To me, at this point, there can't be enough ground-floor retail and restaurant/bar space in Downtown. I bristle at projects that do not contain it.
Yes, it's not end of the world if a project isn't mixed use; but I prefer not to have quiet, suburban-style apartment buildings in the Downtown area. Much of downtown is just far too quiet. I've seen bucolic cow pasture with more going on. If you want silence, move to the suburbs.
In fact, lack of ground-floor retail and public access are the two things I hate most about the apartments, condos and homes in the rectangle between N - R streets and 2nd - 7th streets. They just feel so f***ing boring. Plus, most of them are too short to be in Downtown, and some of them feel cut off from the city. Those are the reasons why I like the Sacramento Commons project.
Having said all of the above, I do prefer things to happen organically. I want a store, restaurant or bar on ground level to support the people living above and nearby. As the city people patronize those establishments, some grow a following. Then those (apparently dreaded) suburbanites come from all over to visit. (Personally, I think that's a good thing.)
It's true that a lot of ground floor retail spaces have sat empty. We should note that some of those empty spaces are in parking garages that should have been wrapped with housing. Maybe if those garages were wrapped in housing, there would be a critical mass? Also, maybe if the spaces were smaller, businesses could afford the rent?
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the biggest issue: It is just too damn expensive to build. Doesn't it cost around $500,000 to build a housing unit? Jeez! Focusing on more residential is putting the cart before the horse. Our main focus should be finding ways to get prices down. Public Projects, Subsidies and Affordable Housing Fees only maintain high prices.
One thing I'd like to see in Downtown (and Midtown) is a few more places for small concerts and other performances. Sacramento's music culture just isn't enough. But again, I want to see those venues develop organically.
Speaking of "organic," you don't make or improve a downtown/city in one fell swoop. It happens over time. I get concerned about these larger "Downtown-y" looking developments. They try to be urban. Often, they end up being closer to a Downtown Disney, rather than a block that you'd find in New York, Philly, Boston, or SF. Really, they're places for suburbanites to be in the city but still feel at home.
I mean, Downtown Commons has a friggin' Yard House restaurant. What's next? An Applebee's? I don't look down on corporate restaurants, but 'City' and 'Downtown' don't exactly come to mind when I think about them. Plus, I like the idea of microneighborhoods, where you can walk a couple blocks over and find something scaled right and unique to that area.
The other issue is that large, corporate restaurants tend to close down after a few years, leaving a big shell in their wake. Retail, Restaurant and Entertainment spaces that are scaled for the neighborhood seem to do better. (Though our response to the pandemic hurt a lot of small businesses.) Plus, smaller spaces can change easily if the business closes. If more space is needed, then it's a matter of knocking down a wall.
With regard to Downtown being more than just an area to store State Office Buildings, I am all for it. The R-S-T corridor is filled with one or two story buzz boxes (and some parking lots) that are either for government or government-adjacent offices. I would like to see more private business. I hope I am alive to see the day where most (or all) of those buzz boxes (and parking lots) are replaced with 5 to 12+ story buildings, with a mix of residential, private office, retail, restaurant, and entertainment.
As an aside... I keep seeing all this excitement about R Street on my Instagram, but I don't get it. Yeah, there are a couple nice projects and a couple more on the way, but most of R Street ugly, underused or parking. Meh... I want more.
__________________
Sincerely,
Steve in East Sac
|
Prev
Linear Mode
