SACRAMENTO | Project Rundown

[urban_encounter]

Sacramento Boom Rundown
Downtown/Midtown/Waterfront
32+ Towers Proposed, Planned, Approved or U/C....
(Updated 3/09/07)

Currently Under Construction

The Towers
@ 301 Capitol Mall
Twin 54 story 615' condo towers
834 residential units with a 276 room InterContinental Hotel
65K sf retail
40K sf gym
10K sf spa
Developer: John Saca/Saca Development
Equity Partner: CalPers
Architect: Mulvanny G2
Construction Status: Temporary work stoppage (?) due to escalating costs.
John Saca and equity partner CalPers in negotiations for addtional capital $$

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=85715



U.S. Bank Tower
@ 621 Capitol Mall
25 story 400' office building
366K sf commerical space
24K sf ground floor retail
Developer: David Taylor
Architect: Hellmuth, Obata, Kassabaum
Construction Status: Steel frame currently u/c

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=86268



CalSTRS Headquarters
3rd street along the West Sacramento Riverwalk
19 story office tower
14 floors of commerial offcie space atop 5 story parking garage
400K sf Commerical Office
1000 space garage
Developer: Panattoni Development Company
Architect: Hellmuth, Obata, Kassabaum (HOK)
Construction Status: Pile driving complete/foundation work underway.....





Marriott
@15th and L street
15 story 150' hotel
250 hospitality rooms with 30 residential units on top 3 floors
Developer: Three Fires, LLC
Architect: Johnson Braund Design Group
Construction Status: Exterior work complete/Interior work ongoing




500 Capitol Mall
25 story office building (height estimate 400')
467,942 sf office
27,124 sf retail
Developer: Tskakopoulos Investments (Privately Financed)
Architect: Ed Kado
Construction Status: Retaining wall and pre construction site activity

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=116260



L Street Lofts
@ L street between 18th and 19th streets
8 stories
92 lofts
6K sf ground floor retail
Developer: Sotiris Kolokotronis
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects
Construction Status: Steel frame currently u/c




Globe Mills
@ 12th and C street
6 Story refurbishment of Mill
143 residential units
Developer: Cyrus Youssefi and Skip Rosenbloom
Architect: Applied Architecture, Mike Malinowski
Construction Status: Under renovation



M.A.R.R.S (Midtown Art Retail & Restaurant Scene)
20th street between K and J streets
2 Story 50,000 sf historic structure.
Interior and exterior renovation including the addition of an expansive pedestrian walkway and plaza
area spanning the full length of the building along 20th Street, as well as creative upgrades to the building exterior, lobby, and core areas.
M.A.R.R.S. is a unique, daring, urban, artistic, funky project right in the heart of Sacramento's Midtown Arts & Entertainment District.
Construction Status: Exterior work complete/Interior work ongoing



Joie de Vivre Hotel
"The Citizen Hotel"
@ 10th and J street
Historic 15 story Cal West office building being converted into a 200 room
boutique hotel with two ground floor restaurants, 7th floor sky deck (lounge)
and penthouse ballroom.
Construction Status: Under interior renovation




Sutter Medical Center Urban Village Project
@ 28th and N street
New Anderson Lucchetti Women's and Children's Center (Hospital)
Renovation of Sutter General Hospital (Ose Adams Medical Pavilion as of 2010)
Renovation of Sutter Cancer Center
32 new residential units on N Street between 26th and 27th Streets
New retail, restaurant and commercial space
New parking garage
New theater complex for the B street Theatre
New Children's Theatre of California
Construction Status: U/C

New Ose Adams Medical Pavilion

New Sutter Medical offices

New Residential units (N street between 26th and 27th)


Cooper Union Building
@ 16th and H street
43 Residential units
10k sf ground floor retail space
Construction status: u/c




Other notable projects currently under construction:


* Historic Hale's Building
@ 9th & K Lofts: 33 units

* North End Lofts II
14th & H street Lofts: 14 units

* Washington Park Village
17th & D street Townhomes: 53 units

* IronWorks
(Triangle Area/West Sacramento) Lofts: 180 units

* Upper Eastside Lofts (Transit Oriented Development)
65th street/adjacent 65th street RT Metro Station
Lofts: 140 units adjacent
Developer: Rasmussen Properties/partnering with Separovich Domich

* Whiskey Hill Lofts
21st & S streets
Lofts and carriage houses: 30 units
Paul Petrovich

* SoCap Lofts (Phase I)
North side of R street between 6th and 7th streets
Loft style homes: 32 units




City Approval/Awaiting start of construction


Aura
@ 601 Capitol Mall
39 story condo tower 440'
282 residential units with ground floor retail
Developer: Craig Nassi/BCN
Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Construction Status: Test driving of piles complete
City approved $10 million loan request. BCN in escrow for parcel at 601 CM

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=90073


K Street Central
@ 10th and K Street
14 story tower
130 (+) residential units
200 seat Live Theater Cabaret
Restaurant and lounge
Developer(s): CIM/ Group, David Taylor, St. Anton Partners,
Cordano Company and Paragary’s Restaurant Group
Construction Status: Council Approval 10/31/06 with $6.75 million loan
Pedning interior work/estimated completion of theater/restaurant
and lounge in 2008



Other notable projects approved and awaiting start of construction:

*11th Street Lofts (11th & R street behind exisitng 3 story brick building) 14 Live Work Lofts

