
Another red rabbit in Sacramento? I think this building looks great. Can't say I miss the brutalism. I like the more open path on K street

I thought the city or the architect blew it with the convention center design, particularly the corner at 13th and J. That corner deserves a striking design. They should have built it a floor or two taller at that end and made it all glass. The entrance at K Street looks like the front and the front entrance looks like the back.

Although it is a little underwhelming, it’s 100x better than the current exterior.

[ozone]

Originally Posted by Pistola916

I thought the city or the architect blew it with the convention center design, particularly the corner at 13th and J. That corner deserves a striking design. They should have built it a floor or two taller at that end and made it all glass. The entrance at K Street looks like the front and the front entrance looks like the back.

Although it is a little underwhelming, it’s 100x better than the current exterior.

I agree. I don't really understand the re-design...yet.

[urbanadvocate]

The plaza will for sure get tweaked since a part of it will actually be under the theater redesign which is separate.

IN regards to 700K there's a lot of reasons it got delayed--including preservation and restoration (I think the interior's will be rad) and the death of one of the key developers.

[snfenoc]

Originally Posted by urbanadvocate

IN regards to 700K there's a lot of reasons it got delayed--including preservation and restoration (I think the interior's will be rad) and the death of one of the key developers.

Preservation and Restoration MAY be reasonable defenses for the delays at 700 K street.

However, I doubt Ali Youssefi's death slowed development that much. Ali's death was a horrible tragedy. He loved Sacramento, and his vision for the city was unique and beautiful. I had the honor of meeting him once, and I've followed his career. I can say that Sacramento is less without his guidance, youthful outlook, enthusiasm, ideas, and total love for his hometown. Still, he passed only a few months ago - well after the bulk of 700 K's development was completed. Let's not forget that D&S Development (Bay Miry) is also a developer for the project.

Besides, two of the excuses that you listed were definite "knowns" before 700 K even got its first permit. That site had been walked multiple times; and many "fine toothed combs" were sacrificed during the planning. The developers knew that preservation and restoration would be hard. Yet, once construction commenced, they were very confident in an 18-month timeline. Also, I think they probably knew that Ali Youssefi was sick well before he died; so I doubt that 700 K had the rug pulled out from under it upon his passing.

700 K received a lot of help from the City, which began assembling those properties over a decade ago. The project began in March of 2015; and it was supposed to be complete when the arena opened in October 2016. Here we are, almost 3 years and 3 months after construction began, and 700 K is still not open for business.

I walked around the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street. The area still smells like piss; and most of the people I saw were homeless and downtrodden. Heck, not that long ago, the City spent significant time and money repaving that area with brick. Now, many of the pavers are loose and have been "replaced" with asphalt patches. Yuck!

We've heard that construction at 800 K should begin this Summer. When I was down there, I did not see any sign of work. Before Ozone so nicely and pleasantly informs me that the Summer is still young (as he did to someone else a few posts ago), I do understand that there is a lot of time for construction activity to begin. However, I'm not pleased at how long these projects are taking. They've had a lot of help from the City, they have huge backers (including the Kings); so hurry the f#@k up!

While I was there, I walked over to DOCO quite a few times. I don't like it. DOCO is like a fortress cut off from the rest of the city. Also, it's mostly, eerily quite at night - we're talking Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I did hear some activity from the rooftop pool at The Sawyer. However, I was not allowed to go up there - guess I was not rich or douchey enough.

After years of development and lots of public dollars, K street is not very impressive. Yes, there is still a lot more work to be done, but it does not help that two very well-subsidized, large projects have taken their sweet time getting to the finish line. Also, I stand by my criticism of 700 K's overall "look." The front of it is just OK. (The older buildings were never spectacular examples of architecture to begin with.) However, the backside (the new side) of 700 K is terrible. Living here in Orange County, we see that Developer Moderni$m style a lot - it's a fake-looking, cheap-o attempt to make a timber framed box look "urban."

Sorry to be so negative and repetitive - I did like a lot of what I saw; but I simply don't think the city has gotten its money's worth on DOCO and 700 K. Hopefully, I'll get to check back in another year and eat some crow. Still, even if those projects develop into nice pieces, I think the city could have done a lot more for its money.

I really hope that over the next few years, the countless "holes" in the central city get filled. Last Saturday night I attended the Music Circus. I know that SKK development is making a big push in that area, but I was surprised that the narrow lot immediately to west of the theater (on 14th and H) shows no signs of development. What a great spot for a 3-4 story, narrow apartment building with a ground floor cafe and maybe a small boutique! #FillTheHoles

[innov8]

America’s Hottest Cities for Urban Planners
RICHARD FLORIDA OCT 8, 2019
You might think planners—and urbanists in general—congregate in big coastal metros. But planning jobs are growing fastest elsewhere.

https://www.citylab.com/life/2019/10...Z9Uzd8xt2q94U8

[sactivity]

Interesting read. Thanks for sharing!

[urban_encounter]

Well unfortunately the two options for the I street bridge replacements unveiled last night are both extremely underwhelming. Opportunity missed.

For reference the Sacramento Business Journal has bother options and a slideshow.

[sactivity]

Originally Posted by urban_encounter

Well unfortunately the two options for the I street bridge replacements unveiled last night are both extremely underwhelming. Opportunity missed.

For reference the Sacramento Business Journal has bother options and a slideshow.

Missed opportunity is right -- the Arch was one fricken beautiful statement. And it's a no-show. Still, if I had to choose between the 2 finalists I would prefer Spring Version 2. Looks really nice at night all lit up.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by sactivity

Still, if I had to choose between the 2 finalists I would prefer Spring Version 2. Looks really nice at night all lit up.

Yeah I agree 100%. It’s my preferred choice as well (which means they won’t pick it).

[sactivity]

Originally Posted by urban_encounter

Yeah I agree 100%. It’s my preferred choice as well (which means they won’t pick it).

LMAO. .I was thinking the same thing. So it will be Thru Version 1 that wins it all then. That's the one I dislike the most.

[innov8]

Did you know Sacramento has 32 historic districts and the Preservation
Commission (that meets tomorrow) adds and removes to the list all the time.
When looking at the map below, approximately 1/3 of downtown has historic
status. I think that's why were don't hear from wburg very often these days
cause hes busy adding to the list on the Technical Advisory Committee.

https://sacramento.granicus.com/Meta...meta_id=570317

[enigma99a]

I was thinking in downtown today that the US Bank tower is the first tower to have signage. Is that true?

[Majin]

Originally Posted by enigma99a

I was thinking in downtown today that the US Bank tower is the first tower to have signage. Is that true?

That tower has signage now? Is it new?

[SacTownAndy]

^^ I actually noticed that the other day as well driving south on I-5. It is new. I thought the capitol view protection ordinance prohibited this? 555 Cap Mall has had BofA and Visit CA signage for a while now but it's a much shorter building.