K Street Pedestrian Mall Renovation

[innov8]

Originally Posted by LandofFrost

^^^^ Wow, they pay people to write this crap? I bet this article took 15 minutes to write, and was probubly half made up.

That story seems very close to what's going with K Street... which parts are made up?

[Web]

yet Arden Faire is impossible to navigate due to congestion......

sounds like people are still hip to the suburban shopping mall as opposed to the Downtown walk along and look at the windows.

aka Phoenix vs Portland


has anyone seem downtown portland and all the businesses that have street access and all the people downtown during christmas season??? True they cant handle a couple incehes of snow and the whole city is shut down now but still a couple weeks ago you could barely move in the downtown traffic cars/busses/rail/streetcar/ and people

hmmmm what are the taxes in oregon and how was this infrastructure built?

[wburg]

Portland's streetcars were funded by special property tax assessments along the route: if you own property within a couple of blocks, you pay a special tax. I think there are some trade-off incentives, like reduced parking requirements, to sweeten the deal. The Sacramento/West Sac streetcar concept is working on a similar funding strategy.

I think their light rail system was funded the same way ours was, as it was built at about the same time--federal transportation dollars. Streetcar operations tend to prefer to not use federal funds, as it comes with fewer strings attached and generally more quickly.

Oregon has much higher property tax rates than California. No Prop. 13 up there...

[Cynikal]

Originally Posted by wburg

Portland's streetcars were funded by special property tax assessments along the route: if you own property within a couple of blocks, you pay a special tax. I think there are some trade-off incentives, like reduced parking requirements, to sweeten the deal. The Sacramento/West Sac streetcar concept is working on a similar funding strategy.

I think their light rail system was funded the same way ours was, as it was built at about the same time--federal transportation dollars. Streetcar operations tend to prefer to not use federal funds, as it comes with fewer strings attached and generally more quickly.

Oregon has much higher property tax rates than California. No Prop. 13 up there...

But they do not have a sales tax. Just say'n

[Phillip]

Being the only significant sized city in the state makes Portland retail mecca for all of Oregon, not just the Portland area. People drive hundreds of miles to shop in Portland, even if it's just once or twice a year. Sacramento doesn't have that same regional draw, not when Union Square is so close.

Oregon has no sales tax while Washington's is high, like 8% (varies by city). Southwest Washington has another half million people or so and they drive across the bridges to shop in Portland too, especially for large ticket items where the sales tax is a significant amount.

[otnemarcaS]

Web, yeah, Portland's street shopping is wonderful (so is Seattle's). But as Phillip has described, Portland is the main major city in Oregon as is Seattle in Washington or Chicago in Illinois or even NYC in New York, so the kind of things that may work in the major city may not extend to many other cities. So many major cities here in California.

For me, the thing that makes Portland's DT shopping work well is the transportation that makes it easy to get in, get out, get thru and get around downtown (it's also free to ride the street cars within the downtown corridor). You are almost always within a few blocks of your destination. Same thing with public transportation in SF. In Sac, try going from say, Handle District at 18th and Capitol to dinner at 28th and J then to DT plaza at 5th and L without a car.

I've been to Portland about six times and it's always great walking around their downtown and it's street level shops. But let's not also forget that despite all the street level shopping, they also have a huge indoor mall downtown on fifth street called Pioneer Place mall that's about the size of four city blocks downtown.

[sugit]

Looks like other city-owned buildings at 10th and K might be getting close.

City Council Staff Report

Taylor and CIM have submitted a proposal to the city with the report extending the ERN with Taylor and CIM for 4 months to finish business terms (aka Subsidy) on the project. It sounds like the money will come from the funds set aside from the Sheraton sale.

From reading the report it look like a couple of tenants have been identified, with 1012 still searching for a user.

Although it doesn't say so, it sounds like housing might be out an option for those sites. (Though I thought Taylor was talking a short time ago about a possible hotel project)

If they are going to do a rehab, I hope they have at least found a couple good tenants (no more Paragary's, please) that will continue building on some of the cool stuff already there. I'd love to see a second run theater personally..

Hopefully we find out within the next 4 months.