*12th Street Lofts (12th & R street) 16 Live Work Lofts

*1531 L street Firestone Building (Dining/Retail) Cordano http://www.cordanoco.com/project_pdfs/firestone3.pdf



Planning Process/Pending City Design Review and Planning Commission Approval


UP Railyards (Sacramento Gateway)
240 acre redevelopment includes
10,000 residential units
low, mid and high-rise towers of up to 40 stories
3 million square feet of office space
1.3 million square feet of retail
18,000 seat arena
1,000 seat concert hall
Canal district
Public market
Railroad Technology Museum
Bass Pro Shop signed letter of intent May 2006)
Developer: Thomas Enterprises (Atlanta)
Architect: Jon Jerde
Construction Status: Thomas Enterprise closed escrow on the 240 acres in December 2006.
Accelerated cleanup of contaminants over the next two years.




Capitol Grand Tower
@ 12th and J street
70 story 965' to spire
771' to roof
mixed use condo/hotel tower/office tower
1.17 million sf (total space)
54,634 sf commerical office
278 residential units
200 hospitality rooms
Developers: Mo Mohanna and California Medical Group
Architect: Nadel Architects Inc
Construction Status: Traffic study currently underway





Epic Tower
@ 12th and I street
50 story (actually 51?) 615'
mixed use condo/office tower
354 units (45 floors)
68K sf (4 floors) of commercial office
51K sf (2 floors) of retail space
Developer Craig Nassi/BCN
Architect: Daniel Libeskind

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=110616


K street condo tower(s)
800 block of K street
Two towers approx. 22-25 stories
220+ residential units per tower
28,769 sf retail
Developer: John Saca, Mo Mohanna, John Lambeth
Architect: Kwan Henmi




The Metropolitan
@ 10th and J street
38 Stories, 430'
350 residential units
13K sf ground floor retail
Developer: Saca Development
Architect: Kwan Henmi




701 L street
31 story mixed use residential/office 445'
80 residential units
240K commerical office space
10K retail
Developer: Danny Benvenuti
Architect: Hellmuth, Obata, Kassabaum (HOK)
Privately financed by developer and pending relocation of Greyhound Station




Meridian II
@15th and K street
22 Story Office Building, 300'
Developers: Tony Giannoni & Angelo Tsakopoulos
Architect: Hornberger & Worstell




Cathedral Square Condos
@ 11th and J street
26 story 290' tower
233 residential units
27K sf commerical/office
15K retail
Developer: St Anton & J Cordano Company
Architect: Kwan Henmi




Westside State Office Complex
Option #3
Two towers: 20 and 26 story tower(s)
Construction status: Partially financed/awaiting
additonal legislative approval for more $$$

(Note: This is not the final design or building height)



Riveredge
7 Towers (between 10 and 20 stories)
Along 14 acres of West Sacramento Waterfront
South of Tower Bridge and West Capitol Avenue
791 market residential units
104 affordable residential units
120k sf retail/commercial office space
200 room hotel
Developer/Architect Dean Unger and Associates
Status: Proposal/ financing not yet secured




Capitol Lofts
@ 12th and R street
119 Warehouse Conversion Loft Units,
3K retail space
12th and R Street
Developer: Regis Homes
Architect: David Baker & Partners



Newton Booth
@ 27th and V Street
32 Residential units
Developer: LJ Urban
Architect: David Mogavero





Crystal Ice Building (Inudstrial/Residential Rehab)
R Street between 16th and 18th
141 Residential units/retail and dining
Building height (up to) 7 stories
Developer Mark Friedman
Architects: GBD Architects



401 Broadway
@ 4th and Broadway



East End Gateway 226 condo/lofts on four separate sites.
SW corner 16th and O street. NW corner of 16th and O Status: Requiring new RFP
NW corner of 16th and N, and SE corner of 16th and P Status: Approved



The Docks...
Front street
Multiple mid/highrise towers
35 acre high density riverfront development between Capitol Mall & Broadway
23 acres North of Pioneer Bridge
14 acres South of Pioneer Bridge
Developer: Kenwood Investments (San Francisco)



*Two towers 20 and 15 stories
Mixed use commerical/residential
South of the 13th street RT Metro Station
between Q and R streets
Developer: John Freguson


*15 story officer tower
9th and L street
Developer: Cordano Development


Other notable projects in the Planning Process/Pending City Design Review and Planning Commission Approval


Sacramento Intermodal Transportation Facility
Rail: RT Metro Trains (local light rail), Capitol Corridor (Bay Area), San Joaquins (San Joaquin Valley),
Amtrak, Greyhound and Regional Transit as well as other Metropolitan transit agency buses.
The proposal moves the historic depot 350 feet north and restores its original use as a
waiting area and ticketing area.
Status: Planning process/Partial funds secured




Crocker Art Museum Expansion @ 3rd & O street
Highlights of the new state-of-the-art Museum building include:
*Three times the current space for the permanent collection
*Four times the current space for temporary exhibitions
*300-seat auditorium/lecture theatre
*Café with indoor and open-air seating in the courtyard
*Double the current number of parking spaces
*Expanded Museum Store
*Increased accessibility
*7,000-square-foot courtyard plus public access to the current courtyard
*Loading dock, freight elevator and increased onsite storage space
http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/about/expansion.htm
Status: $78 million fund raising drive nearly complete.



