okay, I'll play...sticky me!!

Under Construction:

US Bank Building
6th and Capitol Mall
www.621capitolmall.com
Developer: David S. Taylor Interests
Architect: HOK
24 Stories, 400 Feet, 24K Ground Floor Retail
http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/7356/62142wn.jpg


Marriott Residence Inn
Developer: Three Fires, LLC
Architect: Johnson Braund Design Group
15 Stories, 150 Feet, 250 Hotel Rooms, 30 penthouse condos
http://img10.exs.cx/img10/3752/marriotresinn2kj.jpg


800 J Lofts
8th and J Street
Developer: CIM Group
Architect: LPA, Sacramento
www.800JLofts.com
7 Stories, 225 Loft Units 22K Ground Floor Retail
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/econdev/down/images/sites/1213_9th%20&%20J%202.04.jpg


18th and L Street
www.1801L.com
Developer: Sotiris Kolokotronis
Architect: Vrilakas Architects
5 Stories, 187 Rental Units, 10K Ground Floor Retail
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7564/1334/320/1213_18_l_rendering.jpg


St Anton Building:
21st and L Street
Developer: St Anton Partners
5 Stories, 65 Rental Units, 3K Ground Floor Retail
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7564/1334/320/2150.jpg


Globe Mills
12th & C streets
Developer: Cyrus Youssefi and Skip Rosenbloom
Architect: Applied Architecture, Mike Malinowski
6 Story Reuse of Historic Globe Mills, 143 Senior Units
http://www.shra.org/Content/CommunityDevelopment/AlkaliFlat/AFProjects/GlobeSilos.jpg
http://www.shra.org/Content/CommunityDevelopment/AlkaliFlat/AFProjects/GlobeRendering.jpg

L Street Lofts
18th and L Street
www.LStreetLofts.com
Developer: Sotiris Kolokotronis
Architect: Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects
8 Stories, 92 Condo Units, 6K Ground Floor Retail
http://www.lstreetlofts.com/Portals/32/Assets/perspect.jpg


Cathedral Building
12th and K Street Mall
www.rentinginsac.com
Developer: Bob Clippinger
Architect: FFA Design
4 story renovation to include 23 apartments, day spa and ground floor restaurant
http://www.thecathedralbuilding.com/assets/images/perspective4.jpg


_________________________________________________________________

Approvals Gained, Site Prep Stage, Awaiting Official Construction

The Towers on Capital Mall
3rd and Capitol Mall
www.sactowers.com
Developer: Saca Development
Architect: Mulvanny G2
53-Stories 615 ft, 834 Condo Units, 65K Two Levels Retail
200 Room Intercontinental Hotel
10K The Spa at La Borgata
40K California Family Fitness
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7564/1334/320/TheTowers1.jpg
http://img257.echo.cx/img257/4448/12ho.jpg



Aura Condos
6th and Capitol Mall
http://www.auracondos.com
Developer: BNC Development
Architect: Daniel Libeskind
39 Stories, 444 Feet, 262 Condo Units, 15K Ground Floor Retail
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/8731/aura172qe.jpg


Captiol Lofts
http://www.capitollofts.com/
12th and R Street
Developer: Regis Homes
Architect: David Baker & Partners
119 Warehouse Conversion Loft Units, 3K Retail Space
http://www.capitollofts.com/images/bricks.jpg
http://www.capitollofts.com/images/capitol_renderings.jpg


East End Gateway
16th and O SW, 16th and O NW, 16th and N, and 16th and P
4 infill sites along 16th Street totaling 226 Housing Units and ~30K Ground Floor Retail ranging from 4 to 12 Stories
Developer: Loftworks and Lambert Development
Architect: FFA Design and Carrier Johnson
http://www.cadanet.org/images/16th_drawing.jpg
Generic Rendering. Do not have soft copy of actual buildings

_________________________________________________________________

Proposals/Planning /Approval Stage:

Epic Tower
www.epictower.com
12th and I Street
Developer: BNC Development
Architect: Daniel Libeskind
50-Stories ~650 Feet, 350 Condo, Office and Retail
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/enigma99a/epic_render.jpg


Capitol Grand Tower
12th and J Street
Developer: Mo Mohanna
Architect: Jenson/Fey
Estimate: 50+Stores, ~650 ft
395 Units, 250 Hilton, 5K Retail, 100K Office
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7564/1334/320/capitolgrand6nr.jpg


