"What's going on Sacramento" Chit-Chat

innov8 · #1 Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 6:01 PM**

For things not exactly related to Sacramento development
or any other type of threads. Post odd stuff here when the mood
hits and discussion of an off-topic is needed.

Editorial: Dixon's horse race
Track proponents made key mistakes
Thursday, April 19, 2007

In the end, it doesn't matter in a horse race if the winner bested the field by many lengths or by a nose. In Solano County, the proposed horse track known as Dixon Downs lost Tuesday night. Had a few hundred residents changed their minds, or had a few hundred more proponents showed up at the polls, Dixon Downs would have passed.

After spending millions to buy the land and to produce the environmental documents (not to mention mount the half-million-dollar campaign), Dixon Downs advocates must be agonizing over having come relatively close.

In politics, losing by a little raises the temptation to try again. With Dixon Downs, that course is best left for considerable reflection. Prospects for another attempt for Dixon Downs appear slim.

As a page that has long opposed an expansion of all kinds of gambling, from the school lottery to Indian casinos, Dixon Downs didn't win our support. We see gambling as an enterprise that sucks life and money out of society rather than creating sustainable, economic value. And partly our opposition was because Dixon Downs simply blew it. Now that it has lost, those mistakes loom large.

Any time a controversial enterprise wants to come to a small town and dominate the scene, the proponents need to quickly make as many friends as possible and leave the clear impression that they respect the desires of the community. Dixon Downs promoters didn't do that. They played hardball for months with the nearby Campbells tomato paste operation, which worried about how all of its trucks and all those gamblers would co-exist on the roads. And they played coy about whether in a few years the racetrack would try to expand gambling to include slot machines (that was to be left to another, potential election). They overreached. And by the time they retreated, making changes to appease the cannery and curtail any expansion of gambling, it was too late.

If Dixon were some Podunk pit stop in Nevada, none of those mistakes would have mattered. But Dixon isn't one of those communities with a culture of desperation. This may not have been immediately evident to Magna Entertainment, the horse-track backers out of Canada. But someone here should have told them.

downtownserg89 · #2 Posted **Apr 19, 2007, 6:18 PM**

whatever happened to thursday night market? i miss that. they always had really good chinese food. i'm kind of craving that right now.

friedpez · #3 Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 1:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by downtownserg89

whatever happened to thursday night market? i miss that. they always had really good chinese food. i'm kind of craving that right now.

Haha! If you want good Chinese food, check out Hunan's in downtown Davis at 2nd & D. Cheap lunch specials and a ton of food!

urban_encounter · #4 Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 4:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by downtownserg89

whatever happened to thursday night market? i miss that. they always had really good chinese food. i'm kind of craving that right now.

Thousands of people were turning out and it died as a result of it's own successs...

downtownserg89 · #5 Posted **Apr 20, 2007, 4:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by friedpez

Haha! If you want good Chinese food, check out Hunan's in downtown Davis at 2nd & D. Cheap lunch specials and a ton of food!

oh really? dude i so have to check that out. i love Davis!

Quote:

Thousands of people were turning out and it died as a result of it's own successs...

ohhh. yeah it was very lively when i used to go back in like the late 90's. i sure miss those days.

Brotha_Lynch · #6 Posted **Apr 21, 2007, 3:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by downtownserg89

oh really? dude i so have to check that out. i love Davis!

The most exciting place in Davis is usually your own house.

urban_encounter · #7 Posted **Apr 21, 2007, 3:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brotha_Lynch

The most exciting place in Davis is usually your own house.

otnemarcaS · #8 Posted **Apr 21, 2007, 4:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by downtownserg89

whatever happened to thursday night market? i miss that. they always had really good chinese food. i'm kind of craving that right now.

Thousands showed up but unfortunately there were just too many youngsters and they did not spend money.

It was a pretty fun even for the central city and maybe the city should look towards reviving it. However, I doubt that will happen as the city has been pretty successful as well with the summertime Friday night concerts at Caesar Chavez park.

downtownserg89 · #9 Posted **Apr 21, 2007, 9:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by otnemarcaS

Thousands showed up but unfortunately there were just too many youngsters and they did not spend money.