Capital Unity Center @ 16th & N street



Sacramento Center for the Perfroming Arts
13th and K Street Mall
Renovation of the City's 2500-Community Center Theater
Status: Intial funding provided for design work



700 Block of K street
Revitalization of 700 Block of K street
Developer: Joe Zeiden (Z Gallery Founder)
Retail to include: Borders, Urban Outfitter, Lucky Brand Dungarees and Sur la Table
Construction Status: Current Tenants being relocated/Preparing start of construction



Sacramento International Airport Phase I Expansion 2010/11
$1.1 Billion Replacement and Expansion (of Terminal B)
New Central Terminal Complex
New 23 Gate Concourse B (with 3 International Gates)
New Parking Garage #2
New FAA Control Tower
Automated People Mover to Concourse B
Upper/Lower Decking of Roadway for Central Terminal (Arrivals and Departures)
Architect(s): Fentress Bradburn Architects of Denver/Corgan Associates
Status: Currently undergoing design and EIR.

(Rendering for the phase I 2010/11 from Corgan Associates)

(Central Terminal Rendering at night)

(New Concourse B and automated people mover)


Sacramento International Airport Phase II Expansion 2020 (and Beyond)
12 Gate Expansion of Concourse A
New 23 Gate Concourse C
New Automated People Mover from Central Terminal to Concourse A
New Automated People Mover from Central Terminal to Concourse C
Expansion of Central Terminal (Centralized ticketing and baggage handling for Concourse A, B and C)
New RT Light Rail station for Natomas/Airport extension.
New Parking Garage #3
Status: Phase II part of Airport Master Plan. Phase I EIR and design work currently underway




*Raley's Landing West Sacramento Mulitple towers:
1) 'River One' is an 18 story 150+ unit residential tower 245,000sf commerical and 42,000 Restaurant/Retail
2) Washington street property 6 story 550 residential units (Panattoni Development)

* Westfield's Downtown Plaza (Remodel) Addtition of new 'Urban Target Store' as well as specialty grocer, relocation of theaters as well as Plaza improvements.

*3,000 condos/lofts (West Sacramento Riverfront) Friedman/Rumsey Band.

*"North Town North" 2,723 residential units or (1,831 apartments, 891 houses and 792 condominiums) 75k sf retail at 7th Street and Richards Boulevard. Developer: Capitol Station 65 LLC

*SoCap Lofts (Phase II) 32 high density loft style homes South side of R Street between 6th and 7th street (2007)

*Cal Pers High density housing project on the South Side of R street between 3rd and 4th street

*61 single-family homes
21st and U street,
45 detached three-story townhouses
16 units will be 1,000-square foot carriage houses
Developer: Meridian of San Diego




Recently Complete


Cathedral Building
@ 12th and K Street
4 story refurbishment of old Sears building
23 residential units
Spa
Ground floor dining
Developer: Bob Clippinger
Architect: FFA Design
Construction Status: Exterior and frame work complete/Interior work ongoing


(Photo Update courtesy of friedpez)

*Capitol Terrace 21st & L street; 65 units/3,000 retail (St. Anton)


*Fremont Mews 118 Lofts/22,000 sf community garden


*01 Lofts @ 16th & K street; 23 lofts/ground floor retail (Loft Works)


*Plaza Lofts at 8th and J street; 225 Lofts 22k Ground Floor Retail
8th and J Street

*1801 L street at 18th and L street
5 Stories
187 rental units,
10K ground floor retail
Developer: Sotiris Kolokotronis
Architect: Vrilakas Architects


If anyone has any corrections to what is listed above, please feel free to post it and I'll make any necessary changes.

[westcoastperspective]

What's the hold up with Capitol Lofts? Anyone know, or has work finally started? Regis has been planning this thing since 2000 or so.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by westcoastperspective

What's the hold up with Capitol Lofts? Anyone know, or has work finally started? Regis has been planning this thing since 2000 or so.

From the CADA website...


Status: The Developer currently is working under a Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) with CADA that outlines the terms and conditions under which the project is to be developed. Using a $1.5 million predevelopment loan provided by CADA, the developer has hired a design team which is finalizing construction drawings. Once the City and CADA have approved the designs, and the developer has met CADA's conditions precedent to transfer of the property, including evidence of financing, CADA will sell the project site to the developer so that construction can begin. Once the City has issued building permits, CADA will authorize commencement of construction. CADA anticipates transferring the property to the developer late in the Fall of 2006. Construction will begin shortly after the property has been transferred.


It sounds as if perhaps the design is running behind... Not sure where exactly the project is now, although i know it's still on track.

Perhaps innov8 or Sugit have more information.??

[westcoastperspective]

Thanks Urban!
I know these things are a jigsaw puzzle to put together- but this one has been in the 'planning' stage for quite some time. Anyone been over to see Regis' Iron Works development? Pretty slick inside, the exteriors are rather blah though.

[foxmtbr]

Thanks for all your efforts, urban!

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by foxmtbr

Thanks for all your efforts, urban!

Thanks for the kind words foxmtr, but most of the information here is collected from posts and threads that has already been posted by Sacramento forumers.....

I just try to collect here for the city compilations...

[urban_encounter]

Twelve
(12th/13th street at C street)
10 single family homes
30 lofts
1000 sf ground floor retail
Developer: Urban 44
Architect: Malcaullay + Architects

[urban_encounter]

Bob Shallit: High-rise condos with 'waterfront' view
By Bob Shallit - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 6:26 am PDT Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1



Venice by the freeway? Not exactly. But land use consultant Brian Cooley is working on a project along Highway 50 that could sprout nearly 1,000 high-rise condos and retail shops -- all situated near an existing canal.

