Sacramento: 301 Capitol Mall: A New Plan for The Towers Site

[wburg]

That's the theory that Sacramento and other cities have worked with for the past 60 years, and all it did was make downtowns across the country totally irrelevant. There are plenty of people to fill downtown Sacramento with residents, the problem is that there aren't enough places for them to live!

[SoCal Alan]

Originally Posted by ThatDarnSacramentan

When I think about the press about going residential downtown, as nice as it would be to see shiny new towers and buildings, I keep coming back to the same question: where am I going for groceries? Honestly, I don't understand the residential push in downtown right now. The Mall's a deadzone after 5 PM. I hope that maybe with more residents looking downtown, the infrastructure to support them living there will follow, but it just feels to me that that infrastructure needs to happen first. What'd be really nice would be to see a Whole Foods somewhere downtown.

Much more likely that the conveniences will come after there is demand. It would be more convenient if there were quality grocery shopping nearby, but not absolutely needed first. The nearest Safeway, is what, 10 minutes (by car) away? And probably most grocery shopping would be done on the way home from work anyways.

[ozone]

Also I didn't think about this before but the new co-op store is being built right on the light rail Folsom line at 29th and R in Midtown. Even now it's only a block away and Safeway is really just 2.5 blks from the 16th Street Station.

[wburg]

Looks like the L Street Lofts are switching back to "for sale" mode instead of lease, and starting to sell again:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/pr...cale-urban-living-sees-new-surge-in.html

[urban_encounter]

With the new entertainment and sports complex, i suspect we will see interest in this former site pick up (currentlyowned by Cal PERS and CIM i think). But there are also sites at 601 Capital Mall, 500 L street, 701 L street that are all directly adjacent to the arena site. 701 L street is owned by the Benvenutti family (also minority owners of the Kings).

Hopefully though any residential towers are scaled to work in this market. John Saca came close and they would have been nice. This time around though maybe aiming for something more realistic might work once the arena and new mall are up and running.

On the 701 L street site (the Old Greyhound Depot), it might be a perfect location for the proposed Sacramento Public Market which would also allow the art deco facade to be preserved.

We'll see.

[Los_Lobo]

I hope you're right about 301. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed (for about 5 years now

[NikeFutbolero]

Something needs to be done on the corner of 7th where hotel marshall and the liquor store are. A bunch of bums and thugs hang out there.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by NikeFutbolero

Something needs to be done on the corner of 7th where hotel marshall and the liquor store are. A bunch of bums and thugs hang out there.

I believe that there are plans (or were) to convert the Marshall into a boutique hotel. Certainly with the entertainment and sports complex there would be more demand.

[wburg]

Now that the new SRO replacement units at 7th and H are open, I expect the Hotel Marshall to move forward as a boutique hotel. The Greyhound depot would be an ideal site for a public market, both the interior portion of the building and the "parking" area--it gets used as commuter parking during the week, but is vacant on weekend days that could be good times for a covered year-round downtown market. And the gravel lot behind the building is still a good spot for a mid-rise residential project behind 700 K Street (which, hopefully, will be out of the woods before too long, both the commercial and residential components.)

[jbradway]

Originally Posted by wburg

Now that the new SRO replacement units at 7th and H are open, I expect the Hotel Marshall to move forward as a boutique hotel. The Greyhound depot would be an ideal site for a public market, both the interior portion of the building and the "parking" area--it gets used as commuter parking during the week, but is vacant on weekend days that could be good times for a covered year-round downtown market. And the gravel lot behind the building is still a good spot for a mid-rise residential project behind 700 K Street (which, hopefully, will be out of the woods before too long, both the commercial and residential components.)

That's good to hear. I knew they could not just kick them out and start remodeling. The Marshall has some good potential for a boutique hotel.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by wburg

Now that the new SRO replacement units at 7th and H are open, I expect the Hotel Marshall to move forward as a boutique hotel. The Greyhound depot would be an ideal site for a public market, both the interior portion of the building and the "parking" area--it gets used as commuter parking during the week, but is vacant on weekend days that could be good times for a covered year-round downtown market. And the gravel lot behind the building is still a good spot for a mid-rise residential project behind 700 K Street (which, hopefully, will be out of the woods before too long, both the commercial and residential components.)

I love the idea of the public market at the former Greyhound site (701 L street); my fear is that it wouldn't provide the kind of permanence the Public Market will need. With a new arena likely at Downtown Plaza the Benvenutti family who own 701 L (and minority owners of the Kings) would probably be looking to develop that site within the next 6 or 7 years. That being said, I think preserving that building and adding a public market at that location would better serve the downtown area with a permanent public market.

[wburg]

Why wouldn't it provide permanence? Putting in a public market makes that corner very useful, and could certainly be a permanent site--and there is still room on the former Royal Hotel site behind the depot for new development (hopefully residential), similar to the Washington DC Greyhound depot, which has a tower sprouting out behind the depot but uses the depot as an entrance. No reason why the market couldn't be a ground floor, like the Safeway on the ground floor of a condo across from Caltrain in SF.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by wburg

Why wouldn't it provide permanence? Putting in a public market makes that corner very useful, and could certainly be a permanent site--and there is still room on the former Royal Hotel site behind the depot for new development (hopefully residential), similar to the Washington DC Greyhound depot, which has a tower sprouting out behind the depot but uses the depot as an entrance. No reason why the market couldn't be a ground floor, like the Safeway on the ground floor of a condo across from Caltrain in SF.

It could provide permanence depending on what the property owners (Benvenutti family's) long term intent is. I would certainly like to see a permanent public market there. The Art Deco facade is worth preserving and if the area ever sprouts high density housing it will be a perfect location.

[NikeFutbolero]

I hope we start hearing something involving this site now that the arena is all but guaranteed.

has anybody heard anything?

[LandofFrost]

This has come up in conversation twice this week, the zeitgeist has started. If we are starting to think about it, I'm sure 100 others are chomping at the bit to do something there too.

[jbradway]

It's a prime location that deserves to be more than a hole in the ground. I used to hang out there as a young boy in the early 70's. My step father was a photographer for the Sac Union and that building and area was my place to play while he developed rolls of film.

[urban_encounter]

Well Cal PERS owns the 600 K street site currently undergoing eminent domain efforts by the city and they are supporting the city's efforts. I'm sure we'll see something in the next few years but hopefully a proposal that's feasible before we start shooting for the stars. In other words we don't need twin 53 story skyscrapers yet.

[Deno]

Ok not twin 53 story buildings, one 50 story building.

[Pistola916]

I'd be happy to see us get our first 500 foot tower.

[SoCal Alan]

Originally Posted by Deno

Ok not twin 53 story buildings, one 50 story building.

Hope they build the first one, when the market conditions are correct, rather than just dump the plans. Hopefully, all that work with the pile driving would incentivize them to go that with that option.