Joie de Vivre Hospitality
10th and J Street
200 room hotel operated by Joie de Vivre.
www.jdvhospitality.com
15 Story office building being converted into a boutique hotel. Deal hinges on city subsidy of around 15M which the city seems to be on board with.
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7564/1334/320/untitled8xz.jpg


701 L Street
7th and L Street
Developer: Danny Benvenuti
Architect: HOK
31-Stories, 445 Feet, 80 Rental Units, 240K Ofice Space, 10K Retail
* Project Hinges on Relocation of Greyhound Station
http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/135-701.jpg


The Metropolitan
10th and J Street
Developer: Saca Development
Architect: Kwan Henmi Architecture/Planning
35 Stories, 320 Condos Units, 13,000 Ground Floor Retail
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7564/1334/320/metropolitain7ij.jpg


Library Lofts
9th and I Street
Developer: DR Horton
Architect: Mogavero Notestine Associates
21 Stories, 295 Condo Units, 30K Office, 5K Ground Floor Retail
http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/5105/sachorton6ao.jpg


Partenon
5th and Capitol Mall
Developer: Angelo G Tsakopoulos
Architect: Ed Kado
24-Stories. ~400 feet
http://www.sacbee.com/static/rich_content_images/212457-0406capitol2.jpg


Meridain II
15th and K Street
Developer: Angelo Tsakopoulos and Tony Giannoni
Architect: Hornberger+Worstell
22 Story Office Building, 300 Feet
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/HighInTheSky/towers/MPII.jpg


Jibbom Street Tower
15 Story Condo Tower on Riverfront. Renovation of Historic PG&E Plant
Developer: DR Horton, Ken Faun
Architect: Mogavero Notestine Associates
http://www.sacbee.com/static/rich_content_images/180502-0216condo2.jpg


K Street Tower
8th and K Street Mall
Developer: Saca Development
24-Stories, 220 Units, Ground Floor Retail
http://www.downtownsac.org/uploads/projects/800saca.jpg


Cathedral Square Building
11th and J Street
Developer: St Anton / Cordano Company Building
Architect: Kwan Henmi Architecture/Planning
23 Stories, 210 Units, 15K Retail, 27K Office
Application on file with the city. No rendering yet


_________________________________________________________________


Other Noteable Projects Including Retail, Culture and Entertainment:

K Street Central
10th and K Street Mall
Developers: CIM Ground and David Taylor
CIM Ground and David Taylor are negotiating with the City of Sacramento to develop the city owned parcels at 10th and K Street Mall, as well as the 3 other surrounding corners. Proposals have ranged from Housing and Office with Live Theater, Lucky Strike Bowling Alley, Movie Theaters, TV Studio and a "Restaurant Row" concept with entertainment based restaurants such as dinner theater and jazz clubs. Project has had a rough go so far, more details to come at a later time.
http://img107.echo.cx/img107/742/kstcentral41gi.jpg


700 K Street Block Renovation
700 Block K Street Mall
Developer: Joe Zieden
Renovate "historic" buildings on the 700 Block of K Street Mall to include retailers such as Borders, Urban Outfitter, Lucky Brand Dungarees and Sur la Table among others on the most blighted block in Downtown Sacramento. Total footprint should be over 60K of new retail space. Some housing units may be added
http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/556-0318shallit04.jpg


Railyards
Developer: Millennia Sacramento III LLC
Architect: Jon Jerde
10,000 Residential Units, 2.3M Office Space, 620 Retail
Proposed mixed-use redevelopment of the 240-acre UP Railyards to include residential, hotel, retail and commercial uses. 10-15 Year Build Out
http://downtownsac.org/uploads/projects/milennia.jpg


Museum of Railroad Technology
The spacious railroad shop buildings will house the Museum’s collection of historic locomotives and railroad cars, with a formal museum exhibit galleries included to interpret railroad engineering and technology. Children will have the opportunity to explore fundamental physics and engineering principles through hands-on, interactive exhibits.
http://downtownsac.org/uploads/projects/railroad_tech_museum.jpg


Sacramento Intermodal Transportation Facility
The Intermodal Transportation Facility plan would feature both local and national rail and bus transportation services. The historic depot would act as a gateway to a concourse offering Light Rail connection, parking, bus terminals, restaurant, shops and other retail. The Sacramento Northern configuration will connect light and heavy rail, bus, shuttle, taxis and future high-speed rail through construction of modern facilities and reuse of the historic depot. The proposal relocates the historic depot 350 feet north and restores its original use as a waiting area, ticketing counter and dining room.
http://downtownsac.org/uploads/projects/intermodal.jpg