The proposal is the second for the property, former site of the Mine Shaft Family Fun Center, which sits parallel to the busy freeway between Sunrise Boulevard and Hazel Avenue.

Auto repo magnate Patrick Willis acquired the land in 2002 and initially planned to partially restore the amusement park and use the rest for auto sales and a call center.

Talks with county and Regional Transit officials led to a change in plans for the banana-shaped parcel that backs up to the Folsom South Canal, which carries water from the American River.

Why high-rises? Given the narrow footprint of the property, "the only way to put high-density (housing) there was to go up," Cooley says.

He reports that the multi-tower project has been well-received by RT, which is considering putting a light rail station nearby. County staffers also like the idea.

"We try to encourage intense development around light-rail stations. I think our office would be supportive of this type of project," says Jeff Gamel, a Sacramento County senior planner.

Its first big test comes in a month or two, when the developer goes before the Board of Supervisors seeking designation as a "special plan area" that would exempt it from some local zoning requirements.

If that goes well, the developers will seek more detailed designs from Nadel Architects and begin what could be a decadelong building process.

Cooley sees the housing appealing to people who want access to the bike trail, Lake Natoma and eventual light rail. It also dovetails with plans being developed by Aerojet for a massive housing and retail complex -- called Westborough -- to the southeast.

What about the current housing slump?

Not a worry, Cooley says. "We won't be having housing (coming on line) until 2011 or 2012," he says. "By then, who knows what the market will look like?"

[tuy]

Shallit didn't answer the question we all have.

How tall will they be?

[Kevlar1981]

Hell yeah! Sacramento is emerging from LA and San Fran's shadows. I've always liked this city. Can't wait to see it in 5 years.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by innov8

Capitol Grand (in-color)


These are photos of the renderings that were given to me on 11 x 17 sheets
of paper. I wanted to scan them but they are just to big.

Anyway, like I have said before, this is the NEW Capitol Grand rendering that is nearly finished with the EIR process and is 965' to the top of the spire. The
top of the structure is 771' and then spire rises up 194' to the final
height of 965'. To meet parking requirements with the city, the tower has
7 leveles of above ground parking and 6 below. The below grade parking
would go down 75' and have slurry walls of 3 feet thick surrounding the hole.

My only real complaint at this point is the look of the base at the street
level. It has a bunker quality about it... could use a little work.

The Tower would use 5 different types of stone, 2 different types of glass,
2 different types of metal and 3 different types of concrete. I think that
pretty impressive for a tower of this size.

The big question... will it be built???

I wasn't aware or don't recall that it was already going through the EIR. I knew that there is a traffic study underway, but hadn't heard about the EIR.

Is there any information available as to how much of this tower the California Medical Association is planning to bankroll?

[Visiteur]

Wow, that proposed tower really is a beauty. Hope to see it come to fruition sometime soon .

[urban_encounter]

The brownstones are coming
East Coast icon offers urban chic on compact lots
By Jim Wasserman - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1



Fifty-eight town houses are being built on 3 acres at 21st and U streets. Prices for the three-story, brownstone-style homes are projected from the mid-$400,000s to the $800,000s. Neighborhood amenities include a new Safeway and several restaurants.


Sacramento home builders are tapping that venerable icon of East Coast architecture -- the brownstone -- to stir sales for nearly 100 new three-story town houses coming to midtown.

They don't look like much now as construction begins. But as the new homes begin to sprout on vacant land in one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, builders say they'll evoke a classic brownstone ambience with their sturdy stone exteriors, second-story kitchens and living rooms and third-floor bedrooms.

The vertical, narrow homes are a key in the push for higher density housing in the region -- with up to 43 units per acre compared to the five or 10 per acre common in the area's suburbs -- and new examples of how in-fill projects are being used to turn the concept into reality.

"We were looking for something with urban cachet and it evolved very quickly into the brownstone concept," said Kevin Noell, partner in Metro Nova Communities.

Noell, a San Diego builder, and his development partners Tony Giannoni and Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis plan 58 brownstone-style homes on 3 acres at 21st and U streets in a project dubbed Tapestri Square. Three models are under construction.

None of the new Sacramento homes will be exact replicas of the brownstones that populate the streets in eastern cities like New York and, increasingly, some Western cities such as Portland, Ore. Neither do they share common walls, a standard feature of the homes that originated as multistory European row houses.

But they do mimic the narrow widths common to homes built in urban areas: The buildings at Tapestri Square range from 16 1/2 feet wide to 24 feet wide.

Tapestri Square is being built in an area with increasing shopping amenities. A Safeway grocery store and numerous restaurants are just blocks away; the Capitol is about a 15-minute walk from the project.

John Packowski, marketing principal of PHA Architects, said the idea for the buildings' look evolved as he walked past brownstones on the Upper West Side of New York City and later in Chicago.

"It's a modern adaptation of a traditional style," Noell said. "The verticality, the relatively narrow unit, is actually part of the ambience."

Most of the homes include the traditional walk-up to the main second-floor living area and the sitting stoops that give residents of brownstones a sense of neighborhood life.

