Sacramento Proposal/Approval/Construction Thread - III

[benhol]

For any of you that would like to put in your 2-cents worth in on our lets-talk-it-to-death mayor, the Sac Business Journal is having a poll: "Is Mayor Fargo an effective leader for business?"
Currently, she stands at a 66% "NO"... (or HECK NO). 17% said "Yes" for some reason or other... and another 17% are "Not Sure"... (beats me why anyone would vote in a poll that is "Not Sure"...).
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/

[sugit]

I don't think she stands much chance of being re-elected.

[brandon12]

^oh I think she does. I'm not saying she will, but she certainly stands a good chance.

[innov8]

I'm not a fan of hers as some of you know, but I think there is a good chance she
will hold the key to the city for a third term. At this early stage we can
make up a perfect candidate in our heads to beat her... but when it comes
time to vote as well as who will have the most money because of experience,
I think she will have nice $$$ to tap in to.

I bet if the same poll were in the Bee she would win by ten points or so. The
SBJ has a different type of reader than the average paper.

[sugit]

You think so? It just seems like more people think she hasn't done a good job in the last year or so. I'm not sure how the annoucement of her having MS will affect her either, good or bad.

She seems like that baseball coach who has a team from when they were in tee-ball, but now that they are in high school they can't teach them anymore or take them any further. Almost like the issues that the city has faced are out of her league.

[BrianSac]

their are many great things about this city that aren't dependent on luxury high-rises being built. many great European cities have few if any skyscrapers. Frankfurt is the 'Manhattan' of Germany with many skyscrapers but hardly anyone will claim they prefer it to Berlin. If we don't get these built Sac will still be a great city. The in-fill projects aren't slowing down and the vibe of this city will only get better as more urbanites fill those residences.

I hear ya. I agree. BUT, I like skyscrapers. Especially in SacTown. I like what we have, but I want a few more. Cities that have flat landscapes really benefit aesthetically from high-rises, imo. I'd be happy with one 700 footer, shaped like Chicagos Fordham, ;) One really awesome signature tower is all that I'm asking for.

[creamcityleo79]

At this point, I don't even think I would vote for her with her recent inaction on Aura and the Towers. It shows a complete lack of leadership. I think Heather Fargo means well. She just lacks the leadership abilities to execute the big projects that could really bring Sacramento to the next level. Unfortunately, I'll be 2 miles outside the city limits and will not be eligible to vote! WHEN WILL SACRAMENTO ANNEX ROSEMONT!!?!?!?!??!?!

By the way, does anyone know if there are any plans to annex any county areas? I know this has been asked before. But, I remember recently reading about the city wanting to annex an area in South Sac (the SE side of the Sacramento mailing addresses). I think I remember that area having more than 60,000 residents. Anyone know about this or other annexation plans?

[brandon12]

^in fairness, it's probably difficult to blame Fargo for the Towers' and Aura's current difficulties. The city (at least to the extent that is public knowledge) has come through (or in Aura's case, looks willing to come through) with what has been asked of them.

But in general, I like Sugit's baseball team metaphor. The city council behaves as if they're running a city the size of Galt. They're just in over their heads, but that's the kind of leadership that most Sacramento voters identify with. In general, Sacramento voters are far less sophisticated than they like to give themselves credit for.

[BrianSac]

Regarding Ms. Fargo:

I have mixed emotions about Heather. I still hold her in high-esteem for the original push for a downtown areana. The one where the city manager sabotaged the whole thing. I think the Kings sabotaged it too because they really didnt want a DOWNTOWN arena, natomas yes, but not downtown.

Heather really stuck her neck out on that orginal downtown plan. She got burned badly, and I noticed, thereafter, she never pushed for the arena as hard; she let R. Dickenson and Fong take over. Regarding the last arena attempt, I think she didn't want it to go to a vote as early as it did, neither did I, I thought that was a huge mistake, I knew neither the BEE nor the people would support it....(I voted YES on Q&R).

[Web]

Anyone know about this or other annexation plans?

Arden Arcade area is trying for a vote......county is very opposed

[sugit]

I haven't seen enough of him yet, but I do like the leadership-like qualities (not just from the arena), speaking ability (though he can be long winded) and people skills Fong seems to have. He has that intangable ability to talk to people at their level to convey his thoughts and points.]

I think the Kings sabotaged it too because they really didnt want a DOWNTOWN arena, natomas yes, but not downtown.

I feel the same way.

[creamcityleo79]

Arden Arcade area is trying for a vote......county is very opposed
I knew about that...and with the recent successes of Rancho Cordova, I'm very excited and hope that more communities will jump on that bandwagon (ie. Carmichael!).

[TowerDistrict]

i figure Cohn or Fong will run right past her.

i kinda like the level headedness she exudes, but sometimes taking the middle road leads to nowhere. i do fear that a replacement could possibly have a much less downtown-minded agenda, though. And it would be a shame to have all this build up, only to languish on the back burner of new leadership.

[brandon12]

^re: Fong- I agree. Very polished. He has successful politician written all over him. I have no idea how much of his politics I agree with (for example, he's obiously in bed with the land park nimbys), but he does have a Bill Clinton-like charisma.

[brandon12]

...taking the middle road leads to nowhere...

you nailed it.

[BrianSac]

Those are great Briansac :lmao:. You just about made me crap my pants. How about Sacramento, "Land of Missed Opportunity. Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses ....... and we will all house them around K street." This is alotta fun....

arod74, aint in the truth,
:haha: :haha: :haha:

downtownserg's: whackramento, and dramamento ain't bad either, :tup:

[sugit]

do fear that a replacement could possibly have a much less downtown-minded agenda, though. And it would be a shame to have all this build up, only to languish on the back burner of new leadership.

I don't think that's a problem if Cohn or Fong are elected. For one thing, part of each of their current disticts are within the grid. Fong has long been involved in the arts and culture scene in Sac, and both have been regular downtown and midtown boasters.

Bill Clinton-like charisma
I can totally see that.

[TowerDistrict]

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/council/graphics/editor/Fong%20small.jpg
"I did not have sexual relations with the LPCA"

[sugit]

LOL...:jester: Poor guy just got politially labeled. Nice job Brandon and TD

[Trojan]

Well Cohn was against the whole Railyard thing [right?] so I don't see how anyone could like him on this forum.

[BrianSac]

Well Cohn was against the whole Railyard thing [right?] so I don't see how anyone could like him on this forum.

Cohn is against the Mercy Heart Center by way of supporting the Nimf*cks in the fab 40's neighborhood.

[greenmidtown]

Well Cohn was against the whole Railyard thing [right?] so I don't see how anyone could like him on this forum.

I'm against the railyard developments not because it's a bad idea but I don't trust the snake-oil salesmen (Thomas Properties) running the deal. I think we've discussed their inexperience with these kinds of projects, previous failures, and likely embezzlement of City funds already in this forum. Sac deserves better imho than Thomas Properties.

[econgrad]

:previous:

I am way confused. I thought Thomas Enterprises was established and had a good rep. Can you or someone please give me some specifics? This is the first I heard of all this. Thanks!

[urban_encounter]

Actually, the head of Lambert Development out of SD said the East End Gateway project they have planned at 16th and L has become their top priority. It not as high end (or big) as the other two, but it still shows people are very interested in this city.

As I said easier, he stated that even though The Towers and Aura are having problems, the sales prices have caught the eye of lenders.

Even Catherdral Sqaure is still moving forward. They just went to Design Review for comment and review and the EIR is nearly done.

The Towers and Aura are as high end as high end can go, esp for this city. Nassi said he needs $400 a square to make a profit before construction prices when nuts. For a project like Aura (and Towers for that matter), with the intricate architecture, features and amenites, I'm sure that number is much higher now. I still think somehow at least one of these gets built. After that, I don’t think we see an ultra high-end condo project like these for a while. The more moderate projects, maybe in the 10-20 story range will be the norm. You guys know my take on that, as long as they are dense, mixed use and fill the streets with people, that's perfectly fine with me..and we keep seeing infill in midtown.

I remember people where complaining about 800J Lofts (still the only major housing project built in DT) being a waste and that Saca or Nassi would put up a 30 story building in a heartbeat, we now know that isn’t as simple as it sounds. At around 180 an acre, 800J is no sloutch on the density side.

In the meantime, at least we are seeing midtown really come into its own, even moving into parts of DT. The rest of DT is stilling crawling along though. Unfortunetly, we missed the highrise condo boom.