Riverfront Docks
Development of the area know as the "Docks" on the riverfront with housing, retail and open space
http://www.news10.net/assetpool/images/0581023555_riverfront2-185.jpg


Crocker Art Museum Expansion
3rd and O Street
http://www.crockerartmuseum.org/about/expansion.htm
Three times the current space for the permanent collection
*Four times the current space for temporary exhibitions
*300-seat auditorium/lecture theatre
*Cafe 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://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7564/1334/320/banner_expansion03.jpg


Capital Unity Center
16th and N
www.capitalunity.org
The Capital Unity Council strives to create an inclusive environment of understanding, acceptance, respect, and celebration of differentness with programs that provide opportunities for learning, partnerships, coalition building, access to services and information, promotion of sound public policy and assembly at our flagship Unity Center.
http://www.capitalunity.org/images/option2av1.jpg


Sacramento Childrens Museum
Undetermined Site
www.sacramentochildrensmuseum.org
The mission of the Sacramento Children's Museum is to spark a passion for life-long learning. Our vision is to be the world's most innovative children's museum. The Sacramento Children's Museum will be a hands-on, play-based environment where childhood is respected, nurtured and celebrated; a place where children can engage in and enjoy the world in which we live.


Sacramento Performing Arts Center
13th and K Street Mall
Renovation of the City's 2500-seat theater, including an expanded lobby, modernized infrastructure, back of house and loading area expansions
http://downtownsac.org/uploads/projects/comthe.jpg


Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Renovations
11th and K Street Mall
Dedicated in 1889, the Cathedral is undergoing a $32 million renovation, which is scheduled for completion in Fall 2005.
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/6339/cathedrallast4hi.jpg
http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/60/cathedral52th.jpg


Asian Trade Center Proposal
Very Early Stages. Numerous sites have been mentioned
- 4.5 Million Sqaure Feet in Total
- 28 Story - 550 Room Hotel
- 40 Story - Office Tower
- 26 Story - Residentul Tower
- Exhibition Center - 1.2 Million SF
- Retail, dinning, shopping - 220K SF
- Trade and Finance College - 120K SF
- International Shipping Center - 100K
- 2000- Seat Cultural Center and amphitheaer
- Setzer Meseum, 20K SF
- 9000 New Jobs, 1/3 will be from "any country that wants to partcipate"
http://www.hellobubba.com/downloads/CITC_bizjournal-cover.jpg

Aaagh....I dont belive it! Sacramento! Holy moly!

sacramento really is developing very fast..

i got a little excited and made a side by side of the two elevations found so far...

http://www.hellobubba.com/images/epic_libeskind-sacto.jpg

enjoy :)

Deleted: Projects added to the first post

News on a long strugling part of downtown

http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/12610204p-13464437c.html
_________________________________________________________________________

Developers still have a month to turn in proposals for a destination entertainment complex at 10th and K streets. But there's already a buzz building around one still-evolving plan that would put residential, retail and office buildings, along with entertainment venues, on at least three of the intersection's four corners.
The city last month put out an "RFP" seeking ideas mainly for the property it owns on the south side of K Street, from 10th most of the way to 11th. That land includes the sites of former Woolworth and Rite Aid stores and has long been a key redevelopment target.

But several local developers teamed with the CIM Group of Hollywood are proposing construction not only on those sites but also on properties they control on the intersection's northeast and southwest corners.

Participants in the group are said to include David Taylor, the Cordano family and St. Anton Partners, along with CIM, whose huge lofts project is now starting to rise from the ground at Ninth and J streets.

They are planning ground-floor retail stores topped by offices and housing. They're also looking at bringing in entertainment, including perhaps B Street's children's theater. Yes, that's right. The developers and city think they have a shot at luring the venue away from Sutter's planned midtown development.

Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, has heard about the proposal and says he's encouraged someone is pursuing a multibuilding, multicorner project at what he considers the "most challenging stretch of K street from a social and retail perspective."

"This is a chance to kick-start the momentum on the central part of K Street."

Libeskind #2
(Aura Condos)
Floors: Unknown

http://img201.exs.cx/img201/603/libeskind25su.jpg

Cool we got a sac thread! Now lets make it a sticky ;) but im confused, where did that second tower come from? is that an alternative design for the first one?

621 look really good! only if it was a little taller. man i want more renderings of that grand tower, i think it's gonna turn out great. any updates on it at all?

What a great addition to Sacramento's downtown. Can't wait to see that on the horizon.

Cheers!!

