West Sacramento lays ground for riverside renaissance
By Tony Bizjak
tbizjak@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, Sep. 4, 2011 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Sunday, Sep. 4, 2011 - 9:39 am
The old freeway that once cut West Sacramento in half has been ripped out and trucked off. A rail line that blocked river access has been scraped away and replaced by a recreation trail. Manufacturing businesses have been sent packing and warehouses torn down, replaced by new roads and park sites.
After several years of frenetic, landscape-altering work, West Sacramento officials this summer finally have an uncluttered view of their waterfront vision:
The once-dusty little west-bank city is on the cusp of creating the downtown it's never had.
Even the riverfront area's name has changed. For years it was known as the Triangle area, but now the 188-acre wedge at the foot of the Tower Bridge is officially called the Bridge District.
The city and a core group of landowners envision thousands of people living and working here in mid-rise town houses and office buildings with views through cottonwood trees of the Sacramento River and Sacramento city skyline.
A streetcar on rails would run through the area, delivering fans to Raley Field baseball games and concerts, and ferrying residents across Tower Bridge to the downtown train depot, light rail and state offices.
So far, the city has spent tens of millions of redevelopment dollars for prep work in the district, and district property owners have kicked in millions more in self-imposed fees. City development officials say they hope, fingers crossed, some residences and offices could be built next spring. The very thought has generated a giddiness.
"I almost see this as a utopian project," said developer Mark Friedman, who owns nearly 40 acres in the 188-acre site. "This is one of those rare places where we can reclaim the river."
The path hasn't been easy, though. And recent events suggest it might soon get tougher.
Even as crews put the finishing touches on new roads and intersections around Raley Field, the area's future remains uncertain. The weak economy, state budget woes and a dramatic fight over redevelopment funds have sent some of the district's would-be developers to the bench, where they fidget and wait for a better moment to break ground.
"Right now, it probably doesn't make sense for a lot of the projects," said River Cats baseball team general manager Jeff Savage.
His family and developer Friedman plan to build a row of restaurants, bars and stores, possibly with offices and residences above, on a new pedestrian street on the ballpark's south side. But they won't start, he said, until it pencils out better financially.
"We've always wanted development around the ballpark to happen faster," Savage said. "There were a lot of hurdles. We're there now. It's just a matter of timing."
Empty land, great views
Timing was also an issue a decade ago, when the arrival of Raley Field raised hopes for a renaissance of the West Sacramento waterfront.
Although the real estate market was strong then, this rebirth did not immediately materialize. Without the necessary water and sewer lines, and better street connections to West Capital Avenue and Tower Bridge, the ballpark served as little more than a harbinger of what could someday happen here.
Now, however, Raley Field can be the drawing card it was meant to be, Mayor Chris Cabaldon said. "It gives an identity to the district. It helps spark cultural activities and the restaurant scene."
But the ballpark isn't the site's main selling point, some planners say. The acres of virtually unused land just blocks from the state Capitol are ideal for the kind of urban "recycling" project – a repurposing of underused land – that local governments increasingly want, said Mike McKeever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, a regional planning agency.
The riverfront is also a marketing plus, city officials say. In that regard, West Sacramento got a lucky break. Fifty years ago, Yolo County business leaders fought to have Interstate 5 built on their side of the river. Sacramento won.
"Thank goodness," said West Sacramento City Councilman Bill Kristoff.
The freeway now cuts Sacramento off from its waterfront, while West Sacramento boasts a natural river bluff, ready for development.
'A prudent risk'
The question is: When will the building begin?
Instead of going "vertical," the city finds itself going to court this summer with other cities to fight a state move to take away hundreds of millions of dollars in annual redevelopment funds cities had been relying on. West Sacramento officials accuse the state of pulling the rug out from under them with the new laws.
Even if the state prevails, West Sacramento still should be able to launch its first phase of construction in the Bridge District over the next handful of years. But it will have to come up with alternative funding for infrastructure to support further growth.
As the courtroom battle plays out, the economy remains in the doldrums.
Only one housing project is officially scheduled to be built in the Bridge District next year – a 70-unit affordable housing complex. It is one of several affordable housing projects required over time by the state in exchange for West Sacramento's use of $23 million in Proposition 1C state bond funds.
City officials are talking about trying to get a second project under way, and developer Friedman intends to build a small park next spring a short walk from Raley Field, patterned after San Francisco's intimate South Park, itself a short walk from that city's AT&T baseball park.
Friedman says he then would like to move forward with town houses and apartments around that oval-shaped park, creating an instant mini-community. He's just not sure when.
"I'd be foolish if I wasn't nervous," Friedman said. "We are trying to build the best community this area has seen, at a time when the market is flat. It's a risk. But it's going to be a prudent risk."
He and other landowners have taxed themselves to help finance some of the area's basic improvements. They believe they've laid the groundwork to move when the moment is right.
"We missed the entire last (building) cycle because we lacked infrastructure," said Gregg Harrington of the Unger Group, a major landowner. "Now, we've cracked that nut. We're on an even playing field with the rest of the region. We're shovel ready."
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