As far as downtown development, I've always maintained that it doesn't matter whether it's low, mid or high-rise housing, so long as it's high density housing. With so many opportunities for infill, DT and MT, housing will be fine regardless of what happens to the Towers or Aura.

I also still believe that R street, (has the potential) to be at the center of new residential housing DT, giving it's industrial feel and close proximity to the CBD and Light Rail.

We'll disagree in regards to other projects in the pipeline, especially Cathedral Square. That partiucalr project has been in the 'pipeline' for a few years now and I frankly question whether St. Anton has the ability to construct a highrise residential tower in Sacramento's current market.

Even though the County hasn't yet selected a new developer, I still believe the best chance (failing Aura) would be for the Library Lofts.

I agree with you though Costa that Sacramento seems to have caught on to the condo craze, just in time to see it crash...

Maybe next time, Sacramento will be ready.

[urban_encounter]

^in fairness, it's probably difficult to blame Fargo for the Towers' and Aura's current difficulties. The city (at least to the extent that is public knowledge) has come through (or in Aura's case, looks willing to come through) with what has been asked of them.

But in general, I like Sugit's baseball team metaphor. The city council behaves as if they're running a city the size of Galt. They're just in over their heads, but that's the kind of leadership that most Sacramento voters identify with. In general, Sacramento voters are far less sophisticated than they like to give themselves credit for.


I agree 100% Brandon..

The city can be faulted for a lack of leadership in many respects, but not in the case of Aura or the Towers. I believe that city
leaders finally decided it was time for Sacramento's skyline to grow up. 8 years ago the Towers would have been shot
down and never been approved at all. But overall council members conduct their affairs, as if Sacramento is Galt or Turlock.

In regards to Sacramento voters you hit the nail right on the head.
Frankly I'm not sure why that is. (Why Sacramento voters lack sophistication).. Perhaps it's because the Sacramento
region is basically a collection of suburban neighborhoods without a true identity?

The city proper has historically taken a verbal beating by locals and people from outside the area. (Admittedly by many people
who have probably never been to Sacramento).. But Sacramentans are just plain apathetic and ususally jump on the
(trash Sacramento) bandwagon with outsiders.

Sacramentans turn out in strong numbers for the Symphony, the Broadway Series, the Music Circus and a host of other
perfroming arts. But the region as a whole doesn't recognize the benefit in investing in a concert all or perfroming arts center.
The same is true for the Kings. Most people in Sacramento are Kings fans, but collectively people have no interest in
keeping the Kings or ensuring that Sacramento has an arena for hosting future events.

The view most Sacramentans have of their place in the world seems to end at the property line of their suburban home.

It's a very narrow and self centered view.


City's with a strong civic identity and pride are usually cities that thrive. They're cities that people want to live in, businesses want to relocate to and tourists want to visit. They're cities that invest in their cultural, academic, transportation and entertainment options.

Sacramento has historically never been that kind of place and unless attitudes there change, it might never be.

[sugit]

I also still believe that R street, (has the potential) to be at the center of new residential housing DT, giving it's industrial feel and close proximity to the CBD and Light Rail.

Actually, I disagree here. There are so many issues with R Street and not enough money to fix them. From what I heard Capitol Lofts is having major problems and the vibe I got was it was in real danger of not happening.

We'll disagree in regards to other projects in the pipeline, especially Cathedral Square. That partiucalr project has been in the 'pipeline' for a few years now and I frankly question whether St. Anton has the ability to construct a highrise residential tower in Sacramento's current market.

St Anton has build thousands of apartments and condos over the last 10-15 years, they have the experiece with housing. "The principals, Mr. Geremia and Mr. Eggert, collectively have more than 45 years of experience in the construction and real estate industries." While almost all in the burbs, they still have 21st and L under their belt.

The fact that they haven't gone balls to wall with the project (part becuase the city has made them jump through a ton of hoops with the traffic study and "historic alley") and have done do dilagence makes me actually a little more comfortable with this one.

Hell, even their website says:
Cathedral Square - under construction (http://www.antonllc.com/construction.shtml)

http://www.antonllc.com/properties/CathedralSquare/CSNF.jpg

[TowerDistrict]

I'm against the railyard developments not because it's a bad idea but I don't trust the snake-oil salesmen (Thomas Properties) running the deal. I think we've discussed their inexperience with these kinds of projects, previous failures, and likely embezzlement of City funds already in this forum. Sac deserves better imho than Thomas Properties.

I don't know where you came up with that - you had said the same thing once before and i was equally confused.

Thomas ran into problems with a different project just like every developer currently working in downtown sacramento. But they're cleaning up the railyards as we speak, so things are already better than they were four months ago.

Thomas has held an absurd amount of public input workshops. The've presented multiple plans to the public, and are soon to present another revision by request of the city. They quietly went along with the city's request to present a sports and entertainment district in their plans - they didn't come up with that themselves - though they seemed to have caught much of the flak when it began to fail. Thomas reps speak to multiple groups involved in sacramento planning from public transit advocates and land use professionals, to cyclists groups and railroad enthusiasts.

I don't know where you're coming up with the embezzlement charges... could you expound on that accusation? If I were to think of something scathing to say of the whole transaction, it would be that the city mishandled their own money in desperation to expedite the land deal. Fargo was directly quoted in the News & Review as saying "...we had hoped that our partners in all of this would be stepping up a little more, but the reality is, we wanted to get this done badly." and I would've been furious if the city hit the brakes on the railyards deal because of the issue with moving tracks. Hell, maybe the city can hire UP's trussle crew to do it in 12 days.

Bottom line is that Thomas is moving fast to get this project going, but there is still plenty of time to get involved with the process as the plans haven't even been finalized. And if Sacramento deserves a better developer, they either didn't volunteer themselves, or couldn't take it as far as Thomas has now.

[Phillip]

Cohn is against the Mercy Heart Center by way of supporting the Nimf*cks in the fab 40's neighborhood.Who besides Mercy is in favor of Mercy Heart Center? Neighborhood opposition is almost universal and I think some NIMBYism (or Nimf*ckism) is in order. H and J Streets are already inadequate for current traffic loads and can't be widened without tearing down all the houses and businesses along one side of both streets. Adding more buildings and services to Mercy campus will bring gridlock. Not even ambulances will be able to get through those two lane stretches during rush hour.

Interesting that despite strong and vocal neighborhood opposition SEIU hasn't uttered a peep of protest over traffic and environmental impacts at Mercy. They've spent tens of thousands opposing Sutter's expansion, where neighborhood opposition has been nil. SEIU's silence can be bought and Mercy bought it.

[What is a Rivercat?]

So I've been in San Diego this week and I have to say damn, this city is really going vertical. Sacramento desperately needs to take a lesson from San Diego - what a beautiful city this has become...though there are too many "twin" buildings.

[innov8]

Current Projects and status within the planning Dept.
Last modified 03/27/2007 at 1:59 PM

CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

DR # LEVEL OF DESIGN REVIEW ADDRESS PLANNER DESCRIPTION DATE OF APPROVAL
IN PROGRESS

DR07-0009 Design Commission 831 L St. - Bldg. to be replaced my 13-story mixed use bldg.

DR07-0019 Staff 300 Capitol Mall - Exterior Renovation

DR05-003 Design Commission 408 J St. - Re-development & re-furbishment of existing Westfiled Shopping town Downtown Plaza

DR04-324 Design Commission 1215 J St. - Capitol Grand Tower. Demo existing building and construct a 56 story mixed-use bldg.


CENTRAL CITY DESIGN REVIEW DISTRICT

DR # LEVEL OF DESIGN REVIEW ADDRESS PLANNER DESCRIPTION DATE OF APPROVAL
IN PROGRESS


DR06-162 Design Director 1523 E St. - New (11) unit condo. Complex.
Design Commission Hearing Appealed 01/02/07

DR05-241 Design Commission 500 Capitol Mall - Demo existing five (5) story building. Construct a new +/- 540,000 sq. ft. bldg.