What's the status of 621 capital mall?? Haven't heard too much about this project lately.

Those are great. Sac's skyline will be awesome with those buildings. :okay:

I am dumbfounded by all this Sacto developement.

I used to live in Sac back in the 1980s, on N Street across from Capital Park (the Thayer, if you know where that is), and alot was a happening even then, more in the way of infill housing...and the light rail line had opened, too....yet the city was still fairly low rise back then....

But it looks, from these pix, that developement has kicked up into very high gear.....

Also there is the State's West End project. Should be sizeable but no renderings yet.

Also in the works in DT is the Railyard development. Should work out to be 1000s of units of residential.

can I get sticky? :)

Libeskind tower #2. (www.auracondos.com)

36 Stories
~415 feet

http://www.mhendricks.net/index21/imagesAura2_edited.jpg

The above will take up the rest of the block that 621 Captial Mall doesn't use, so they will side by side

I wonder which one will go into development first; Aura or Epic?

Golden State Tower - State's next office building to start construction in a year.

http://img211.echo.cx/img211/576/goldenstate0ba.jpg

WOW, finally a 700' for sacramento! any renderings yet?

Sacramento - 1.4 Billion Asian Trade Center Proposal

I picked up my copy of the business journal today..here are some of the details

This would be HUGE for Sacramento! Skyline, economy, image, reputation..you name it

Been in talks for a couple years now, only know to around dozen people. Elavated from the talks of a World Trade Center in DT that we heard about a couple years back.

There are about 8 differnt articles so I'll sum it up and we can post them when they come online Sunday night for more discussion

4.5 Million Sqaure Feet in Total
- 28 Story - 550 Room Hotel
- 40 Story - Office Tower
- 26 Story - Residentul
- Exhibition Center - 1.2 Million SF (will "dwarf" the DT convention center)
- Retail, dinning, shopping - 220K SF
- Trade and Finace College - 120K SF
- Internation Shipping Center - 100K
- 2000- Seat Cultural Center and amphitheaer
- Setzer Meseum, 20K SF
- 9000 New Jobs, 1/3 will be from "any country that wants to partcipate"


Architects are Hornberger+ Worstell (couldn't find anything on the website)

The possbile locations are:

- Triangle in West Sacramento
- Land near Arco Arena (I-5 and I-80)
- Natomas
- Railyards
- 3rd and Broadway
- Richard Blvd

Developers say they have raised 900M from investors in Hong Kong, but need additional investor for about 2-10M to carry the project through the entitlement process...Hong Kong investor will not give money until that part is complete

Lot of skepticism among local developers that were approced for money. Some thing it's a "pipedream" (that was kinda my thought too)

WHY SACRAMENTO?
- CA is the largest Asian trader
- Central Location in CA
- Lower Construction Costs than SF, LA or Seattle
- More affordable and better commutes that make it easier to attract foreign talent

They expect entitlements to take 3 years and hope to be open in 2010

This is what I really wanted to see happen at the Dennys block of DT at 3rd and J, but this is just little bit better (major sacrasum there)

I highly suggest picking up a copy for $1.50 at the newstand

wait so this asian trade center is a completely different project from the golden state building?

the golden state building proposal is by the State of California

Here is a roundup from another thread of Sacramento news. (Everything over 20 floors)

50-Story- 188m Libeskind "Epic" (Residential, Office, Retail)
38-Story- 128m Libeskind "Aura" (Residential)
53-Story- 183m Towers at Capitol Mall 301 (Hotel & Residential)
53-Story- 183m Towers at Capitol Mall 301 (Residential)
38-Story- 121m Capitol Grand Tower (Hotel and Residential)
23-Story- ?m Residential Tower on 11th & J st.
50-Story- 214m Golden State Tower (or two 31 story towers) (State Office)
24-Story- 122m 621 Capitol Mall (Office)
22-Story- 92m Meridian Phase II

Asian Trade Center towers
28-Story- 550 Room Hotel
40-Story- Office Tower
26-Story- Residential

thanks for the heads up on this project to everyone at SSP.
I love the idea. i'm happy with the site pictured. i'm amazed at the ambitiousness of this project. and i loved the response from Rob Fong.

(feel free to repost anywhere)

http://www.hellobubba.com/downloads/CITC_bizjournal-cover.jpg

it's like a city within a city.. isn't it?!

and i'd also like to add... that in complete irony, that site hold a special place in sacramento history. as some of the first inhabitants of that area were asian rice farmers, who grew crops and had a trading area very close to that site.