Prices at Tapestri Square will range from the mid-$400,000s to the $800,000s for three-story homes ranging from 1,200 square feet to 2,600 square feet. The plan is to snag people downsizing from bigger single-family homes after their children are grown.

"That was the idea, to appeal to a somewhat older buyer who typically has an older, bigger home and furniture they don't want to part with. It can travel down with them," said Packowski, the architect.

About a mile away behind Trinity Cathedral at 27th and N streets, Sacramento-based Loftworks also is clearing ground to begin 32 three-story residences called Sutter Brownstones. The plan is to attract employees of nearby Sutter Hospital and others who "want to live more closely to the amenities the city is beginning to offer," said Mark Friedman, a Loftworks partner with Michael Heller.

Friedman hired the architectural firm LPA Sacramento Inc. and a Portland architect to blend older brownstone features and a more contemporary look for the town houses.

Tentative prices for the town houses, which range from 1,150 square feet to 1,700 square feet, are $415,000 to $650,000. The first units likely will be available at the end of November, Friedman said.

Both partnerships say the appeal of brownstone-style features will compete with proposed high-rise condo developments to the west in downtown Sacramento, including the Towers, Third Street and Capitol Mall, and Aura Condominiums at 601 Capitol Mall.

Analysts say the new housing is part of downtown Sacramento's long transition to an urban center with more for-sale homes, office buildings and entertainment offerings. Densities that range from about 20 per acre at Tapestri to 43 homes per acre at Sutter Brownstones also win praise -- and predictions of quick sales.

"The thing we're seeing is that 30 to 40 percent of the population seem to want what I refer to as walkable urbanism," said Christopher Leinberger, a fellow with the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., and director of the University of Michigan's graduate real estate program.

Leinberger, who recently addressed the Downtown Sacramento Partnership about revitalizing the city's urban core, said there is always pent-up demand for such housing because too little has been built. That also makes it more expensive.

In Rancho Cordova, Atlanta-based Beazer Homes is giving the brownstone concept a slightly more suburban twist for its Capital Village development. The builder plans 248 brownstone-themed homes in a community of 800 houses. Some are three stories and others two stories, said Sacramento division President Brendan O'Neill.

He said the brownstone theme fits for the homes' vertical architectural features and tiny lots that place the homes three feet apart. That's to help comply with the region's push toward putting more of its newcomers onto less space, he said.

The models are nearly finished with grand opening scheduled in mid-April. Prices range from $304,000 to $382,000 for 1,365 square feet to 2,200 square feet.

As the brownstone theme is unveiled downtown and in Rancho Cordova, three-story residential units of all kinds are springing up across the metro area -- with plenty more to come, analysts say, as expensive land prices also push housing ever more vertical.

In West Sacramento, builders are marketing at least three new triple-story projects that bear some resemblance to those in midtown. Those include Sacramento-based Leonard Development's 25-home River's Side at Washington Square and Fairfield-based SBB Associates' 34-unit Harriet Lane town house development. Regis Homes of Sacramento also is building 104 three-story houses at its Lofts at Ironworks.

The three-story concept is spreading far beyond the Sacramento's urban core, as well. Chicago-based Kimball Hill Homes plans an unspecified number of three-story single-family houses at its 168-home Somesert infill project on Franklin Boulevard in south Sacramento.

"A lot of this is going back to the higher density to get better efficiency out of your land use," said Mike Paris, the builder's Sacramento division president. "We have to go vertical in order to do that."

[urban_encounter]

Region adds more than 25,000 people in a year
Sacramento Business Journal - March 23, 2007
by Adam Weintraub Staff writer

The four-county Sacramento region added an estimated 25,400 people from July 2005 to July 2006, while Yuba County had the highest percentage population growth of any California county over the same period.

The new estimates were released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau for counties across the United States. California added more than 300,000 people during the past year, increasing the state's population to almost 36,457,600.


The Greater Sacramento growth amounted to about 8.4 percent of the state's overall estimated population growth for the year. The growth in the four-county area paled next to other parts of the state. Riverside County alone added an estimated 81,411 people in one year.

Nine of the 58 California counties saw an estimated loss of population, with the largest, 2,134 people, in Monterey County, the Census Bureau estimated.
Two of the four local counties -- Sacramento and Placer -- each added more population than the estimated 6,900 or so that became residents of Los Angeles County.


99,000 homes in development pipeline
Building advocates seek 20-year supply
Sacramento Business Journal - March 23, 2007
by Michael Shaw Staff Writer

Developers are seeking approval of a record number of new homes in the Sacramento region, even as sales have dropped to their lowest level in years.

Through the end of last year, a total of 99,438 single-family houses, condos or townhomes were in the development pipeline in the six-county region, according to Hanley Wood Market Intelligence. That's a 13.6 percent increase from December 2004, the most recent comparable data.


Over the same period, new-home sales plummeted 44 percent.
While residential construction has slowed as builders try to reduce their inventories, land developers are thinking long term.
"People are continuing to flood into the Central Valley," said Dave Jarrette, an appraiser with Giannelli & Jarrette LLC. "And Sacramento is the gem of the Central Valley. This is where the job growth is projected to be. There are quite a few sophisticated developers here who realize that."
Jarrette noted that land suitable for master-planned communities is becoming scarce around Sacramento, so developers don't want to relinquish or shelve their projects.