DR05-402 Design Commission 921 10th St. - New Condos w/ Retail

DR05-300 Design Commission 1215 I Street - Epic Tower

DR05-340 Design Commission 1020 J St. - Mixed Use High-rise

APPROVED
DR06-270 Staff 812 L St. - Facade Remodel 03/20/2007

DR06-301 Staff 2111 24th St. - Exterior Renovation 01/03/2007

DR06-318 Staff 701 16th Street - Exterior Rehab. 03/20/2007

DR07-0027 Staff 2301 K St. - Replace windows (approve previously completed per housing case) in vacant church 02/26/2007

DR07-0011 Staff 918 25th St. - SFR exterior rehab of siding & windows. 01/22/2007

DR07-0020 Staff 1915 21st St. - Façade Remodel 02/20/2007

DR07-0022 Staff 1616 D St. Unit #6 - Change height of approved lattice work (DR05-038) 01/25/2007

DR07-0035 Staff 2111 Q St. - Exterior rehab. To commercial bldg. 02/15/2007

DR07-0039 Staff 1400 S St. - Remodel existing office bldg. 02/13/2007

DR07-0047 Staff/Minor 1017 24th St. - New HVAC system to be installed behind parapet wall of commercial bldg. 01/31/2007

DR07-0048 Staff/Minor 301 25th St. - Residential fire repair 01/31/2007

DR07-0052 Staff/Minor 1901 22nd St. - Minor misc. repairs 02/08/2007

DR07-0056 Staff/Minor 2203 13th St. - Replace rear elevation windows and exterior siding areas w/ termite damage 02/09/2007

DR06-291 Staff/Minor 2115 J St. - Installation of (5) space heaters at sidewalk café. 01/05/2007

DR06-300 Staff 2416 D St. - New 2-story SFR 02/14/2007

DR07-0012 Staff/Minor 918 25th St. - SFR Exterior Rehab. 01/09/2007

DR06-326 Staff 2311 U St. - Apt. Rehab. 02/15/2007

DR06-294 Design Director 2211 F St. - Rehab an existing +/- 19,000 commercial bldg. 01/17/2007

DR07-0071 Staff/Minor 1818 T St. - Repairs to front staircase. Code enforcement case. 02/21/2007

DR07-0014 Staff/Minor 1905 I St. - Rehab to exterior siding & porch. 03/06/2007

DR07-0041 Staff 2219 18th St. - Convert SFR into duplex, add door to exterior 03/07/2007

WAITING
DR06-234 Staff 1814 Broadway - Gas Station Façade Remodel 01/23/2007

DR07-0040 Staff 2309 D St. - Rear addition, Approx. 400 sq. ft. 02/14/2007

[BrianSac]

Who besides Mercy is in favor of Mercy Heart Center? Neighborhood opposition is almost universal and I think some NIMBYism (or Nimf*ckism) is in order. H and J Streets are already inadequate for current traffic loads and can't be widened without tearing down all the houses and businesses along one side of both streets. Adding more buildings and services to Mercy campus will bring gridlock. Not even ambulances will be able to get through those two lane stretches during rush hour.

Interesting that despite strong and vocal neighborhood opposition SEIU hasn't uttered a peep of protest over traffic and environmental impacts at Mercy. They've spent tens of thousands opposing Sutter's expansion, where neighborhood opposition has been nil. SEIU's silence can be bought and Mercy bought it.

If Mercy bought SEIU's silence, thank GOD. But, I seriously doubt it.

Mercy has bent over backwards for their neighbors by downsizing their plans dramatically.

Don't forget, its Mercy's neighborhood, too. Mercy has been serving the health care needs of Sacramento for 125 years or more.

Mercy is going to build a BRAND NEW SCHOOL, and create 20 new residences in addition to the Heart Center.

The Heart Center is only 4 stories tall with only 123,350 sf.

This Heart Center will be state-of-the-art and one day may save your life, or a loved ones life.

Why would anyone push away such an important asset to our city? Those in opposition are just plain selfish. People like that disgust me.

[econgrad]

I don't know where you came up with that - you had said the same thing once before and i was equally confused.

Thomas ran into problems with a different project just like every developer currently working in downtown sacramento. But they're cleaning up the railyards as we speak, so things are already better than they were four months ago.

Thomas has held an absurd amount of public input workshops. The've presented multiple plans to the public, and are soon to present another revision by request of the city. They quietly went along with the city's request to present a sports and entertainment district in their plans - they didn't come up with that themselves - though they seemed to have caught much of the flak when it began to fail. Thomas reps speak to multiple groups involved in sacramento planning from public transit advocates and land use professionals, to cyclists groups and railroad enthusiasts.

I don't know where you're coming up with the embezzlement charges... could you expound on that accusation? If I were to think of something scathing to say of the whole transaction, it would be that the city mishandled their own money in desperation to expedite the land deal. Fargo was directly quoted in the News & Review as saying "...we had hoped that our partners in all of this would be stepping up a little more, but the reality is, we wanted to get this done badly." and I would've been furious if the city hit the brakes on the railyards deal because of the issue with moving tracks. Hell, maybe the city can hire UP's trussle crew to do it in 12 days.

Bottom line is that Thomas is moving fast to get this project going, but there is still plenty of time to get involved with the process as the plans haven't even been finalized. And if Sacramento deserves a better developer, they either didn't volunteer themselves, or couldn't take it as far as Thomas has now.


Thanks Tower! I was confused as well when I saw that post. :tup:

BrianSac, also Thank you! I agree 100%, I live near Mercy, and I am not one of the Nimby's. I also believe it will improve the property values of the surrounding area, especially with the school. Thanks again for that post.

[Sacto]

DR04-324 Design Commission 1215 J St. - Capitol Grand Tower. Demo existing building and construct a 56 story mixed-use bldg.

I though it was bumped up to 70 storys :koko:

[ltsmotorsport]

I was wondering that too. Guess they haven't updated that list in a while. Kinda surprised to still see Epic on there too, considering what Aura's going through right now. And what exterior renovation are they doing to the "Emerald Tower"?

[brandon12]

Who besides Mercy is in favor of Mercy Heart Center? Neighborhood opposition is almost universal and I think some NIMBYism (or Nimf*ckism) is in order. H and J Streets are already inadequate for current traffic loads and can't be widened without tearing down all the houses and businesses along one side of both streets. Adding more buildings and services to Mercy campus will bring gridlock. Not even ambulances will be able to get through those two lane stretches during rush hour.

Interesting that despite strong and vocal neighborhood opposition SEIU hasn't uttered a peep of protest over traffic and environmental impacts at Mercy. They've spent tens of thousands opposing Sutter's expansion, where neighborhood opposition has been nil. SEIU's silence can be bought and Mercy bought it.
Phillip, with all due respect, please allow me to comment. I have almost 10 years of experience in healthcare management (none of it with the Sisters of Mercy, so I feel I can be completely objective).
First, I know first-hand that the hospital has many, many neighborhood residents that support their plan. Of course, they're not as vocal as the selfish nimbys, none of whom have been in the neighborhood as long as Mercy. Once again, I liken these people to those that recently move into the flight path of an airport and then complain about noise or expansion plans.
The heart hospital will truly be an asset to the entire region (as suggest by a previous post above). In fact, the realities of today's healthcare environment dictate that Mercy expand or die. The hospital, as currently configured, is simply not viable in today's market. Trust me.
In my opinion, your most glaring mirsrepresntation above is that SEIU opposed Sutter's expansion on any grounds other than purely political. SEUI didn't oppose Mercy's plans because they are not involved in a union organization struggle with them. SEIU couldn't give a fuck about environmental issues related to Mercy or Sutter. That's just a smoke screen. I know it, the city council knows it, almost anyone with a passing knowledge of the situation knows it.
To say that H and J streets will be so gridlocked that ambulances will not be able to pass is just hyperbolic hogwash. C'mon. They have sirens. The reality is that the heart wing addition will not add significantly to traffic (especially by emergency ambulance traffic.) The vast, vast majority of patients to the heart hospital will be scheduled appointments. Ambulances will continue to deliver their emergent patients to emergency rooms across the region on the basis of available capacity.

The bottom line is that Mercy has been in the neighborhood literally 10 times longer than most of their residential neighbors. What nerve on behalf of the residents! If their main concern is traffic, maybe they should get the hell out of their range rovers and take a walk. These people are hypocrites the the nth degree.

[SacUrbnPlnr]

So I've been in San Diego this week and I have to say damn, this city is really going vertical. Sacramento desperately needs to take a lesson from San Diego - what a beautiful city this has become...though there are too many "twin" buildings.

------------------
San Diego's downtown renaissance is indeed impressive. Keep in mind, however, that it did not happen overnight. Before the mid-1980s, there was less to downtown San Diego than in downtown Sacramento today. Horton Plaza was one of the early catalist projects that started the ball rolling. Before Horton Plaza, there was little downtown shopping.

Fast forward more than 20 years, and look at San Diego now. But it took years of incremental improvements and milliions of dollars of public investments and subsidies on the part of the City. It also doesn't hurt that San Diego has a great climate, is a waterfront City, and has a new downtown ballpark.