Thanks for the scan!

no problem! thanks for reposting it too. :)

thanks for the heads up on this project to everyone at SSP.
I love the idea. i'm happy with the site pictured. i'm amazed at the ambitiousness of this project. and i loved the response from Rob Fong.

(feel free to repost anywhere)

http://www.hellobubba.com/downloads/CITC_bizjournal-cover.jpg
It kinda looks out of place in that area.

I actually think it looks really cool! Sure, it may be separated from the rest of downtown, but it's a very attractive design with lots of open space, in a highly visible area. I actually think it fits the location perfectly.

I think a mistake is being made in peoples perception of this project.

It isn't a downtown, urban culture project. It is on a much larger scale than that. The trade center will be a driving force in the western united states economy. They are using sacramento as a central location to the entire west.

If you think on that train of thought, it's quite a flattering gesture to this region. The fact that it is being tentaviely placed ONLY 1 mile from the center of midtown sacramento... it's quite exciting.

I live a few blocks down broadway and either walk or ride 2 stops on light rail to land myself in the center of the city. Maybe it's the rendering or angle that makes this look far away, because it most certainly is not.

The business people attending this trade center will be riding in limos or cabs anyway. :)

Don't forget about the Chinese trade center proposal which is completely different than the Korean proposal!! :):):)




Chinese buyers in talks with Metro Air Park

Mike McCarthy
Staff Writer

A group of Chinese nationals hunting for a place to build a trade center on the West Coast are talking with the owners of Metro Air Park, according to three sources who know about their interest, possibly about buying the whole 1,886 acres.

Meanwhile, a separate and local group is talking with some of the owners of the embryonic business park about buying 100 acres for an auto mall.

Neither deal is sealed -- far from it. But both undertakings might have been lured by the interest created as construction nears for the park, which is located just east of Sacramento International airport. Infrastructure work begins this year, and the first industrial warehouses could be built as early as 2006.

The tract is zoned by Sacramento County for 21 million square feet of warehousing, office, retail and high-tech space, plus a golf course.


Driven by trade

The bigger deal comes as rising economic powers in Asia have expressed a general interest in increasing trade with the United States. American businesses, lured by the potential of selling to 2 billion new customers, have returned the interest.

The deal sounds similar to a separate proposal to build an Asian trade center near Interstate 5 and Broadway in Sacramento. (See related stories, Pages 1 and 6.) That project would have ties to a Korean trade center.

Sources who didn't want to be named and close to the Metro project report that Hong Kong-based businesspeople, unable to find enough land or an attractive cost of living for potential employees in Southern California or the Bay Area, started scouring the valley.

"They want to build a center to display their merchandise," said a source close to the park.

The potential buyers have been in talks with the Metro Air Park owners for several weeks. An amazing veil of silence has been drawn over the park, considering that 22 ownership groups, including developer Buzz Oates and Jack Sioukas, own parts of the property.

They're looking at Metro Air Park because the land is available, the site is close to the airport, and it's about 10 miles from McClellan Park, which can handle cargo planes on its runways.


Landowners get asked for a consensus

The Chinese developers haven't made an offer yet, but they have asked for a consensus among the landowners to allow an offer, one source said.

They want to put down a deposit and study the purchase for 30 days.

If it proceeded, the project could be as big as 7 million square feet and employ 20,000 people, the project's landowners were told.

"They're looking in this country because vendors are reluctant to go to China," said another source. "They can set up here and meet."

The Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization is coordinating the effort, he added.

Bob Burris, the deputy director of SACTO, said he couldn't comment.

The potential sale price is unknown. One informed source estimated the land alone would be worth $350 million, plus or minus. Only some 1,300 acres of the tract can be developed, with the balance constrained in various ways, he said.

If the deal were to include cost of development, the price would be higher.

The auto mall has been in the works for a longer period. An undisclosed auto group has been in talks with one of the landowners for 100 acres as a home for the mall.

Some observers doubt it can happen, because Sacramento County has opposed an auto mall in Natomas for fear of the competitive damage to auto dealers on Fulton Avenue.

© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

I think they should just bring every Asian country into the project that wants to come (Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, etc), call it the Pan-Pacific Trade Center, add a few more towers for the expanded scope of the project, and call it good. :)

maybe i got the wrong impression... but i thought it was just that?!

from what i read, it's being modeled after the Korean center, but it's not an extension of it. i thought they were just using it as a comparison due to the grand scale of the proposal and the tremendous success of the korean international trade association's world trade center.

Don't listen to me, I think I was the one who got the wrong impression. If it really is for all the asian countries, that would be an impressive project.