Hanley Wood reports the proposed homes are being sought for 646 new subdivisions, from Galt to Yuba City and most places in between.
And the almost 100,000 homes don't cover everything -- only the projects Hanley Wood labels as "proposed." That means developments with 10 or more units and with a conceptual, tentative or final map that's been submitted, approved or recorded.

Excluded from that total are thousands more homes at either end of the spectrum. Unsold homes and lots in existing new-home communities aren't included because they have completed the entitlement process and theoretically are already on the market. Also excluded are parcels in master-planned areas that are still years from serious consideration for approval.
Those categories boost the expected Sacramento housing stock by at least another 84,000.

While 184,000 may seem like a huge number of homes, developers are keen to point out it takes decades to bring that many homes to market.

[innov8]

[urban_encounter]

"The Towers" on Capitol Mall update:


Saca buys out CalPERS' stake in Towers project
Sacramento Business Journal - by Michael Shaw

Developer John Saca has bought out California Public
Employees' Retirement System's interest in the Towers
on Capitol Mall skyscraper project, allowing him to
retain ownership and search for other partners, Saca
said Monday. Terms were not disclosed.

The move may allow the project to move forward
if additional financing can be found to cover increased
construction costs and to replace CalPERS' $100 million
contribution. Although CalPERS did not disclose its
financial involvement to date, sources familiar with
the project had previously said it had contributed
$25 million before work stopped in January.

The two sides butted heads on how to proceed under
overruns estimated at least $70 million. Saca said he
and CalPERS reached an "amicable settlement."

The split comes a year after the pension giant
announced its intention to invest in the condo towers,
with officials calling it "a good investment." Saca called
the partnership "a perfect match" at the time.

The relationship soured, though, after it became
apparent that the original $500 million budget wouldn't
be enough to build The Towers. Personnel changes at
CalPERS may also have played a role -- a strong backer
of the project, Mike McCook, left as senior real estate
investment adviser.

The foundation has yet to be poured and The Towers
already owes about $35 million in loans to contractors
for work already done. Unpaid contractors have filed
liens and lawsuits against the project.

Real estate investor Joe Mohamed purchased the $22 million
loan from First Bank that the Towers partnership used to
purchase the land on Capitol Mall. Saca said Monday he
is working with Mohamed to pay off the loan or extend it.

Saca said he hoped to be able to pay remaining debts
within a few weeks.

"We are working hard to bring in another partner and hope
to have a new deal announced within a week or so," Saca
said in a news release.

Saca said more than 250 condo buyers have signed
agreements that extend deadlines for completion of the project.

"CalPERS has been fair and reasonable coming to this
settlement," Saca said. "Neither party foresaw the
significant changes in circumstances that have affected
this project."

"Over the last several months, I have been inspired
and humbled by the hundreds of supportive phone calls
and e-mails from citizens all over the Sacramento area,"
Saca wrote. "They believe in this project; our buyers
believe in this project."

The Towers consists of two 53-story towers with 800
condo units and a 230-room InterContinental Hotel.




Downtown Plaza remodel update:

Westfield taps downtown plaza design firm
Sacramento Business Journal

Westfield Corp. Inc. has selected Callison, a retail design
firm, to collaborate on the redesign of Sacramento's
Downtown Plaza.

The Seattle-based firm was chosen partially for its
familiarity with urban retail project, Westfield said.

Westfield has submitted a redevelopment plan to
the city of Sacramento that would include new
theaters, a larger food court in a different location,
a grocery store and a new Target store. The plan,
which has been estimated to cost as much as $80
million, was recently resubmitted to the city.

"Although still in the city approval process, teaming
with Callison to revitalize Downtown Plaza with new
life, energy and design further reinforces that commitment,"
said Larry Green, Westfield's senior vice president for
development. "The new center will be more vibrant,
friendly and attractive for our shoppers and retailers."
Westfield anticipates proceeding with the work in
stages. Westfield has said the entire job could take
two years. The project needs approval from the city's
design and planning commissions.

[Flea]

nice designs and nice watching the capital city grow.

[SacTownAndy]

Suburbia's getting in on the action now too. Two twins in suburban Sac at 36-stories/424 feet


Bob Shallit: On the Horizon
High-rise condos planned near Cordova RT station

By Bob Shallit - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 12:42 am PDT Monday, May 21, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1

A local development company last year completed a renovation of the historic Sheepherder Inn on the edge of Rancho Cordova.

Now D&S Development is looking to dwarf that project -- and everything in its vicinity -- with two, 36-story condo towers right next to the "The Sheep," on Folsom Boulevard, east of Sunrise.

Plans recently were submitted for the 485-unit project that would feature 10-foot ceilings, two workout facilities and a swimming pool placed on a bridge connecting the two towers, with glass portholes on the pool bottom so swimmers can see people walking below them.

"We like to push the envelope and do projects that are unique and good for the community," says Bay Miry, an official with D&S, which has taken on numerous local residential and retail projects but nothing close to this scope.

Miry says he expects the approval process to take about two years. After that, construction will begin if the current housing slump has turned around.

It will, sooner or later, he says. "We'll be ready for the next cycle," he says.

The project -- called Point East Towers -- is being pitched as a transit-oriented development, linked to a light-rail station across the street.

The developers envision people buying units at a not-yet-determined discount to the high-rise condos being proposed downtown, then using light rail to commute to their jobs.

The proposal so far has been "well-received," says the county's principal planner, Tricia Stevens.

But project architect Ed Kado, who encountered opposition to his design for a downtown office building topped by a Parthenon replica, suspects this one may spark some controversy.

