[ozone]

On a lighter note…..
I was out earlier this evening walking from my house in Midtown to the Capitol Park and down the Capitol Mall. It was beautiful out and the light was just right. The glass on the new US Bank Tower already looks very cool even though it’s only up a couple floors and the Federal Building across the street is completely re-glassed. I can’t wait until all the new projects on CM are finished. I noticed that there were very few people on the street -compared to Midtown.

I was thinking that CM is Sacramento’s Champs Elysées and something needs to be done to improve the street. There are really two parts to the Capitol Mall. Between 7th and 10th totally belongs to the capitol district and between 3rd and 7th is Sacramento’s financial district. I think the mall should be re-designed differently in each part.

The best visual on the whole street is of the State Capitol.. BUT the best view of the capitol is in the middle of the grassy medium so that no one on foot gets the best view. If they could reduce the two traffic lanes, east of 7th Street, to one and add sidewalks, benches and trees along the edge of the central medium so that people could walk up the center of the mall towards the capitol (like the Mall in DC) then that would make it a dramatic experience on foot. There are 3 grassy nooks outside of the state buildings and these should be the place for new memorials and monuments and not Capitol Park. That would also make the area more interesting.

The traffic circle in front of the Capitol could be revamped and the parking removed -all those parked cars really spoil the whole scene. It should have more dramatic fountain that is up-lighted, wider sidewalks and benches and the twin buildings have special lighting. It could turn the circle into a real civic gathering place. A traffic lane should remain around the circle to allow access to 10th Street but since it would be narrow the traffic would move at a slow pace and it could be closed off for special events. Maybe a low stage that mimics the square planter across the street could be added for speakers. That way more events/protests/rallies could be in the circle and off the lawn in front of the capitol which can get pretty torn-up and look ratty.

The area west of 7th Street is mostly commercial so maybe cars should be allowed to park on the street. That would generate more activity at the street level. They could do this by reducing the central medium between 3rd and 7th and adding another line of trees along the side of the street, in-between the parking spaces, so that cars wouldn’t be that visible.

I was also thinking that any high-end shops would be best on the Capitol Mall and not in the very middle-class DP or K Street. There are plenty of spaces on the ground floor of the office buildings for high-end shops. I was even thinking that if the Aura isn’t built (I know we all would prefer a high-rise on the site but IF that isn’t possible right now) then why couldn’t a Nordstrom go in the space instead? Nordstrom could hire a star archtect to give the store a stunning design and make it a real landmark on the mall. It could have a nice couryard fronting CM with a sidewalk cafe. If the store had a really awesome design it would attract people who would normally shop in the burbs just because the experience would be so special.

Anyway those are some of thoughts about CM tonight.