I actually love this design...

http://www.mhendricks.net/index21/imagesAura2_edited.jpg
pretty impressive. I hope it gets built.

I like the site shown in the asian trade center rendering. Since Sacramento has a relatively small downtown area compared to other cities, this could be a major step towards widening the skyline. Who knows? It is possible that this could create a domino effect of skyscrapers further away from the heart of the city. If the project is successful in drawing emplyees to the region (due to the lower cost of living), then it may prove as an adequate example of Sacramento's potential office market. In the past some major companies have been weary and reluctant to establish offices in Sacto, but this could be the key healing the I-got-only-a-few-office-towers-blues. Yes, the possibility is out there, for Sacramento to be a wider, taller, and more dense city. But first, the asian trade center needs to be approved.

Pics from Sactowers.com



http://img254.echo.cx/img254/503/main3pp.jpg

http://img245.echo.cx/img245/9673/23cu.jpg

http://img252.echo.cx/img252/7811/31eg.jpg

http://img257.echo.cx/img257/4448/12ho.jpg

http://img259.echo.cx/img259/9514/59za.jpg

http://img241.echo.cx/img241/5547/68sg.jpg

Oh the 301 Capitol Mall towers are expected to start construction this October

the Aura 38-story condo project is looking good.. Here is a news bite from an article. Construction should start this fall.

Since word surfaced about a local Libeskind project, Nassi says, he's had "phenomenal response." Among those committed to buying units is Libeskind himself.

"He's proud of what he does," Nassi says. "When he's in the vicinity, he'll stay at his own unit there."

Nassi says he has secured a "soft commitment" of funding for the project from a large institutional lender.

Development New for K Street

VERY solid group for 10th and K

_________________________________________________________________

Developers pitch K Street plans
Three development teams have submitted proposals to revamp portions of the K Street mall in downtown Sacramento, but only one set its sights on the block between 10th and 11th streets, city officials reported Monday.

The city's Economic Development Department sent out a request for proposals on behalf of the city redevelopment agency last month, seeking pitches for "development of cultural, entertainment, retail and housing uses in the heart of downtown."

The K Street Mall, particularly the blocks nearer its west end, has been a persistent problem for the city, attracting panhandlers and showing gaps where businesses have closed. Attractions such as the Crest Theater, at 1013 K Street, are bright spots, but many plans for redevelopment have stalled.

The 700 and 800 blocks of K Street drew the most interest, with two teams submitting a proposal for each.

One team was made up of Evergreen Properties and Hank Fischer Properties. (See artcile below)

The other was made up of Zeiden Properties and The Corritore Company. Retailer Joe Zeiden has previously talked about redeveloping buildings in the 700 block of K Street for retail use.

The sole proposal for redevelopment of the 1000 block of K Street came from a team made up of David S. Taylor Interests, CIM Group, Cordano Company, St. Anton Partners and Paragary's Restaurant Group.

CIM Group is developing the Plaza Lofts at 9th and J streets. The Cordano family, owners of Sunrise Mall and mall developers, and Steve Eggert, a partner in apartment builder St. Anton, have secured a corner at 11th and J streets where they plan a condo or office tower. David Taylor and his firm are managing the renovation of Sacramento City Hall and have proposed a high-rise office tower on Lot A at 621 Capitol Mall.

_________________________________________________________________

Look for a Nugget if K Street development plan pans out

City staff delivered a tough ultimatum to K Street property owners in January: Come up with development plans for the 700 and 800 blocks of K - or risk losing your land to eminent domain.

The deadline arrived Friday. One group has stepped up big time

A partnership that includes Moe Mohanna, John Lambeth, other property owners and a couple of top development companies has submitted an eye-opening plan that includes 1,000 residential units, retail stores, an office building - and a Nugget Market.

"We've really gone to the mat on this thing," says attorney Tina Thomas, spokeswoman for the all-local development group that includes the Evergreen Co. and longtime residential builder Hank Fisher Properties.

The proposal includes the south side of K Street, between Seventh and Ninth, extending to the north side of L. About 50 percent of the property owners in the area have either joined as partners or agreed to sell their land to the team, Thomas says.

Thomas isn't disclosing any other names of retailers just yet. But getting Nugget - which has signed a letter of intent - is a huge catch. It's a perfect fit for an area city officials envision as a future residential center, full of high-rise condos and apartments.

What's next? A commission will review the proposal - and any others that may have come in late Friday - for 60 to 90 days, then start talking about low-interest loans and other incentives to make something happen.