"People will ask, why are they sticking those (tall towers) up in no-man's land," he says.

His answer? The project will bring recognition to Rancho Cordova and meet regional goals of putting high-density housing near light-rail stations.

"You're going to see concentrated activity (around the stations) and it won't be long before that activity goes vertical," he says. "We're just ahead of the game."

By the way, Kado says his design has plenty of eye-catching features. None is Greek.

"There won't be a Parthenon on the top," he says





An artist's renderings of proposed 36-story condominium towers near the Rancho Cordova light-rail station place them on Folsom Boulevard, east of Sunrise.


http://www.sacbee.com/103/story/187623.html

[urban_encounter]

Towers project looks shakier
Developer misses buyout deadline for his 53-story dream.
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:17 am PDT Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B1


Downtown high-rise developer John Saca missed Friday's deadline to buy out his estranged partner, the California Public Employees' Retirement System -- leaving the fate of his twin condominium towers more precarious than ever.

"Things did not turn out the way we were hoping," Saca said. "We had under 60 days to raise over $60 million for a project that was really underwater. ... We just ran out of time."

The giant state pension fund now has a week or two to decide whether it wants to take over the stalled, debt-ridden project at the entrance to Capitol Mall and move forward without Saca, CalPERS confirmed Tuesday. The pension fund invested about $25 million with Saca before cutting him off in late 2006, citing cost overruns.

CalPERS has brought in the CIM Group, a Los Angeles-based developer, to decide whether it would make financial sense to pursue a significantly scaled-down version of Saca's 53-story condominium and hotel towers. CIM's idea for the site also would include some office space, said CalPERS spokeswoman Pat Macht.

"CIM is taking a look at it, and they're conducting their due diligence," Macht said.

CIM also has approached the city about a possible subsidy for the project, Macht said. The city had committed $11 million to Saca to help buy fixtures and furnishings for the hotel once it was constructed.

CIM is best known in Sacramento for its recently completed seven-story loft apartment project at Ninth and J streets. CalPERS was also an investor in the project. The city of Sacramento contributed about $16 million in redevelopment funds.

Sacramento Assistant City Manager John Dangberg would not discuss the details of the city's discussions with CIM or CalPERS. But he pointed out that the City Council's main focus for redevelopment spending remains the more blighted area around J, K and L streets -- not the Capitol Mall.

"The City Council chose to step away from those priorities to assist (Saca's) project because of its impact," Dangberg said. "If that project goes away, I think what still stands is the council's priority for J, K and L."

The current cloud hanging over one of downtown's most visible development sites is far from the optimism city leaders and Saca once voiced about his chances of building the West Coast's tallest residential structures.

Saca is a shopping center developer with no previous high-rise experience. His family is best known for founding the Filco appliance chain. Yet he captured the public imagination -- and nationwide attention -- with his ambitious plan to build something grander and taller than his hometown had ever seen.

Even as the housing market stalled, Saca still managed to secure deposits for about 400 units in The Towers. But construction costs soared. The CalPERS executive who made the commitment to invest $100 million in the project left the pension fund, and CalPERS managers became increasingly uncomfortable with putting in more money. The pension plan pulled the plug.

Construction on The Towers stopped in January. In February, Saca defaulted on the loan he used to buy the prime site at Third Street and Capitol Mall, once the home of the Sacramento Union newspaper.

Contractors who worked on the site have since filed liens totaling about $13 million.

"It can't get much worse," Saca said Tuesday. "There's a stigma on the property now, and it's hard to overcome that."

The $22 million mortgage on the construction site has been purchased by Joseph Mohamed Sr., a Sacramento investor who is inclined to give Saca plenty of breathing room. Mohamed has a personal reason for wanting to see Saca move forward.

"We bought some units there too that we'd like to live in," Mohamed said. "So we're going to do whatever we can to make it work."

About three-quarters of Saca's original buyers also have agreed to extend the terms of their purchase contracts -- another key element in keeping the project afloat, he said.

Still, the interest and penalties on his debt continue to pile up, Saca said, making outside investors reluctant to get involved. Complicating matters is his contentious relationship with CalPERS. Saca said that also makes potential investors leery.

Saca said he's still hopeful that CalPERS will wind up agreeing to accept something less than the money it has spent. In that case, it would be easier to find new investors, he said. If the property goes to foreclosure, the pension fund's entire investment will likely be lost.

Saca said Tuesday he would be disappointed if the CIM plan moves forward.

"The sad thing is that CIM doesn't want to build (my) project," he said. "They would basically throw away the plans and start from scratch."

[urban_encounter]

Huge project stresses transit
A 65-acre residential and retail development is proposed for north of downtown railyard.
By Jim Wasserman - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 12:05 am PDT Saturday, June 23, 2007


A plan for one of the largest downtown-area residential developments in decades is about to be considered at Sacramento City Hall -- and it's not the railyard.

A local development team -- Capitol Station 65 LLC -- wants to build nearly 3,000 condominiums, town houses and apartments on 65 acres just north of its better-known neighbor.

They're calling it Township 9, a $1.7 billion transit-oriented development plan that backers say will usher an urban lifestyle into an aging Sacramento industrial zone called the River District. Many compare the proposed development -- bounded by Richards Boulevard, North Fifth and North Seventh streets and the American River -- to those that helped redevelop older downtown-area neighborhoods of Dallas, Denver and Portland, Ore.