[sugit]

Here's the plan for 10th and K. I find Mason's comments pretty amusing considering he just opened a new spot himself. Competition is a good thing.


Mermaids, dancing, pizza tossing? Developer reveals plans for new downtown nightspots
By Bob Shallit
[email protected]
Published: Friday, Jan. 16, 2009

Mermaids on K Street? Believe it.

Sea nymphs swimming in an aquarium behind a bar is one element of an audacious - and very serious - proposal for a new entertainment complex in downtown Sacramento.

The proposal from acclaimed San Francisco nightspot owner George Karpaty also calls for a dance club targeting the "30s-and-over" set and a pizzeria known for its "dough acrobatics."

The complex would go into three storefronts between 1016 K and 1022 K St. and could be open by the end of this year, says Sacramento developer David Taylor, whose company is negotiating to acquire the proposed project site from the city's redevelopment agency.

That opening date is contingent on the city investing $5.4 million in redevelopment funds. The matter will go to the City Council next month.

Karpaty, who owns Ruby Skye and several other Bay Area nightclubs, says he's been looking for opportunities in Sacramento for two years and learned about the K street site last summer.

"It all just sort of fit together," he says of his plans, which include.

- Frisky Rhythm, a nightclub with plenty of seating, celebrity DJs and music that, Karpaty says, "gets 30-year-olds tapping their feet."

- Dive Bar, a "rustic" drinking spot, with a back bar aquarium that would be occupied at random times by women in mermaid costumes.

"We're going to create a buzz," Karpaty says. "People will be saying, 'Have you seen the mermaid?'" Instead of a juke box, the bar will have an oversized "flawless replica of an iPod." Guests could plug in their hand-held devices and play their own tunes, he says.

- Pizza Rock, an eatery by owners of Castro Valley's Pyzano's Pizzeria, known for the dough-spinning antics of owner Tony Gemignani, who promises the same kind of show here."Think of what the Harlem Globetrotters do with a basketball. We do it with pizza," Gemignani says.

Backers of the Karpaty proposal have kept a lid on the project - until now. But some local club owners fear it could cannibalize a shrinking market.

Mason Wong, owner of Mason's restaurant and the Park Ultra Lounge nightspot, says downtown and midtown already have "too many restaurants, too many bars and too many night clubs."

But Taylor, whose company is developing the project with CIM Group of Los Angeles, says Karpaty has the creativity and promotional chops to bring many more people to downtown, benefiting all. "He adds a whole new level of energy and marketing expertise," he says. "That can only help."

[Pistola916]

Sounds like a very cool project. I'm looking forward to the mermaids!

[otnemarcaS]

Mason Wong thinks there's too many bars, restaurants and nightclubs in MT/DT? Ironic and funny considering he just opened up the $3 million Mix nightclub near his Park Ultra Lounge.

Each new project on or near K street will essentially create a domino effect on attracting the next entertaining project. However, I think if all they build is one new upscale project after another then they will truely saturate that market. Sac needs more affordable spots. How many people can go to The Park Ultra Lounge and pay $20 just for the priviledge of getting in only to then start out by paying $10 for one Long Island Iced Tea that contains like 70% ice?

[wburg]

I can't imagine a place with a name like "Dive Bar" being too upscale, even though they're obviously playing on the name. Fortunately, if you want a cheap drink downtown you can always hit Henry's or the Chambers Room instead.

[sugit]

Originally Posted by otnemarcaS

However, I think if all they build is one new upscale project after another then they will truely saturate that market. Sac needs more affordable spots. How many people can go to The Park Ultra Lounge and pay $20 just for the priviledge of getting in only to then start out by paying $10 for one Long Island Iced Tea that contains like 70% ice?

That's why I'm looking forward to De Vere's and The Shady Lady. I think those two will fit the bill. For a newer place, even though it's a pizza place as well, Uncle Vito's has some good drink prices if you are looking for a bite to eat in a bar atmposhere.

[Dakotasteve66]

I'm sure the 12,000 people that attended New Year's Eve at 10th and K helped those developers in moving forward with these projects. I also think that K street should not add cars, especially in lieu of the fact that several nightclubs could be added to that area. It seems to me that major department stores should primarily front J and L streets where they get the drive by recognition. Then leave K street as something different, similar to smaller alleys in London.