Perhaps the lesson for Sacramento is that patience and perserverance will eventually pay off. We are in the early stages in our downtown renaissance, it may take until 2020 (or longer) before downtown Sacramento has the kind of vibrancy and verticality that San Diego has today.

[BrianSac]

H and J Streets are already inadequate for current traffic loads and can't be widened without tearing down all the houses and businesses along one side of both streets. Adding more buildings and services to Mercy campus will bring gridlock. Not even ambulances will be able to get through those two lane stretches during rush hour.


Those are nimby words and fear tactics. They are not based in fact.

"When you hear and see a siren, you cautiously move to the right, stop and wait for the emergency vehicle to pass.", ;)

[innov8]

621 Capitol Mall (US Bank Tower)
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/7830/1621cmcapitolmall200703uh1.jpg

500 Capitol Mall
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/9711/2500cmcapitolmallhdrfinhd1.jpg

More under high-rise construction http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=103

[downtownserg89]

arod74, aint in the truth,
:haha: :haha: :haha:

downtownserg's: whackramento, and dramamento ain't bad either, :tup:


haha thanks. my friend and i were talking, and we came up with: sacrament-NO, and saCANTmento. :cool:

[BrianSac]

:previous:

Innov8,
Nice, as usual, :yes: :haha:

[aufbau]

Thanks for the view of 500CM innov8. I'm always curious what is going on behind the walls...

So, is it me, or does Sacramento have more pejorative nicknames than any city in this country? And that isn't evening counting all the gems we've come up with on this forum. Skyscraperpage seems to be heavy on the superlatives; it looks like we may have ourselves a title;)

[enigma99a]

March 29th, 2007. Nassi's clock is ticking.

[Phillip]

Mercy has bent over backwards for their neighbors by downsizing their plans dramatically.
Don't forget, its Mercy's neighborhood, too. Mercy has been serving the health care needs of Sacramento for 125 years or more.
Mercy is going to build a BRAND NEW SCHOOL, and create 20 new residences in addition to the Heart Center.
The Heart Center is only 4 stories tall with only 123,350 sf.
This Heart Center will be state-of-the-art and one day may save your life, or a loved ones life.
Why would anyone push away such an important asset to our city? Those in opposition are just plain selfish. People like that disgust me.
I don't work for Mercy but I make a call there about once a month as part of my job. About half the time when I get there the parking deck is full with a line of cars waiting to get in. A guard lets a couple cars in as other cars leave. Even once I'm inside the deck it can take another 15 minutes of driving in circles before I find a space.

I can wait but patients who have appointments and employees who are late to work go into the neighborhood and park in front of people's houses and walk back to the hospital. The neighborhood is reasonably concerned that adding additional beds and new services (as opposed to renovating the outmoded facility Mercy's already got) will worsen the parking situation. I don't live in that neighborhood but until Mercy scaled back their plan I saw "Have Mercy! No expansion!" picket signs in the front lawns of practically every house up and down H and J Street. It looked to me like 80-90% of the houses within six blocks of Mercy had a "No!" picket.

Most of the signs are gone now, so hopefully the revised plans for a smaller facility are more acceptable to neighbors. I don't know the details.

Obviously I'm not opposed to more cardiac care beds in Sacramento. I don't think anyone is. Sacramento is growing fast and all of the hospitals are overburdened. But Sutter General, Mercy, and Sutter Memorial are already clustered together in one small part of town. If Mercy wants to add more beds why not in the parts of town that have no beds at all, like Natomas or Rancho Cordova?

Getting to the ER quickly is a cornerstone of cardiac care. Why add more cardiac beds to an area of town where there are already three cardiac care units within two miles? Natomas will have 100,000 people eventually and the nearest hospital is Sutter General! Mercy could do more good building a cardiac care center up there right off the freeway without all the space and road constraints of East Sac, and the neighbors would be more than grateful.

[Phillip]

In my opinion, your most glaring mirsrepresntation above is that SEIU opposed Sutter's expansion on any grounds other than purely political. SEUI didn't oppose Mercy's plans because they are not involved in a union organization struggle with them. SEIU couldn't give a fuck about environmental issues related to Mercy or Sutter. That's just a smoke screen. I know it, the city council knows it, almost anyone with a passing knowledge of the situation knows it.
I agree with you completely on this, Brandon. If you thought otherwise then I didn't express myself clearly. It's positively criminal the way SEIU behaved in regard to Sutter's expansion.

[uzi963]

March 29th, 2007. Nassi's clock is ticking.

yeah, could someone just give a quick rundown on what will happen on the 31st and the 3rd? will Nassi publicly announce that financing is or isn't in place? and if it isn't, does that mean aura's officially dead?

[BrianSac]

I don't work for Mercy but I make a call there about once a month as part of my job. About half the time when I get there the parking deck is full with a line of cars waiting to get in. A guard lets a couple cars in as other cars leave. Even once I'm inside the deck it can take another 15 minutes of driving in circles before I find a space.

I can wait but patients who have appointments and employees who are late to work go into the neighborhood and park in front of people's houses and walk back to the hospital. The neighborhood is reasonably concerned that adding additional beds and new services (as opposed to renovating the outmoded facility Mercy's already got) will worsen the parking situation. I don't live in that neighborhood but until Mercy scaled back their plan I saw "Have Mercy! No expansion!" picket signs in the front lawns of practically every house up and down H and J Street. It looked to me like 80-90% of the houses within six blocks of Mercy had a "No!" picket.

Most of the signs are gone now, so hopefully the revised plans for a smaller facility are more acceptable to neighbors. I don't know the details.

Obviously I'm not opposed to more cardiac care beds in Sacramento. I don't think anyone is. Sacramento is growing fast and all of the hospitals are overburdened. But Sutter General, Mercy, and Sutter Memorial are already clustered together in one small part of town. If Mercy wants to add more beds why not in the parts of town that have no beds at all, like Natomas or Rancho Cordova?

Getting to the ER quickly is a cornerstone of cardiac care. Why add more cardiac beds to an area of town where there are already three cardiac care units within two miles? Natomas will have 100,000 people eventually and the nearest hospital is Sutter General! Mercy could do more good building a cardiac care center up there right off the freeway without all the space and road constraints of East Sac, and the neighbors would be more than grateful.

Philip,

When I go to Sutter or UC Davis Med Center its the same story with the parking. I found the problem to be mostly the guard/ticket takers slowness, or it appeared half the parkers were not accustomed to using parking garages. Many of the parkers are used to giant suburban parking lots and they didnt know that you simply drive to the top of the garage when it's crowded on the lower floors.

Just so you know, I didnt mention anything about neighborhood opposition or support of Mercy in my prior post. (someone else in this thread mentioned that)....other than my belief that opponents are selfish for not allowing the greater good to prevail, especially when what is being proposed will have little effect/affect on the neighborhood.

You bring up a good point about Mercy building somewhere else in Sacramento like in Natomas. When I brought up the fact that no matter where Mercy expands you will have neighborhood opposition, an anti-Mercy neighbor said "fine, they dont need to expand anywhere".

One last note, my "emotion" about this issue is not directed at you, :)

[urban_encounter]

Actually, I disagree here. There are so many issues with R Street and not enough money to fix them. From what I heard Capitol Lofts is having major problems and the vibe I got was it was in real danger of not happening.

Capitol Lofts wont make or break R street. There have already been a number of projects either recently complete, now u/c or in the planning stages. Capitol Lofts perhaps being the exception. Money will certainly be an issue as you stated, (but when isn't money an issue in Sacramento???) It will be an issue for the railyards and the Docks area as well. But in the case of R street the transformation may not be overnight, but it is slowly happening.


St Anton has build thousands of apartments and condos over the last 10-15 years, they have the experiece with housing.

Being a suburban developer doesn't qualify somebody to be a residential highrise developer in Sacramento, as I'm sure John Saca can now attest; (although Saca's experience was admittedly strip malls and not apartments)...

While 21st and L is a nice addition to Midtown, it is not a highrise and to my knowledge, St. Anton doesn't have any experience with highrise construction.
Traffic studies alone aren't an idication as to a projects viabilty.

The fact remains that Sacramento's housing market remains soft, construction prices are still astronomical and it is still questionable whether St. Anton could make this pencil out. Remember what Nassi said, in regards to needing to earn $400 a sf on a highrise residential project in Sacramento. That of course was before construction prices had risen so dramatically (to the point of pushing 301 CM construction cost estimates up 50%)..



