Sacramento Proposal/Approval/Construction Thread - III

[SacTownAndy]

I wasn't sure where to post this, but thought it was worth posting.


Folsom's push south takes shape
By Walter Yost - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1

The city of Folsom on Tuesday took a major step toward its long-sought goal of moving south of Highway 50, unveiling a detailed plan that would add up to 30,000 residents.

The proposed plan to develop 3,500 acres envisions nearly 12,000 new residential units and more than 7,500 new jobs. Also included is a 100-acre site designated for a potential regional mall. Folsom had about 69,000 residents in 2006, according to state Department of Finance figures.

City officials said their plans, subject to extensive public review and environmental scrutiny, will retain more than 30 percent of the area, including prairie and oak woodlands, as undeveloped open space.

The remainder will be divided among offices, parks, schools and shops. The acreage is owned by seven landowners, including partnerships that include Angelo K. Tsakopoulos, the largest land developer in Sacramento.

The annexation is expected to take more than two years and city leaders don't anticipate being able to start developing the area until January 2010 at the earliest.

"This is the first step in what will be a very comprehensive and involved public process to follow," said City Manager Kerry Miller.

A potential obstacle is finding a new water supply to serve the area -- a condition for annexation required by a 2004 city ballot measure and earlier agreements with the county and the Sacramento Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO.

Miller said Tuesday the prospects for securing water are "very good," although he didn't elaborate on where the water would come from.

Mike McKeever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, said that based on his staff's preliminary review of the land-use plan, "our first impressions are all positive."

He said the plan does a good job of protecting natural resources, providing a mixture of housing and jobs and encouraging non-auto trips with its emphasis on walking and biking trails and public transit.

However, Folsom resident Bob Fish, a longtime opponent of development south of Highway 50, maintains that most Folsom residents actually oppose development in the area but the city hasn't given them the opportunity to make a "yes" or "no" decision.

Fish, a leader of Folsom Citizens for Responsible Growth, said he and his supporters plan to put a measure on the ballot giving voters that opportunity.

Fish also said he doubts that the city will be able to secure a new water supply for the area, given current drought conditions.

Folsom officials have wanted to annex the land south of Highway 50 since the early 1990s. In June 2001, LAFCO defined the city's sphere of influence as the land bounded by Highway 50 to the north, Prairie City Road to the west, White Rock Road to the south, and the El Dorado County line to the east. The land is part of unincorporated Sacramento County

Three years later, nearly 70 percent of Folsom voters approved Measure W, which imposed various requirements on the city if it chose to expand south of Highway 50.

The requirements included: 30 percent of the area had to be kept in open space; the city had to find a water source that didn't tap its existing supplies; and existing Folsom residents wouldn't have to pay for new schools.

Earlier this year, voters in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District approved a $750 million bond to build new schools in the Folsom and Rancho Cordova areas south of Highway 50, with new residents footing the bill.

During the Measure W campaign, opponents of the measure, including Fish, feared that the city would claim that a "yes" was a mandate to build south of Highway 50.

Miller said Tuesday he believes the land-use plan for the area "reflects the meticulous community vision of this property."

City Councilman Steve Miklos, who sits on the Sacramento Area Council of Governments board of directors, said the area is "the No. 1 piece of property" in the Sacramento region best able to accommodate growth.

With SACOG anticipating between 800,000 and 1 million people moving into the Sacramento region over the next 30 years, the agency has identified the area immediately south of Highway 50 from Folsom as a logical place for urban expansion.

If the planned development occurs, it could put Folsom in competition with its fast-growing neighbor to the west -- Rancho Cordova -- for new upscale retail businesses.

Approximately 340 acres of the area is designated for commercial/retail under the plan. John Hodgson, a development consultant who represents the area's landowners, said there also is an option to build a regional mall along the Highway 50 corridor.

While Rancho Cordova Vice Mayor Linda Budge said she's a longtime supporter of the annexation, she said "we'd hate to lose retailers to Folsom."

Budge said that as Folsom and Rancho Cordova grow physically closer, it's also important that planners from both cities work together in places where there are shared boundaries, such as Prairie City Road.

Folsom has scheduled an informational open house on the land use plan from 5 to 7:30 p.m. June 28 at the Folsom Community Center, 52 Natoma Street

[ltsmotorsport]

Well, you knew it was gonna come sooner or later, but at least there is a lot of dedicated open space, if the plan does ever come to fruition. I just hope that a White Rock expansion would be part of this annexation and build out.