[wburg]

That's just it--adding entertainment venues (including bars, but also live music and dance venues, restaurants catering to various tastes/income levels, theaters, etc) could turn K Street into a walking street in the evenings, when light rail trains are shorter and less frequent. And I think you're exactly right about the effects of New Year's Eve on K Street plans.

Even in rough economic times, people still want to be entertained: movie theaters were among the few businesses practically immune to the effects of the Great Depression, because folks were looking for distraction from the grim realities around them.

[otnemarcaS]

Originally Posted by wburg

Fortunately, if you want a cheap drink downtown you can always hit Henry's or the Chambers Room instead.

There are actually several places in MT/DT where you can get cheap drinks, from those wburg mentioned above to others like the Torch club and Limelight and several others in-between. I'm mostly referring to the new nightclubs or lounges with dancing that have recently opened up with not so tender drink prices.

I'd really love to see K street become some type of entertainment zone with several live music venues included.

[innov8]

Crest Theater Improvements Project

The Sacramento City Council passed a motion on the 20th of last week to
loan an additional $160,000 to the existing $253,839 loan principal to create
a new loan to be used for capital improvements to the theater. The loan is
forgivable in the year 2019 if the theater makes structural, safety, and
aesthetic improvements as part of scenic easement to the Crest Theater
marquee. An Owner Participation Agreement (OPA) with The Briggs Family
Group (Owner) is to provide Downtown Redevelopment tax increment funds
to the project. The loan would add $160,000 to the existing loan principal
$253,839 and create a new loan of $413,839 to be used for capital
improvements to the theater.

http://sacramento.granicus.com/DocumentV...nto_c7870719e5b9e76dc067ccc3eebec3d8.pdf

http://sacramento.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=1767&meta_id=167992

[sugit]

K Street Streetscape Kick off on February 24

Join the City of Sacramento, Regional Transit and the Downtown Sacramento Partnership at an event to celebrate the start of construction on the first phase of the K Street Streetscape project!

This project will revitalize the 700 block of K Street and create an inviting environment with updated street furniture, landscaping, pavement, and improved lighting; relocate an existing light rail station from the 700 block of K to the east side of 7th Street; and renovate St. Rose of Lima Park with the addition of a new interactive water feature.

When
February 24, 2009 at 10 a.m.

Where
St. Rose of Lima Park at 7th and K streets

For more information, contact Economic Development at [email protected].

[innov8]

Bob Shallit: Sacramento eatery, bar owners not applauding downtown entertainment complex
By Bob Shallit
The Sacramento Bee Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009

A number of Sacramento's top food and drink purveyors are escalating their campaign against a proposed city subsidy for an entertainment complex near the corner of 10th and K streets.

As owners of various downtown restaurants, bars and nightclubs, they say the new businesses would siphon away customers – just when the economic downturn is threatening their very existence.

"Everybody is scraping and clawing. … it's survival mode for the next year," says Mason Wong, a leader of the opposition group.

Its members have met with some City Council members and plan to lobby Mayor Kevin Johnson and others before a council meeting Tuesday, when the $5.4 million subsidy is tentatively scheduled for consideration.

The group already has had some impact.

Councilman Steve Cohn says he sympathizes with the opponents, adding that as of now "I'd vote against" the subsidy.

But Cohn also acknowledges that the proposal, spearheaded by San Francisco nightclub owner George Karpaty, could spark more economic activity on the block, considered a key juncture between the east and west ends of the K Street pedestrian mall. And could do it quickly.

"It's similar to the (federal) stimulus," Cohn says. The city needs projects that are "shovel ready."

Karpaty's K Street proposal has some novel elements: a pizza shop with staffers doing "dough acrobatics," a dance club targeting the 30-and-up crowd, and a bar featuring a built-in aquarium with women swimmers costumed as mermaids.

Backers, including the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, say it fits with the city's long-term vision to bring a mix of entertainment, housing and retail to downtown. The partnership's board endorsed the subsidy proposal Wednesday.

But opponents say a large bookstore or other "destination" retail outlet would do more to attract shoppers and visitors.