The fact that they haven't gone balls to wall with the project (part because the city has made them jump through a ton of hoops with the traffic study and "historic alley") and have done do dilagence makes me actually a little more comfortable with this one.

621 and 301 CM both hit the ground running, only to hit the wall. I would caution you not to get overly "comfortable" over a traffic study.
Even the Capitol Grand is conducting a traffic study..

[urban_encounter]

yeah, could someone just give a quick rundown on what will happen on the 31st and the 3rd? will Nassi publicly announce that financing is or isn't in place? and if it isn't, does that mean aura's officially dead?


On Saturday the 31st Nassi's option to buy the property at 601 CM expires unless he can prove that he has locked up his construction loans with Corus Bank and Kenlin Capital LLC

Corus Bank (for $132 million)

and

Mezzanine financing by Kenlin Capital LLC (for $14.5 million)..


On April 3rd as a condition of his city backed loan from Bank of America Nassi must appear before the city council and prove that he he has control of the property at 601 CM from David Taylor and construction financing.


Failing this, it's hard to say whether the project is dead?

Personally I would think so, since they have contractural obligations with buyers for construction, that are already very much in doubt.

[pearljammer]

haha thanks. my friend and i were talking, and we came up with: sacrament-NO, and saCANTmento. :cool:

Not sure if it's been tossed out there yet, but I remember a lot of people used to call us Suckramento. But I love this city... Del Paso Blvd needs to move along faster! argh.. heheh... Anyone got any info on that? ...but our Starbucks is open and has been for a few weeks.

[sugit]

Capitol Lofts wont make or break R street. There have already been a number of projects either recently complete, now u/c or in the planning stages. Capitol Lofts perhaps being the exception. Money will certainly be an issue as you stated, (but when isn't money an issue in Sacramento???) It will be an issue for the railyards and the Docks area as well. But in the case of R street the transformation may not be overnight, but it is slowly happening.

Yes, it won't make it or break it , but considering how long that project has been in the work (late 90s) if it doen't happen, that is a huge huge setback.

Esp considering its probably the most visible and emblematic symbol on R Street (at least from the riverfront to 16th) that can produce a good density through rehad. If R Street wants to keep that warehouse, very urban gritty feel, this project needs to happen.

Being a suburban developer doesn't qualify somebody to be a residential highrise developer in Sacramento, as I'm sure John Saca can now attest; (although Saca's experience was admittedly strip malls and not apartments)...

While 21st and L is a nice addition to Midtown, it is not a highrise and to my knowledge, St. Anton doesn't have any experience with highrise construction.
Traffic studies alone aren't an idication as to a projects viabilty.

Apparently, being a big name high rise developer like Nassi doesn't make much of a difference either. There is just something about this project that makes be think it will happen. Personally, if built, I would much rather live in that part of DT than on Capitol Mall. I think others would feel the same way too.

621 and 301 CM both hit the ground running, only to hit the wall. I would caution you not to get overly "comfortable" over a traffic study.
Even the Capitol Grand is conducting a traffic study..

I think we all know CG is not going to happen. As I have said though, the more moderate projects like this one are what I think we will see move forward more now.

[innov8]

I think the Capitol Grand will happen :whip:

[sugit]

I hope you're right man...I just can't trust anything that Mohanna touches.

[TowerDistrict]

has anyone kicked the tires on the new Tools of Transparency (http://cityofsacramento.org/dsd/appsearch/), on the City's website. It's pretty cool. You can search by address and look up information on ownership, then look up permit and inspections for that address.

and a side note - it looks as though nothing has been issued for 601 CM.

[sugit]

I found these for Aura:

Case / Application / Permit Number - 0603785
Type / Classification - Building Commercial

New Underground / Apts 5+
Address
601 CAPITOL ML
SACRAMENTO, CA
Parcel Number - 00601510080000
File Date -3/20/2006
Status - BLDG_Com - Plan Check Wait
Status Date -N/A
Valuation - $0.00
Fees -$52,721.76
Payments -$585.00
Balance -$52,136.76
Description -FOUNDATION AND UNDERGROUND UTILITIES FOR AURA BUILDINGNG

[TowerDistrict]

hehe... i guess i need to mess with it a bit more.

[downtownserg89]

Not sure if it's been tossed out there yet, but I remember a lot of people used to call us Suckramento. But I love this city... Del Paso Blvd needs to move along faster! argh.. heheh... Anyone got any info on that? ...but our Starbucks is open and has been for a few weeks.

i think someone at school mentioned something like that. my friend meghan came up with the funniest, "ball sackramento." it made me laugh when i first heard it. i was like god, she would say that. :haha:

[What is a Rivercat?]

------------------
San Diego's downtown renaissance is indeed impressive. Keep in mind, however, that it did not happen overnight. Before the mid-1980s, there was less to downtown San Diego than in downtown Sacramento today. Horton Plaza was one of the early catalist projects that started the ball rolling. Before Horton Plaza, there was little downtown shopping.

Fast forward more than 20 years, and look at San Diego now. But it took years of incremental improvements and milliions of dollars of public investments and subsidies on the part of the City. It also doesn't hurt that San Diego has a great climate, is a waterfront City, and has a new downtown ballpark.

Perhaps the lesson for Sacramento is that patience and perserverance will eventually pay off. We are in the early stages in our downtown renaissance, it may take until 2020 (or longer) before downtown Sacramento has the kind of vibrancy and verticality that San Diego has today.

I was just in seaport village for lunch - I remembered it being great when I was a kid. Turns out it is exactly like Old Sacramento - full of shops hawking tacky, overpriced crap.

[sugit]

Drama continues....

(Redevelopment Agency) Extension of Loan Commitment for the Aura Project (Continued from 3-13-07; 3-20-07, 3-27-07) [To Be Delivered]
Location: 601 Capitol Mall, Central Business District (District 1)
Recommendation: Adopt a Redevelopment Agency Resolution extending the period of negotiations with Aura project for 45 days, expiring on May 24, 2007 to develop the terms of a maximum $10,000,000 market rate loan which may be incorporated into an Owner Participation Agreement for the Aura condominium project. Contact: Leslie Fritzsche, Downtown Development Manager, (916) 808-5450, Economic Development Department.

[TowerDistrict]

that's just wrong. but, i guess the city doesn't mind waiting...
they prolly don't watch it nearly as close as we do.

[greenmidtown]

I'm going to get on a soapbox for a minute.
can we quit with the name-calling of our city? you all need to train your minds to show a little pride, Sac needs it. many people are invested wholeheartedly in making this city a better place to live and the denigrating jokes made by many residents (most of whom have done little to improve this city) are getting obnoxious, not to mention old. it's too easy to sit around and taunt the efforts of the city and developers investing hundreds of millions of dollars to make this city a better place. and if you don't like what they're doing don't run away, get involved or do something creative. Or maybe, just maybe we can all boast about how Sac is improving, it might not be getting everything we all want but at least it's getting better which is something a lot of other cities can't say. the loss of a skyscraper won't take away the hundreds of restaraunts, bars, nightclubs, condo's, lofts, and other high-rises built or being built in this city.

basically we need more love for Sac :rainbow:

[innov8]

Drama continues....

(Redevelopment Agency) Extension of Loan Commitment for the Aura Project (Continued from 3-13-07; 3-20-07, 3-27-07) [To Be Delivered]
Location: 601 Capitol Mall, Central Business District (District 1)
Recommendation: Adopt a Redevelopment Agency Resolution extending the period of negotiations with Aura project for 45 days, expiring on May 24, 2007 to develop the terms of a maximum $10,000,000 market rate loan which may be incorporated into an Owner Participation Agreement for the Aura condominium project. Contact: Leslie Fritzsche, Downtown Development Manager, (916) 808-5450, Economic Development Department.

I wonder how this is going to work... I thought AURA needed to break ground
in April to deliver the tower on time to it's buyers that have deposits down.
I believe they have 22 months to complete the tower starting next month.

[SacRising]

I'm going to get on a soapbox for a minute.
can we quit with the name-calling of our city? you all need to train your minds to show a little pride, Sac needs it. many people are invested wholeheartedly in making this city a better place to live and the denigrating jokes made by many residents (most of whom have done little to improve this city) are getting obnoxious, not to mention old. it's too easy to sit around and taunt the efforts of the city and developers investing hundreds of millions of dollars to make this city a better place. and if you don't like what they're doing don't run away, get involved or do something creative. Or maybe, just maybe we can all boast about how Sac is improving, it might not be getting everything we all want but at least it's getting better which is something a lot of other cities can't say. the loss of a skyscraper won't take away the hundreds of restaraunts, bars, nightclubs, condo's, lofts, and other high-rises built or being built in this city.

basically we need more love for Sac :rainbow:

I would honestly like to punch someone in the face from the Bay Area who put down my city. But I don't mind the self-degradation from our own residents, it's somewhat theraputic at times. I do completely agree with your call to action, though. Sacramento could use a lot more people who "do something" to better our city.