[creamcityleo79]

Originally Posted by ltsmotorsport

Well, you knew it was gonna come sooner or later, but at least there is a lot of dedicated open space, if the plan does ever come to fruition. I just hope that a White Rock expansion would be part of this annexation and build out.

I was bored one day recently and came up with a list of projects that I felt were important. I found the projects on the 2006 MTP Project List(Metropolitan Transportation Plan, I think?) on SACOG's website. They are all in some stage of proposal or construction. An expansion of White Rock was included. Here's the list I compiled:

Widening Folsom Blvd from Mather Field Rd to Coloma Rd from 4 to 6 lanes.

Beautification project on Folsom from Rod Beaudry to Sunrise.

Folsom and La Loma to be “city center” of Rancho Cordova across from existing light rail station replacing current street frontage with a café sidewalk and parallel street parking and constructing a 2-level garage. (where the abandoned Wienerschnitzel is)

Streetscaping and beautification of US-50 interchange from Folsom and Mather Field to Mather Field and Mather Commerce Center.

Bridging I-5 between Capitol Mall and O Street over I-5 connecting the riverfront and the city by 2015.

Folsom Blvd to become 4 lanes from Hornet Dr to 65th St .

Beautification Project on Watt Ave from Cap City Fwy to Jackson Hwy. Completed by later this year.

Zinfandel to be extended to Douglas Blvd.

Extend LRT to Antelope Rd by 2025

Swanston Light Rail Station: perform pre-development
planning to identify circulation, drainage and utility infrastructure
improvements necessary to support transit-oriented development in the area.
(only because I work at USAA which is directly on the other side of the railroad tracks and you have to walk a full mile on Arden over the tracks to get from my work to the light rail station!)

DNA completed by approx 2015 at a cost of $624,000,000

Meadowview to Laguna West LRT extension

South Sac Extension Phase II from Meadowview Rd to CRC by 2010

South Sac Extension Phase III from CRC to Elk Grove by 2019

Sunrise Blvd BRT from Douglas Blvd and Placer County Line by 2013

Watt Ave BRT between Folsom Blvd and McClellan Air Park by 2010

Study of Rancho Cordova --> Placer County multi-modal connector

Extend LRT from DT to West Sac by 2025.

[BrianSac]

Originally Posted by neuhickman79

I was bored one day recently and came up with a list of projects that I felt were important. I found the projects on the 2006 MTP Project List(Metropolitan Transportation Plan, I think?) on SACOG's website. They are all in some stage of proposal or construction. An expansion of White Rock was included. Here's the list I compiled:

Widening Folsom Blvd from Mather Field Rd to Coloma Rd from 4 to 6 lanes.

Beautification project on Folsom from Rod Beaudry to Sunrise.

Folsom and La Loma to be “city center” of Rancho Cordova across from existing light rail station replacing current street frontage with a café sidewalk and parallel street parking and constructing a 2-level garage. (where the abandoned Wienerschnitzel is)

Streetscaping and beautification of US-50 interchange from Folsom and Mather Field to Mather Field and Mather Commerce Center.

Bridging I-5 between Capitol Mall and O Street over I-5 connecting the riverfront and the city by 2015.

Folsom Blvd to become 4 lanes from Hornet Dr to 65th St .

Beautification Project on Watt Ave from Cap City Fwy to Jackson Hwy. Completed by later this year.

Zinfandel to be extended to Douglas Blvd.

Extend LRT to Antelope Rd by 2025

Swanston Light Rail Station: perform pre-development
planning to identify circulation, drainage and utility infrastructure
improvements necessary to support transit-oriented development in the area.
(only because I work at USAA which is directly on the other side of the railroad tracks and you have to walk a full mile on Arden over the tracks to get from my work to the light rail station!)

DNA completed by approx 2015 at a cost of $624,000,000

Meadowview to Laguna West LRT extension

South Sac Extension Phase II from Meadowview Rd to CRC by 2010

South Sac Extension Phase III from CRC to Elk Grove by 2019

Sunrise Blvd BRT from Douglas Blvd and Placer County Line by 2013

Watt Ave BRT between Folsom Blvd and McClellan Air Park by 2010

Study of Rancho Cordova --> Placer County multi-modal connector

Extend LRT from DT to West Sac by 2025.

Great List! Thanks for all the research.