"This city needs a game changer," says Ernesto Jimenez, co-owner of Zocalo and Ernesto's. "Not another restaurant or bar."


Making a splash

If the Karpaty proposal does get approved, it won't be the first time that "mermaids" have lured downtown visitors.

So says Sacramento transportation consultant Steve Schnaidt.

In the '60s, he went with his parents for occasional dinners to the El Mirador Hotel at 13th and N streets, long ago converted to senior housing.

Back then it was a swanky gathering spot, with a restaurant and bar whose glass wall provided a view into the hotel's swimming pool. Attractive young women were hired to swim for "visual effect" during the evenings.

Schnaidt has no recollection of the El Mirador's food. But he remembers the sea nymphs.

"To a 13- or 14-year-old boy, they were gorgeous," he says.

http://www.sacbee.com/shallit/story/1636125.html

[econgrad]

Originally Posted by innov8

Bob Shallit: Sacramento eatery, bar owners not applauding downtown entertainment complex
By Bob Shallit
The Sacramento Bee Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009

A number of Sacramento's top food and drink purveyors are escalating their campaign against a proposed city subsidy for an entertainment complex near the corner of 10th and K streets.

As owners of various downtown restaurants, bars and nightclubs, they say the new businesses would siphon away customers – just when the economic downturn is threatening their very existence.

"Everybody is scraping and clawing. … it's survival mode for the next year," says Mason Wong, a leader of the opposition group.

Its members have met with some City Council members and plan to lobby Mayor Kevin Johnson and others before a council meeting Tuesday, when the $5.4 million subsidy is tentatively scheduled for consideration.

The group already has had some impact.

Councilman Steve Cohn says he sympathizes with the opponents, adding that as of now "I'd vote against" the subsidy.

But Cohn also acknowledges that the proposal, spearheaded by San Francisco nightclub owner George Karpaty, could spark more economic activity on the block, considered a key juncture between the east and west ends of the K Street pedestrian mall. And could do it quickly.

"It's similar to the (federal) stimulus," Cohn says. The city needs projects that are "shovel ready."

Karpaty's K Street proposal has some novel elements: a pizza shop with staffers doing "dough acrobatics," a dance club targeting the 30-and-up crowd, and a bar featuring a built-in aquarium with women swimmers costumed as mermaids.

Backers, including the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, say it fits with the city's long-term vision to bring a mix of entertainment, housing and retail to downtown. The partnership's board endorsed the subsidy proposal Wednesday.

But opponents say a large bookstore or other "destination" retail outlet would do more to attract shoppers and visitors.

"This city needs a game changer," says Ernesto Jimenez, co-owner of Zocalo and Ernesto's. "Not another restaurant or bar."


Making a splash

If the Karpaty proposal does get approved, it won't be the first time that "mermaids" have lured downtown visitors.

So says Sacramento transportation consultant Steve Schnaidt.

In the '60s, he went with his parents for occasional dinners to the El Mirador Hotel at 13th and N streets, long ago converted to senior housing.

Back then it was a swanky gathering spot, with a restaurant and bar whose glass wall provided a view into the hotel's swimming pool. Attractive young women were hired to swim for "visual effect" during the evenings.

Schnaidt has no recollection of the El Mirador's food. But he remembers the sea nymphs.

"To a 13- or 14-year-old boy, they were gorgeous," he says.

http://www.sacbee.com/shallit/story/1636125.html

I hate it when I read articles like this! GRRRRR! Build it and build more housing for more people so they won't fu*king whine about too many bars and eatery's. I am sick of it!

[wburg]

I've been talking about putting more entertainment on K Street for a while now, and this New Year's Eve was a great example of the potential there for an entertainment and recreation district instead of assuming K Street has to be a shopping center. Personally I think that if they do become a magnet, places like Zocalo might lose some business but gain a lot more; people looking for the big party could go all the way downtown, people looking for something fun but more relaxed would be drawn to midtown.

And yeah, the population of the central city is going up and should go up more; the current city plan estimates a tripling of the central city population by 2030, mostly in new-growth or redevelopment areas like downtown, the Docks, R Street and the Railyards.