As much as we like to deride the community activist process in Sac, it is a great way to get your voice heard. LPCA for instance, while I don't agree with anything they do, I have to give them credit for being persistant and heard (mainly b/c they yell louder and longer than anyone else). They might carry the single heaviest stick to shake against anything they don't like. Here's my call to action...do something about it. This is where residents of Land Park can start organizing to oust the LPCA leadership. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a year to do it. How many Land Park residents read this board, or forumers who know other LP residents who don't agree with the way LPCA "represents" their interests. I've met LP residents who would love to remove the current leadership. OK, I sense the start of a new movement.

I've always thought that K street will be revitalized not by city efforts or development efforts, but by local residents deciding to do something... start a business, open a bar, restaurant, art gallery, coffee shop, late night diner, any of the things that will add that spark of life, draw people and drive out the riff-raff. The bones already exist for great things to happen on K st. Sacramento suffers from Stategovernmentitis, an unfortunate condition whereby residents of a city whose largest employment base is state government. The city then lacks the entrepreneurial spirit, creative class, make-your-own-way mindset that other cities possess. Apolgies to any state workers who read this, but does anyone else feel this way? btw, I'm a former state worker by choice.

[sugit]

Sacramento suffers from Stategovernmentitis, an unfortunate condition whereby residents of a city whose largest employment base is state government. The city then lacks the entrepreneurial spirit, creative class, make-your-own-way mindset that other cities possess. Apolgies to any state workers who read this, but does anyone else feel this way? btw, I'm a former state worker by choice.

I totally agree with you. I heard someone say once that parents in Sacramento had this type of personality to their kids "If you do good in school and get good grades you can go to Sac St and be lucky enough to get a state job"

That mentality has and continues to change...and not soon enough

[Schmoe]

yeah, could someone just give a quick rundown on what will happen on the 31st and the 3rd? will Nassi publicly announce that financing is or isn't in place? and if it isn't, does that mean aura's officially dead?


Just got the following email:

The date for the much anticipated final pre-construction release for Aura Condos will be Friday March 29 starting at 10 am. Please feel free to stop by the model to get a list of the homes that will be available at these pre-construction prices. Once construction begins we will have another price increase of at least 5%.

I would like to offer you an invitation to come back by and see our model located at 601 Capitol Mall. We are open Tuesday - Friday 10-5 Saturdays 10-3 and closed Sundays and Mondays. We have received an overwhelming response to Aura but we still have a variety of wonderful units available for purchase. If you are unable to make it to see our model in person, on our website (www.aura-condos.com) there is a link to a virtual tour along with all of our floor plans.

Sincerely,

Sherryl Fleeman
Condominium Sales Specialist
Aura Condominiums
601 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814

916.442.AURA Direct
916.442.2884 Fax

www.Aura-Condos.com

Please visit our other websites:

www.EpicTower.com
www.bcndevelopment.com
www.visitthebeauvallon.com
www.thepalladio.net
www.royaltonhouston.com

[Grimnebulin]

I totally agree with you. I heard someone say once that parents in Sacramento had this type of personality to their kids "If you do good in school and get good grades you can go to Sac St and be lucky enough to get a state job"

That mentality has and continues to change...and not soon enough

My parents both went to Sac State and they told me that if ended up there they'd beat me! Luckily I avoided any corporal punishment... ;) :haha:

I'm in the new place at 1801 L now, but have no furniture yet. I take it a party there would be better with furniture and TV/stereo, no?

[Majin]

My parents both went to Sac State and they told me that if ended up there they'd beat me! Luckily I avoided any corporal punishment... ;) :haha:

:rolleyes:

What exactly is wrong with Sac State? I go there and it's a good school. Nearly everybody I've talked to who has transfered from different schools (including SF State, San Jose State, San Deigo State, etc) has told me it's a great school. We have great professors here thats taught all over the country and have lots of experience.

Don't understand what the hate is with Sac State.

[sugit]

I'm pretty sure my parents said those exact words...I was the black sheep of the family...I traveled to the far lands of UC Davis...lol

Majin - It's not that it isn't a good school. It is in a lot of areas. I think the comments were more along the lines of that was a big prevailing career route parents instilled in kids. I'm sure it wasn't everyone, but I know growing up in the Pocket area, a lot of my friends parents had that mentally

[Phillip]

[B] As far as downtown development, I've always maintained that it doesn't matter whether it's low, mid or high-rise housing, so long as it's high density housing. With so many opportunities for infill, DT and MT, housing will be fine regardless of what happens to the Towers or Aura.I'm surprised more attention isn't directed towards building high density along 16th Street north of J Street. It's mostly blighted now and seems ripe for redevelopment.

I can picture several blocks of midrise, both sides of the street, replacing the rundown motels and etc, with ground floor restaurants, retail etc; 16th Street as a solid corridor of urban vitality from Broadway to the railroad tracks at C Street.

8 or 10 midrise buildings clustered in close proximity...more bang than the same 8 or 10 scattered throughout Midtown/Downtown. Sacramento's "highrise neighborhood". Trader Joes or Whole Foods in the Salvation Army spot? (Not that I don't like Salvation Army.) A new midrange hotel to replace the sagging Clarion?

16th's direct access to 160/Arden is a plus. The retail action is at Arden now more than Downtown. If/when K Street/Downtown Plaza improves 16th makes a good pivot point for going in either direction.

Anyone have thoughts? Would this/could this become a good neighborhood? What would it take? Any rumors of projects in the works?

[ozone]

I think it will be built-up as the area closest to the core is filled. We are already seeing this happen with the lofts/condos being built across from the Old Gov. Mansion and I think Cordano is remodeling some an old auto parts store north of this and converting it to retail-restaurant.

North 16th Street belongs to what neighborhood? I've always said that one of the problems with the Central City is that it's neighborhoods are ill defined. Does anyone actually know where Washington Park begins and ends? I think having neighborhoods that are well defined- with signs & on maps would help to create a sense of place. It's very simple and certianly not only thing that needs to be done but would help more than people imagine.

[greenmidtown]

I think it will be built-up as the area closest to the core is filled. We are already seeing this happen with the lofts/condos being built across from the Old Gov. Mansion and I think Cordano is remodeling some an old auto parts store north of this and converting it to retail-restaurant.

North 16th Street belongs to what neighborhood? I've always said that one of the problems with the Central City is that it's neighborhoods are ill defined. Does anyone actually know where Washington Park begins and ends? I think having neighborhoods that are well defined- with signs & on maps would help to create a sense of place. It's very simple and certianly not only thing that needs to be done but would help more than people imagine.

Alkali Flats is the neighborhood for a good part of it.

[otnemarcaS]

:rolleyes:

What exactly is wrong with Sac State? I go there and it's a good school. Nearly everybody I've talked to who has transfered from different schools (including SF State, San Jose State, San Deigo State, etc) has told me it's a great school. We have great professors here thats taught all over the country and have lots of experience.

Don't understand what the hate is with Sac State.

Yeah, I don't understand that there is much wrong with Sac State. I mean almost 30,000 students couldn't be wrong. I graduated from Sac State with a business degree and do still think and know that I got a pretty good education, especially if you are majoring in Business (I believe over 65% are biz majors at Sac State).

Mostly it's a STATE school perception, or state of mind, when it comes to the San Diego States, the Sac States, the San Jose states, the Cal State whatevers. Education is what you get out of it and what you want to make of it, regardless of the school. The only thing my friends across the causeway have over me/us is they keep whooping our butts in football. They did win a basketball, and now wrestling, national championship.

[SacRising]

:rolleyes:

What exactly is wrong with Sac State? I go there and it's a good school. Nearly everybody I've talked to who has transfered from different schools (including SF State, San Jose State, San Deigo State, etc) has told me it's a great school. We have great professors here thats taught all over the country and have lots of experience.

Don't understand what the hate is with Sac State.