Thomas says her group can't wait to get to that point. "We're impatient to move forward," she says.

_________________________________________________________________

Big plans for 10th and K may be just around the corner

Developers still have a month to turn in proposals for a destination entertainment complex at 10th and K streets. But there's already a buzz building around one still-evolving plan that would put residential, retail and office buildings, along with entertainment venues, on at least three of the intersection's four corners.

The city last month put out an "RFP" seeking ideas mainly for the property it owns on the south side of K Street, from 10th most of the way to 11th. That land includes the sites of former Woolworth and Rite Aid stores and has long been a key redevelopment target.

But several local developers teamed with the CIM Group of Hollywood are proposing construction not only on those sites but also on properties they control on the intersection's northeast and southwest corners.

Participants in the group are said to include David Taylor, the Cordano family and St. Anton Partners, along with CIM, whose huge lofts project is now starting to rise from the ground at Ninth and J streets.

They are planning ground-floor retail stores topped by offices and housing. They're also looking at bringing in entertainment, including perhaps B Street's children's theater. Yes, that's right. The developers and city think they have a shot at luring the venue away from Sutter's planned midtown development.

Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, has heard about the proposal and says he's encouraged someone is pursuing a multibuilding, multicorner project at what he considers the "most challenging stretch of K street from a social and retail perspective."

"This is a chance to kick-start the momentum on the central part of K Street."

Oh the 301 Capitol Mall towers are expected to start construction this October

WOOT. October. :cheers:

This could be huge......




_________________________________________________________________
Hopes rise for K Street revitalization
By Terri Hardy -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, May 8, 2005


Tired of a struggling K Street and weary of projects proposed then abandoned, city officials recently conceived an aggressive approach to kick-start redevelopment in the heart of Sacramento's downtown.
The city called for rehabilitation proposals for two areas of K Street and set a deadline of April 29. The three plans submitted offer a provocative array of options for the pedestrian mall, including a trendy bowling alley/lounge, ground-floor television studios open to pedestrian viewing, a supermarket, apartments and popular shops such as Z Gallerie.


As word of the proposals spreads, some downtown supporters said they are cautiously optimistic that, this time, the ideas may actually get built. The stakes, they say, are high.
"Downtown will never be successful until we turn around K Street," said Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. "We've seen ideas like theaters and an arena fail; we've been through way too many stops and starts. This time, there seems to be more unified support in the business community, in the neighborhoods and within the City Council."

City Councilman Ray Tretheway, whose district includes K Street, agreed there is a "collective frustration" about the lack of progress along K Street, and the political will for real change.

"There's clearly a distinctive new attitude and a feeling of responsibility to make sure these projects get off the ground," Tretheway said.

Earlier this year, the city took a tough approach with the owners of the rundown businesses and empty lots along the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street. Property owners were given 90 days to produce viable plans. Sacramento officials said they were prepared to negotiate to buy the properties, and as a last resort, to take the sites through eminent domain.

The city also put out a general request for proposals for a city-owned building at 10th and K streets.

When the three proposals came back, city officials said they were pleasantly surprised.

"Not only did the proposals meet our requirements, some even went beyond what we'd asked for," Tretheway said.

Only one plan was submitted for 10th and K, a proposal from a development group led by David Taylor that envisions a media and entertainment district using all four corners of the intersection.

As proposed, the old Woolworth building on the southeast corner would house television studios for Channel 13 (KOVR) and UPN-31 (KMAX). Bruno Cohen, vice president and general manager for both stations, said it would be the local equivalent of "The Today Show's" positioning on Rockefeller Plaza.

Cohen said the building also could house all radio stations in the area owned by Infinity Radio and office space for 400 employees.

Other aspects of the 10th and K plan include a boutique hotel on the northwest corner and condos and apartments on the southwest corner in the space now occupied by Washington Mutual. A Lucky Strike bowling alley/lounge and a Randy Paragary restaurant are elements of the plan - but exact locations have yet to be finalized.

Taylor, who developed the Esquire Plaza, has expressed frustration at the city's inability to follow through with plans to make the east end of K Street an entertainment center.

An effort to put an art movie house in the old Woolworth building was scrapped by the City Council earlier this year when a citizens group said it could drive the Tower Theatre out of business. Taylor said few businesses draw foot traffic like a movie complex, but he believes the media center could create the synergy needed to attract development.

"What we've been missing is a large anchor tenant, a private corporate tenant," Taylor said. "We've struggled how the hell to get K Street done, and I think this accomplishes that."