[Sacdelicious]

FYI: The project on 16th & H St. has started erecting steel....the shell has reached up to the second floor or so on the H. St side. This project is going to be bigger than I think most people expected....

[Trojan]

What project is going up on 16th and H?

[Sacdelicious]

Originally Posted by sugit

Cooper Union Building
16th and H
50 Housing Units, 10K Retail Space

It's going to be 5 stories I believe.

[innov8]

The Cooper Union Building will help get that stretch of 16th look a lot better too.

[innov8]

This hole is pretty impressive with all the rebar set up for the pour.

Sutter foundation to be poured
Sacramento Business Journal

2:47 PM PDT Thursday, June 14, 2007

A block of 28th Street between Capitol and L streets in midtown will be closed between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday for construction at new Sutter Medical Foundation medical office building.

Neighbors and others can view a concrete pour of the foundation by webcam on the Internet at http://suttermedicalcenter.org/expansion/ Photos are uploaded to the Web site every 20 minutes.

The Killer view: http://sutterhealth.oxblue.com/smcsacramento/

[Sacto]

^ Good stuff. I will be checkin out that web cam once in a while.

[Phillip]

Originally Posted by innov8

The Cooper Union Building will help get that stretch of 16th look a lot better too.

One successful project on 16th north of I will be the catalyst for more, I hope. So much of that stretch of 16th is empty or underutilized.

The Washington Park Village Townhomes are going up now at 17th and D. Cooper Union at 16th and H. I noticed one of those old motels on 16th---cant remember which, but between D and H---has closed and is fenced off. Another good development opportunity there, if they're not trying to sell it to another motel operator.

[ltsmotorsport]

Originally Posted by innov8

This hole is pretty impressive with all the rebar set up for the pour.

Sutter foundation to be poured
Sacramento Business Journal

2:47 PM PDT Thursday, June 14, 2007

A block of 28th Street between Capitol and L streets in midtown will be closed between 6 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday for construction at new Sutter Medical Foundation medical office building.

Neighbors and others can view a concrete pour of the foundation by webcam on the Internet at http://suttermedicalcenter.org/expansion/ Photos are uploaded to the Web site every 20 minutes.

The Killer view: http://sutterhealth.oxblue.com/smcsacramento/

We finally get an oxblue camera on a project in Sac. I love how you can go back an check progress through multiple times in the day.

[aufbau]

Originally Posted by Sacdelicious

FYI: The project on 16th & H St. has started erecting steel....the shell has reached up to the second floor or so on the H. St side. This project is going to be bigger than I think most people expected....

Awesome news there. I keep forgetting about this project unless I pass by it. Last time I looked they were still laying utility lines. I need to take a walk this weekend...

[Jay916]

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/223798.html


Thunder Valley plans to expand
Tribe that owns casino seeks to build resort with region's largest hotel and a performance venue.
By Bill Lindelof - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, June 15, 2007

The United Auburn Indian Community revealed plans Thursday to build a hotel bigger than anything existing in the Sacramento region -- a 650-room resort.

Expansion would also include a 3,000-seat performing arts theater next to the hotel at Thunder Valley Casino near Lincoln.

Casino owners promise to bring big-name acts and large conventions to the new 23-story hotel, theater and ballrooms.

One suite will be 2,500 square feet -- equivalent to a large home. In addition, three themed suites will be 2,000 square feet each, including one focusing on sports.

Documents will be filed today with Placer County concerning the expansion. In an interview Thursday, General Manager Scott Garawitz outlined the ambitious plans.

Constructing a hotel has always been part of the 4-year-old casino's long-range plan, he said. Customers have been demanding on-site accommodations for convenience.

"Virtually from the day we opened, people asked, 'Where's the hotel?' " Garawitz said. "And the other question was, 'Where is the entertainment?' Well, here it is."

Approvals for the project could take a year. Construction will take two more years.

The hotel would create about 1,200 new jobs, bringing the total number of employees at Thunder Valley to 3,200. More than 1,000 construction jobs would be generated.

The expansion was outlined in a casino meeting room by Garawitz, a plain-talking, casually dressed executive in a Tommy Bahama shirt. The expansion would include:

• A four- or five-star hotel on the order of Four Seasons.

• A spa, pool and arcade.

• More slot machines and a new poker room.

• Two ballrooms totaling 30,000 square feet that can accommodate 2,000 occupants.