I started the 'state workers=lack of innovation' conversation, and it took a turn toward Sac State. I think CSUS is a good school too, and this is where my former 'state worker' career took place. Although, working at a university is very different than the stereotypical state office worker downtown, it can still be mindnumbing in the amount of bureaucratic BS. I worked there in the Don Gerth era, and barely got to work with Gonzales, but it is night and day between the two. Gonzales is making significant strides for CSUS compared to what Gerth did...or didn't do for that matter. BAck in 1984-85 when Greg Lukenbill was bringing the Kings to Sac from KC, he proposed to put an arena at Sac State as a temporary home for the kings while Arco was being built. Gerth said 'no thanks' b/c it would cause too many parking and traffic hassles. :brickwall:

[reggiesquared]

The quality of your college education and what it ends up being worth is what you chose to put into it and what you major in. If you want to make good money in emerging markets and sectors don't major in communications or liberal studies. Its the same for any school. Sac state actually has many top 30 programs which include but not limited to the technology management program #25 in the nation. One of the first schools in California to offer an EMBA (executive MBA), A stellar Computer Science department which was believe it or not an intricate part of the early stages of the internet facilitating computer communication between Stanford, Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon, home to many nationally recognized research centers and think tanks and at 47% one of the lowest acceptance rates in the State University System. As you can guess I went to Sac State. I work for Calpers now not because I couldn't get hired anywhere else (had multiple offers) but because their pay is highly competitive if not generally higher than Sacramento Tech companies. Many of my classmates ended up at Intel, lawrence livermore lab and various start ups. Anyway thats my Rant and support your only local major university! Maybe if people didn't talk down about Sac State so much there would be a better showing at sporting events! :cheers:

[urban_encounter]

Just got the following email:

The date for the much anticipated final pre-construction release for Aura Condos will be Friday March 29 starting at 10 am. Please feel free to stop by the model to get a list of the homes that will be available at these pre-construction prices. Once construction begins we will have another price increase of at least 5%.

Sincerely,

Sherryl Fleeman
Condominium Sales Specialist
Aura Condominiums


Well this is interesting.....

Looks to me like they're either bracing for losses,
or perhaps his lenders are requesting a higher sales threshold??

Nassi has reported (65%). Maybe his sales are much lower than 65%???


Or perhaps they expect cancellations as a result of the endless delays and they're trying to cushion their sales numbers?



I wonder how this is going to work... I thought AURA needed to break ground
in April to deliver the tower on time to it's buyers that have deposits down.
I believe they have 22 months to complete the tower starting next month.


Supposedly that's the case..

I think the bottom line is that Nassi isn't able to get the financing.
Corus (for whatever reason) has probably backed out, thus necessitating the need for a new lender...

All of these delays will most likely eventually wear on a percentage of the buyers, causing more uncertainty as people seek to be released from their contracts.


Personally I don't think the city should extend the deadline for another 45 days, without some answers...

The council deserves a detailed report from Nassi, as to where exactly this project is.
And while Aura being constructed is in the best interest of Sacramento, the endless drama can't go be allowed to go on forever...

[urban_encounter]

Apparently, being a big name high rise developer like Nassi doesn't make much of a difference either.


Well you hit the nail on the head with this comment..

No arguments from me....


;)

[innov8]

I have noticed a shift on the forum here... and I say this with respect to you
Urban E. because you are a bud of mine,:hug: but I believe you have taken over
Majins role as the ultimate doubter and non-believer. I know you have been
watching this same cycle in Sactown for many years, but I think things are
changing and the new can-do attitude will be squashed by this summer.
Of course this is only my opinion and an educated guess.

Rome was not built in couple years.

[BrianSac]

can we quit with the name-calling of our city? you all need to train your minds to show a little pride, Sac needs it. many people are invested wholeheartedly in making this city a better place to live and the denigrating jokes made by many residents (most of whom have done little to improve this city) are getting obnoxious, not to mention old.

I understand, but sometimes it just feels GOOD.... to express my frustration by making fun of the situation.

I would honestly like to punch someone in the face from the Bay Area who put down my city. But I don't mind the self-degradation from our own residents, it's somewhat theraputic at times. I do completely agree with your call to action, though. Sacramento could use a lot more people who "do something" to better our city.

I agree. I've participated by attending workshops, neighborhood meetings, and I usually post in the BEE. I could do a lot more though.

[urban_encounter]

Assembly OKs Olympic spending
By Jim Sanders - Sacramento Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:08 pm PDT Thursday, March 29, 2007


The Assembly passed legislation Thursday designed to bolster Los Angeles' bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

The measure, Assembly Bill 300, passed by a vote of 65-0.

The bill would allow Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to commit the state to limited financial liability if a Los Angeles Olympics ran a huge deficit.

Under AB 300, the state would agree to pay up to $250 million if the Olympics' debt could not be covered by event revenues, insurance policies or other means.

Los Angeles and Chicago are vying for the right to host the 2016 summer games.

If Los Angeles hosts the Olympics, events are expected to be held in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Anaheim, Arcadia, Pasadena, Monterey Park and various other cities.

AB 300 now goes to the Senate. It would take effect immediately if it passes both houses by a two-thirds margin and is signed by Schwarzenegger.

Assemblywoman Karen Bass, a Los Angeles Democrat who presented the bill Thursday, said the governor has agreed to sign the measure.



Speaking now as a native.......

Sacramento Assemblyman Dave Jones (who you might remember lead the effort against public funds being used for an arena in Sacramento) seems to have voted for Assembly Bill 300 according to his office; and with no apparent opposition to AB 300.

Assembly Bill 300 is a State backed taxpayer guarantee to cover cost overruns (to the tune of $250 million dollars) so as not to put the city of Los Angeles at financial risk should a Los Angeles Olypiad go over budget.

So while Assemblyman Jones is staunchly against using Sacramento taxpayer money for an arena in Sacramento, he doesn't mind putting Sacramento taxpayers at risk for games being held in Los Angeles.

Recall that Jones held a number of press conferences to lead the opposition against the use of taxpayer money for sports, saying that if an arena were such a good deal why aren't the Maloofs or the NBA willing to fund it themselves...

I would assume that if the Olympics are such a good deal for L.A. why is Dave Jones voting to put up Sacramento taxpayer money as a guarantee??

I bring this up, not in order to knock L.A. because they're only doing what any other city in California would probably do, so please nobody start the debate of a city vs. city. I'm bringing this up only to illustrate Dave Jones apparent 180 degree about face on using public funds for sports.....


I just found it a bit hypocritical by Assemblyman Dave Jones....


BTW his phone number at the Capitol is (916) 319-2009 if anyone is interested in sharing their opinions with Assemblyman Dave Jones :D

[BrianSac]

:previous:

although it hurts what Dave Jones has done to Sac. i support his efforts to suport LA, sorry but no way in hell do I want chicago to beat out LA for the olympics. Although I'm glad you are pointing out Jone's hypocrisy!!

[arod74]

:rolleyes:

What exactly is wrong with Sac State? I go there and it's a good school. Nearly everybody I've talked to who has transfered from different schools (including SF State, San Jose State, San Deigo State, etc) has told me it's a great school. We have great professors here thats taught all over the country and have lots of experience.

Don't understand what the hate is with Sac State.

Nothing is wrong with Sac State Majin... except for maybe all those pesky trees on campus dropping stuff on your car :haha: . All kidding aside, I too am a proud alum and as eloquently presented by reggiesquared there are many great things about Sac State. I think Pres. Gonzales has done some good things in his short time as far as increasing alum/booster activisim and fundraising to bring things like a new athletic field house and student fitness center to campus. And hopefully a badly needed multipurpose arena in the near future. The new, expanded student dorm facilities will hopefully reverse the commuter campus syndrome a bit.

[urban_encounter]

Although I'm glad you are pointing out Jone's hypocrisy!!

Yeah my point is only about Jones voting hypocrisy, not a commentary on L.A.'s overall bid effort....

[arod74]

I understand, but sometimes it just feels GOOD.... to express my frustration by making fun of the situation.



I agree. I've participated by attending workshops, neighborhood meetings, and I usually post in the BEE. I could do a lot more though.

Totally agree Brian. Sometimes when things don't go how we would like them, all you can do is make light of the situation. From a born-and-raised sactown kid, all I want is the best for the city and I know everyone else here does also greenmidtown :grouphug: .

[otnemarcaS]

Gonzales is making significant strides for CSUS compared to what Gerth did...or didn't do for that matter. BAck in 1984-85 when Greg Lukenbill was bringing the Kings to Sac from KC, he proposed to put an arena at Sac State as a temporary home for the kings while Arco was being built. Gerth said 'no thanks' b/c it would cause too many parking and traffic hassles. :brickwall:

Yeah, I remember this too. There were other liabilities that essentially would have taken too much time to build the arena at Sac state since the Kings needed a new arena fast. Sac State could have had a nice 10,000 seat on campus arena but Gerth essentially nixed the idea. The best thing that'll move Sac State athletics forward was the retirement of Donald Gerth as president. He did not see the value of sports as part a student's university experience.