It was a pretty fun even for the central city and maybe the city should look towards reviving it. However, I doubt that will happen as the city has been pretty successful as well with the summertime Friday night concerts at Caesar Chavez park.

yeah i remember it was always so eventful. there would be people dressed in their best clothes, wearing their most expensive high heels. i mean yeah concerts at caesar chavez are cool, but they don't have any good chinese food there!

ozone · #10 Posted **Apr 21, 2007, 9:14 PM**

Usually those street markets end up costing the city and the merchants more money than they bring in because of the cost of clean-upand security. Many merchants I've known in other towns hate street fairs because they don't really bring people in and they have to stay open to cater to lookiloos and clean up after the've gone home. I'd just rather have a healthy and functioning commerical district 24/7.

mthq · #11 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 12:05 AM**

so uh.. what's going on today?

foxmtbr · #12 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 12:09 AM**

^ Rain!

Schmoe · #13 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 4:04 AM**

Sorry to stray from topic, but I just wanted to share that I'm in Denver this weekend, and this city kicks ass. Very walkable. Cool outdoor mall (16th Street), awesome urban neighborhoods (e.g., LoDo), and great night life! In fact, I'm heading out again in a minute. Later!

TWAK · #14 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 7:12 PM**

this really isn't on topic, but it is something I always see on this forum. What exactly is urban and vibrant? Urban is dense housing right? So an apartment complex in natomas with a ton of people living there is considered urban or vibrant? What is difference?

TowerDistrict · #15 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 7:13 PM**

A good read and some great thoughts on walkability and parking issues from two of Sacramento's best bloggers, Midtown Grid and Living In Urban Sac...

Beautiful Days in Midtown

TowerDistrict · #16 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 7:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TWAK

this really isn't on topic, but it is something I always see on this forum. What exactly is urban and vibrant? Urban is dense housing right? So an apartment complex in natomas with a ton of people living there is considered urban or vibrant? What is difference?

one of the most significant differences in a suburban vs. urban enviroment, is the way land is zoned. In a suburban envornment, land use is determined by use - and most often, segregated by use. For example, this is where all the commercial space goes, this is where all the residential development goes, and over here the light industrial, etc.

In an urban environment, land use is determined by using form-based codes. Form based codes determine dwellings units per acre, height restrictions, setbacks, and parking units first - and does not segregate land by use.

This creates mixed use environments where you have multi-family housing next door to offices, next door to commercial spaces. Often times this promotes a constant and diverse crowd, as some people live there, while others work there - this is what's termed as a 24-hour population, meaning you don't get these dead zones at night, as seen in suburban office parks at night. "Vibrancy" is just a pleasant byproduct of a constant, 24-hour population.

brandon12 · #17 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 7:49 PM**

^you're very well spoken TD. Nice definition.

TWAK · #18 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 7:54 PM**

there are areas in the burbs that seem to be 24 hours, but are not considered "urban" on this forum. Like for example, that place up in natomas with the wal mart and all that. It's busy all day long, and housing is close by...but it is still considered not urban or vibrant because of zoning? And same goes for arden, seemed always packed, a variety of people. The area that I am in, greenhaven/south pocket, has a strip mall in the middle of all the housing and it is active till later at night. That can be considered urban, or no?

otnemarcaS · #19 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 8:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schmoe

Sorry to stray from topic, but I just wanted to share that I'm in Denver this weekend, and this city kicks ass. Very walkable. Cool outdoor mall (16th Street), awesome urban neighborhoods (e.g., LoDo), and great night life! In fact, I'm heading out again in a minute. Later!

Agree. I was in Denver last year for the first time ever to watch the Broncos/Raiders game at Invesco field with some friends. What a very vibrant city. Really awesome downtown area, especially LoDo as you mentioned. If only K street mall was even a quarter of the scene and vibe of Denver's 16th street mall, we'd be happy.

downtownserg89 · #20 Posted **Apr 22, 2007, 9:24 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandon12

^you're very well spoken TD. Nice definition.

i agree. someday TD will be the dude who speaks at one of those workshops like last week's.