• A performing arts center versatile enough to handle trade shows, concerts and theater.

• A nine-floor garage with enough spaces for 5,000 vehicles.

• Three new restaurants.

The new amenities will enable Thunder Valley to compete with other gambling houses. Located near Interstate 80, Thunder Valley is on the way to Reno and Lake Tahoe resorts.

The sprawling casino also competes with other Indian facilities -- the planned casino in the El Dorado County community of Shingle Springs and Cache Creek Casino Resort in Yolo County's Capay Valley.

Cache Creek, which already has 200 hotel rooms, earlier this month announced its own expansion, including 467 additional hotel rooms, 27 "hillside casitas," two formal restaurants, more gaming and a large event-conference center.

The United Auburn Indian Community pays Placer County $2.7 million each year for revenue in lieu of property taxes. After expansion, that would grow to $10.7 million.

Once the hotel is built, the casino will pay the county about $1.4 million a year in room occupancy tax.

Placer County Supervisor Robert Weygandt said that there will be opportunities for the public to comment on the project.

"We will deal with this project in a way that has similar outcomes as any other major project proposal in Placer County," said Weygandt, who represents the area and last year benefited from a large contribution from the tribe in staving off a challenge from a political rival.

A public meeting to gather input on the scope of the tribal environmental impact report is scheduled for 10 a.m. July 11 at Western Placer Waste Management Authority Administrative Office, 3033 Fiddyment Road, Roseville.

Thunder Valley Casino opened in June 2003, situated among the brown hills in developing Placer County, 25 miles from Sacramento.

With 650 hotel rooms, the casino would become a major player among the Sacramento region's innkeepers. Downtown, the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel and the Hyatt Regency Sacramento each have about 500 guest rooms.

"This will be on the order of Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons," said Doug Elmets, a spokesman for the tribe. "There is nothing like it anywhere around."

Garawitz said a Montreal-based theater designer with a reputation for constructing venues with exceptional acoustics will build the performing arts center.

"We can do name acts, Broadway shows and stand-up comedy," he said. The casino does not have a theater now.

The hotel will have subdued exterior lighting, he said.

"I know that lighting is a concern, and we are sensitive to that," he said. "It's going to be a Ritz-Carlton style of lighting -- not a Wynn Las Vegas high beam."

The hotel will be appointed with marble floors and crystal chandeliers -- in addition to decoration recalling the traditional lifestyle of the owners.

Raised acorn decorations on doors and basket weave pattern carpet planned for the project recall the culture, heritage and traditions of the United Auburn Indian Community.

"The theme of the whole property is basically comfortable elegance with a California Native American flair," Garawitz said.

Among the new restaurants will be an oyster bar with a large aquarium and chandeliers to resemble blocks of ice.

The casino has a little over 2,700 slot machines, and a compact signed by tribes in 2004 with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger allows for more. It has not been determined how many would be added, Garawitz said.

[innov8]

Originally Posted by Sakramento

[url]
Expansion would also include a 3,000-seat performing arts theater next to the hotel at Thunder Valley Casino near Lincoln.

Casino owners promise to bring big-name acts and large conventions to the new 23-story hotel, theater and ballrooms. [/img]

They actually scaled it back in size from what they originally wanted to build... a 31 story hotel.

[innov8]

Saca eyes new heights after selling Towers stake
City committee to look at 39-story condominium project next week
Sacramento Business Journal - June 15, 2007
by Michael Shaw

Developer John Saca says he's still in the high-rise business.

While a little bruised from the unsuccessful effort to save The Towers on Capitol Mall, Saca is forging ahead with another downtown Sacramento project -- a 39-story condo tower at 10th and J streets.

The Metropolitan, which if built at its projected 420 feet, would be taller than any building in the capital today, is on the agenda of the city of Sacramento's Design Commission for Wednesday.

This week, Saca sold his interest in The Towers to his equity partner, the California Public Employees' Retirement System, ending what became a futile attempt to save the project by landing more financing and buying out CalPERS.

The pension fund and its development partner, CIM Group Inc., haven't decided what they will build on the property, but it won't be the twin 53-story luxury condominium towers that Saca started building before cost overruns halted construction in January.

"(CIM) has been very clear to us they're interested in a spectacular project that's mixed-use," assistant city manager John Dangberg said.