[Fusey]

Didn't Gerth also nix a light rail stop at Sac State?

[Grimnebulin]

:rolleyes:

What exactly is wrong with Sac State? I go there and it's a good school. Nearly everybody I've talked to who has transfered from different schools (including SF State, San Jose State, San Deigo State, etc) has told me it's a great school. We have great professors here thats taught all over the country and have lots of experience.

Don't understand what the hate is with Sac State.

The supreme stirrer of sh!t didn't catch my sarcasm?!? The wink at the end didn't give it away? Maijin - I'm very disappointed. :D

Sac State is actually a good school for what it is and what it costs to get through. To try to compare it to UCs or some private schools is unfair. Like all Cal State schools, it's purpose is a very practical application of knowledge, whereas the UCs verge much more into the theoretical realms and high end research.

And while it is true that a lot of Sac State graduates do go on to work for the state (my dad for 10 years, my mom for 20 years), Sac State did prepare them well for the next steps in their careers. They both started their own businesses that now employ about 45 people here in Sacto. So in all honesty, I can say that Sac State gave them a solid background and education that helped them to succeed in life. Sac State = :tup:

[joninsac]

Loan for luxury condo project held up
City says delay just a minor issue for Aura tower downtown.
By Terri Hardy - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, March 30, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B2


A proposal to build the Aura Condominiums tower on Capitol Mall downtown has hit a snag as its developer works to nail down crucial financing.

City officials say the delay is a bureaucratic one and isn't an indication that developer Craig Nassi and his luxury condos -- which civic leaders see as a key catalyst venture downtown -- are in trouble.

"He's still in the game," said Assistant City Manager John Dangberg.

Nassi declined to be interviewed but said in a brief e-mail message: "The banks are very deep in paper, and people need their time."

The loan delay will mean a chain reaction of missed deadlines.

Nassi will be unable to exercise his option to buy the Capitol Mall property by the end of the month, Dangberg said. David Taylor, the owner of the property at 601 Capitol Mall, has agreed to extend that deadline until May 20.

Also, Dangberg said he will ask the City Council next week to delay its consideration of a $10 million loan to Nassi, needed by the developer to bridge a funding gap in the project. If the council agrees to consider the loan on May 22, Nassi would have more time to hammer out his land deal and bank financing.

Nassi proposes a 39-story tower with 328 parking spaces and ground floor retail. The building is being designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind.

Nassi will receive a $132 million loan from Corus Bank. It's a second loan of $14.5 million from MeeCorp Capital Markets that has been delayed, Dangberg said.

Dangberg said he has talked to the investment group and has been told the group approved the loan.

"They're working on details and documentation," Dangberg said. "We've encouraged them that timing is of the essence and they said they would try to get on it next week."

About the writer:
The Bee's Terri Hardy can be reached at (916) 321-1073 or thardy@sacbee.com

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/146791.html

[doriankage]

http://www.news10.net/news/gallery/local/tc-east.jpg
I thought this was a nic pic of sunrise over 621.:)

[sugit]

That article looks pretty darn promising. We've waited this long, what's 6 more weeks. Now if I have to say that again in 6 weeks, I'm going to be pissed!

[BrianSac]

The supreme stirrer of sh!t didn't catch my sarcasm?!? The wink at the end didn't give it away? Maijin - I'm very disappointed. :D

Sac State is actually a good school for what it is and what it costs to get through. To try to compare it to UCs or some private schools is unfair. Like all Cal State schools, it's purpose is a very practical application of knowledge, whereas the UCs verge much more into the theoretical realms and high end research.

And while it is true that a lot of Sac State graduates do go on to work for the state (my dad for 10 years, my mom for 20 years), Sac State did prepare them well for the next steps in their careers. They both started their own businesses that now employ about 45 people here in Sacto. So in all honesty, I can say that Sac State gave them a solid background and education that helped them to succeed in life. Sac State = :tup:

I earned my Bachelor's of Science at Sac State and look at how screwed-up I am; it must be a horrible school, :poke:

[SacTownAndy]

With all this highrise drama over the last two months, sometimes I feel like I'm watching a damn soap opera!

[goldcntry]

... And what exterior renovation are they doing to the "Emerald Tower"?

To my knowledge, the only renovation here in the Emeral Tower is a new ground floor tenent going in. I'll try and nose around today and find out who it is.

In other business, here's crossing my fingers and saying a prayer that Aura gets everything financially together in the next couple of weeks. We can't lose another project down here on the Mall! A quick note on the wetlands restoration brough to you by CalPERS at 301 Capitol Mall... no wildlife in existance this morning... pond scum is quickly taking over the south tower basement. I thought I saw an egret for a second there... nope. Only an abandoned white plastic grocery bag lofting lazily across the lot.

After winter's wait
Tall towers should be rising
Yet, the lot is bare

Gone are the craftsmen
Their labors now abandoned
Pylons in the mud

Spring's winds blow softly
Brushing through the scub and grass
Echoes from the lot

[SacRising]

Didn't Gerth also nix a light rail stop at Sac State?

Sure did. That old Yoda-looking fool did not use the force. Fear, ingnorance, shortsightedness, the dark side are these.

Now I think they are working on Parking structure Number 17. Soon, the ground floor of the university will be elevated to the 5th floor of the parking structure that runs throughout the entire campus.

[SacRising]

After winter's wait
Tall towers should be rising
Yet, the lot is bare

Gone are the craftsmen
Their labors now abandoned
Pylons in the mud

Spring's winds blow softly
Brushing through the scub and grass
Echoes from the lot

He dug a big hole on the Mall
Then ran out of money last Fall
CalPERS said 'No'
We want full control
Now he bangs his head against a wall

[innov8]

Right now they are hoisting up the last three sections for the crane extension at 621CM :apple:

[aufbau]

^^Coming back from Rancho Cordova this afternoon, I could've sworn the crane tower was taller than previously, it looked as if it was a taller than wells fargo. I thought it may have been the angle, but I guess I was right intially.

I suppose they will start the crown feature next week?

[Dieler]

After winter's wait
Tall towers should be rising
Yet, the lot is bare

Gone are the craftsmen
Their labors now abandoned
Pylons in the mud

Spring's winds blow softly
Brushing through the scub and grass
Echoes from the lot


Looks like we have a strong candidate for forum poet lauriet. Love the creative haiku!

[Texicali]

The big downtown towers are nice, but what will really make sacramento interesting is the proliferation of mixed-use mid-rises shorter than 4-6 stories tall. The mid-rises create the funky neighboorhoods where you want to get out of your car and mix with people. The towers are for putting Sacramento "on the map", which frankly I couldn't care less about.

Even with the downtown in the housing market the midrise projects are coming, and Sacramento is putting the General Plan and zoning code in place to allow it to happen. I haven't been in Sacramento that long but things are improving even in that relatively short time span. Take a longer view.

[urban_encounter]

Loan for luxury condo project held up
City says delay just a minor issue for Aura tower downtown.

Nassi will be unable to exercise his option to buy the Capitol Mall property by the end of the month, Dangberg said. David Taylor, the owner of the property at 601 Capitol Mall, has agreed to extend that deadline until May 20.


Nassi will receive a $132 million loan from Corus Bank. It's a second loan of $14.5 million from MeeCorp Capital Markets that has been delayed, Dangberg said.

Dangberg said he has talked to the investment group and has been told the group approved the loan.

"They're working on details and documentation," Dangberg said. "We've encouraged them that timing is of the essence and they said they would try to get on it next week."


That article looks pretty darn promising. We've waited this long, what's 6 more weeks.

Agreed!



Now if I have to say that again in 6 weeks, I'm going to be pissed!


Agreed!


I'm still curious though how they're going to deal with their contractual time constraints??

[brandon12]

UE: If by contractual time restraints, you're referring to obligations to the buyers, then you may have to look no further that 3 blocks to the West. Nassi may follow a similar strategy. Just a guess- I have no idea...

[urban_encounter]

UE: If by contractual time restraints, you're referring to obligations to the buyers, then you may have to look no further that 3 blocks to the West. Nassi may follow a similar strategy. Just a guess- I have no idea...


Your probably correct.....

I suspect that's one reason that they've decided to restart sales, so as to give them a cushion; which makes good business sense.