The project's ultimate goal: fewer cars and a pedestrian-friendly environment. In fact, the plan largely avoids widening roads. Among its key features is a planned light-rail stop at Richards Boulevard and North Seventh Street.

The riverfront project, with its urban mix of housing, retail and possibly offices, is set for an introduction Thursday to the Sacramento Planning Commission.

Until recently, Township 9 has flown below the radar of the nearby 240-acre railyard development, considered one of the largest urban infill projects in the United States. But unlike the complicated railyard project, it has no underground contamination issues to resolve and no disputes over existing structures.

It also follows recent River District improvements that include a connection to downtown via an extension of Seventh Street. A new trail also is attracting more bicyclists and joggers and helping reduce homeless activity in the area, say the developers.

The high-density development, which proposes about 60 residences to the acre, is winning plaudits from area transit officials, regional planners and other Sacramento officials.

"If you wanted a first project (in the River District), this would be it," said Sacramento City Council member Ray Tretheway, who represents the redeveloping area. "It sets the bar pretty high for the rest of them."

Suheil Totah, vice president for Georgia-based Thomas Enterprises, developer of the railyard, said the project complements his company's plan for about 12,000 homes.

"We look at this from the perspective of more is better," Totah said. "We're in contact with them regularly."

The project is driven by Sacramento-based Nehemiah Corp. of America, which earned millions of dollars the past decade providing down payment assistance to the nation's lower-income homebuyers. With its down payment program now diminished by the rise of 100 percent financing and under renewed attack by the federal government as counterproductive for buyers, Nehemiah has increasingly turned its focus to urban development. Nonprofit Nehemiah is running Township 9 as a separate for-profit venture.

The plan is to start construction next year, then build mid- and high-rise buildings for 6,000 to 7,600 residents by about 2016. The buildings would range from two to 15 stories, the developers said. About one-third of the 65 acres would be open space, parks and plazas.

The developers would make room by razing 1.4 million square feet of buildings once owned by the Bercut-Richards Packing Co. and Tri-Valley Growers cannery. Part of the complex now houses Nehemiah, which bought the land in 1999 for an undisclosed price. The name Township 9 comes from the property's historical designation by surveyors.

Sacramento city officials said the Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to vote on the project July 19 and send it to the City Council for August hearings. That puts it ahead of the railyard development project, which is scheduled for October hearings before the Planning Commission.

Combined, the two projects -- blending residential, office and retail development -- could add 30,000 or more people to downtown Sacramento.

"We consider this one of the developments, along with the railyard, where Sacramento is really going to make its stamp about the kind of city we are evolving and growing into," said project partner Scott Syphax.

Syphax has been president and chief executive officer of Nehemiah since 2001. Other equity partners are Sacramentans Steve Goodwin and Ron Mellon, both with longtime ties to Nehemiah.

Syphax said the trio are "in discussions" with Wall Street investment houses and pension funds to raise additional capital. The California Public Employees' Retirement System is not among them, he said.

"It's a transit-oriented development within about a mile of the state Capitol of one of the largest economies in the world," Syphax said. "The site is ready to go fairly shortly. There's a great interest in that sort of development."

He said the region's housing slump will have little effect on the project.

"Given the timetable of work we have to do and demolition and putting in the infrastructure, we think we're going to be coming out of the ground at a perfect time when the market should be moving forward," he said.

Syphax also stressed pricing advantages of buying the property eight years ago, before the housing boom pushed up land prices.

But first Township 9 must win political approval. The Sacramento City Council must approve the project's environmental impact report and approve zoning changes from industrial to residential mixed use and open space.

Also needed is an agreement specifying the project's financial contribution to infrastructure work. City officials, who estimate the railyard's infrastructure costs at $530 million, say they haven't determined a figure for Township 9.

Among the project's most significant issues is the potential traffic generated by 7,000 residents. The development's 677-page environmental study projects "a significant and unavoidable" impact on nearby Interstate 5.

But the study identifies no mitigation measures because the city has no system to collect fees for the state Transportation Department for upgrades. Freeway widening near the Richards Boulevard interchange also is considered impractical, as is widening the onramps and offramps. So the study recommends that Township 9 pay traffic impact fees to widen parts of Richards Boulevard near the freeway ramps and also for traffic signal timing improvements.

Developers and the city say the point of the project is fewer cars.

"Someone could live there and not have a car at all," said David Kwong, city of Sacramento planning manager.

"We want to encourage people not to have to use cars to live in a place," said Goodwin, one of the partners.

Area transit and regional planning officials praise the project for addressing their goals of putting more people on less land and seeing them drive less. Township 9's residential density is in sharp contrast to neighboring suburbs. Its nearly 3,000 dwellings on 65 acres compares, for instance, to 4,260 dwellings on 1,483 acres in West Roseville's new WestPark community.

"We're very supportive of the project," said Mike Wiley, deputy general manager of Sacramento Regional Transit. His agency expects to open a light rail station at Richards Boulevard and North Seventh Street in 2014.

Another backer is Mike Mc- Keever, executive director of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments. SACOG helped create a "blueprint" to steer more of the region's population growth into existing neighborhoods.

"From our set of issues it's a good project," he said. "It's a real sweet spot in terms of transit ridership. It's up in the 60 units an acre-plus range. All our modeling shows when you get to that point it's a true transit-oriented development. We're very happy to see that coming in there."