In an interview this week, Saca sounded a little disheartened about the fate of his pet project, but said he expects to find success the second time around. He blamed the plunging real estate market for The Towers' failure, deflecting claims that he overreached or lacked enough experience. The Towers was Saca's first foray into high-rise construction and would have dominated the capital's skyline.

"Lenders started tightening up. It became evident that this was really the only solution," he said of selling his interest in The Towers project to CalPERS. "We couldn't find another partner."

He noted that buyers put down deposits on almost 400 condos at The Towers, with a value of more than $270 million, showing a strong interest in the concept. The deposits are being refunded.

While The Towers struggled, Saca didn't abandon plans for The Metropolitan.

"He's moving forward quite aggressively with that project," Dangberg said. He said the experience with The Towers hasn't diminished Saca's standing in the city's eyes.

The 320-condo project is smaller in scale and far less expensive than the $500 million-plus for The Towers.

Bruce Slaton, a real estate agent who specializes in Sacramento's condo market, said it makes sense for Saca to explore another high-rise, because there seems to be a demand for downtown luxury living. But with no benchmark high-rise for comparison, all the support and demand are meaningless if the projects aren't financially viable, Slaton said.

With The Towers dead, and with it Saca's proposal for an InterContinental Hotel supported by an $11 million city subsidy, Saca said he's exploring the idea of putting a hotel in The Metropolitan. He has not approached the city for a subsidy and hasn't shared his funding sources for the building other than to tell city officials he has the resources lined up to build it, assistant city manager Mary Hanneman said.

Saca declined to say how much he was paid to depart as the managing partner in The Towers partnership.

"I'll be OK," Saca said of the impact from his personal stake in the project, both financially and in reputation. "Obviously, I lost thousands of hours of time and a lot of money."

[snufalufugus]

Originally Posted by innov8

The Metropolitan, which if built at its projected 420 feet, would be taller than any building in the capital today, is on the agenda of the city of Sacramento's Design Commission for Wednesday.

420 feet being the tallest in Sac? I wish Saca can somehow find a way to add 50-70 feet to this building so it can really stick out from the rest of the skyline. I flew out of Sacramento last week and viewed downtown from terminal A and was surprised to see how flat the skyline looked. The sac skyline definitely needs some variation in building heights.

[sugit]

Originally Posted by snufalufugus

420 feet being the tallest in Sac? I wish Saca can somehow find a way to add 50-70 feet to this building so it can really stick out from the rest of the skyline.

I wish Saca can somehow find a way to get this one built. That section of J Street is one of the worst. With all the other stuff opening up around it, it would jsut add that much more synergy to the area.

You have to admire his balls. He's going to be catching so much shit from the media and people who wanted him to fail in The Towers so badly. They will never let him live it down until he can get one built. Even starting construction won't silence people , he needs to make sure it's completed.

[wburg]

Maybe he's seeing how many holes he can leave in downtown?

"assistant city manager Mary Hanneman"? Typos can be hilarious... (his name is Marty.)

The Cathedral tower project, a block away, went before Planning for advice & comment last night. It's shaping up, the streetscape is decent but personally I would have liked to see them try to preserve a few more elements from the buildings they are demolishing, if only to create more ground-floor interest (they already plan to recycle some of the brick.) One problem with a lot of new buildings, especially the taller ones, is that the ground floor still looks like an office building even if they're supposed to have ground floor retail (800 J being a case in point,) not very inviting for foot traffic. More visual interest, like the engaging streetfronts currently in place, might help people realize there are businesses there.

Is "performing arts center" the new word for "theater"?

[sugit]

Originally Posted by wburg

The Cathedral tower project, a block away, went before Planning for advice & comment last night. It's shaping up, the streetscape is decent but personally I would have liked to see them try to preserve a few more elements from the buildings they are demolishing, if only to create more ground-floor interest (they already plan to recycle some of the brick.) One problem with a lot of new buildings, especially the taller ones, is that the ground floor still looks like an office building even if they're supposed to have ground floor retail (800 J being a case in point,) not very inviting for foot traffic. More visual interest, like the engaging streetfronts currently in place, might help people realize there are businesses there.

I really like the 11t street side of Cathedral Sqaure, but not so much the J Street side. I have seen any recent rendering so hopeully after the last comments from DR they made some changes on that side.

I think part of the problem its not inviting to foot traffic is there is no reason for foot traffic right now. Once the buisiness actually open at 800J, there will be plenty of foot traffic on that block. They need to make sure signage is done well though.