Two development teams submitted proposals for rehabbing the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street.

One proposal, from a team of local developers and property owners, goes a step further. The project would extend to L Street and proposes putting a Nugget Market at the site of the current Greyhound bus terminal.

The partnership includes Mo Mohanna, John Lambeth and other area property owners, as well as local developer Evergreen Co. and residential builder Hank Fischer Properties. More than 50 percent of the property owners in the area are either part of the team or have agreed to sell their land to the group, said spokeswoman Tina Thomas.

Although members of the development team do not own the Greyhound depot, Thomas said they are attempting to negotiate with area property owners. Dan Benvenuti, owner of the Greyhound terminal, could not be reached for comment.

Under the proposal, retail space would line the ground floor along K, L, Seventh and Ninth streets, with a multistory apartment complex rising between K and L. Parking would be included but not visible, Thomas said.

The apartments would be built to condo standards, with the notion that some eventually would be available for sale.

The team will look for local and one-of-a-kind businesses to fill the retail space, Thomas said. The development team toured the area with the city's preservation director, and would try to preserve the facades of many of the old buildings along the 700 and 800 blocks.

The plan was conceived by a Portland architectural firm and has the same feel as that city's hip Pearl District, Thomas said.

"If we want to do something downtown, now is the time," Thomas said. "Westfield (owner of Downtown Plaza) is not looking so good and the area needs a real shot in the arm. We're excited and impatient to get started."

The other proposal for the area comes from Zeiden Properties, headed by Joe Zeiden, president the Gardena-based Z Gallerie home furnishings chain. Goldman Ltd. and The Corritore Company, a brokerage company for specialty stores, are helping Zeiden with leasing tenants.

The Zeiden plan focuses exclusively on retail and office space with the intent of preserving, or in some cases replicating, buildings with a two-story historical feel, Zeiden said.

"We did significant research in the city's historical archives and want to keep that flavor," Zeiden said. "It's important to the ambience of the street and the store itself."

Under this plan, Z Gallerie would move from Downtown Plaza into one of the historic storefronts. Zeiden said he's done similar projects in Old Pasadena, San Diego's Gaslamp District and Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade - all examples of successful redevelopment.

Zeiden said he has other interested tenants, but like the other teams, did not want to disclose details.

He chose not to include housing, saying he believes the historic feel of those two blocks dictates K Street should be preserved for retail.

Under the city's plan, a panel of four council members and three community members will review the proposals and make recommendations. The entire City Council is expected to make the final decision in late June or early July.

Even with the proposals in hand, city officials said they know there are major challenges in redeveloping K Street - among them, the historic preservation issues.

Preservationists have urged the council to establish specific criteria when reviewing the proposals as a way to protect the area's historic integrity, but the council chose not to add that language.

"We're going to have a tug-of-war over this," Tretheway said. "Should we leave the buildings intact and restored, compromised or taken out? We're not past that hurdle yet."



http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/747-0508kstreet01.gif

_________________________________________________________________

I not feeling the bowling alley idea. I'd rather have an art museum, like a Sac MOMA, or performing arts venue.

I like the idea of the TV station, if done right. Must have a view of all on-air people. That was an idea that ALMOST happened about 5-6 years ago with a start up station called Califonria Network, or something like that. But I must say, there is quite a differnce in attractivness between "The Today Show", and the local stations

If Infinity Radio does go there, that would be pretty funny walking by seeing Napier calling someone a "moron" through the window...haha

my support of the west end proposal #8 (golden state) has been sent.

i proclaimed golden state to be a statement that will echo for over a hundred years... while the others just fall short.

:)

i slapped this together to help illustrate the relative locations of these new developments.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/oigibrist/theNEWsacramento.jpg

dude, that is awesome, tenebrist

Welcome to the board.

Some news on The Towers. They went be before the council yesterday and nothing but positive comments from everyone. That makes me feel a heck of a lot better.

The want to break ground in August. They need to get the demo and escovation done before the rain starts. That seemed to be the biggest concern for them right now.

Looks like this won't help the skyline muc though, looks like most of the proposals are 1-2 story historic buildings, correct me if wrong?


I mean the development of K street

Another office tower proposed...

Tsakopoulos proposes 29-story office tower
Mike McCarthy
Staff writer
Developer Angelo G. Tsakopoulos announced Thursday that Tsakopoulos Investments is planning to build a 29-story, 430,000-square-foot high rise at 500 Capitol Mall.



The building would be topped by a replica of the Parthenon, the temple of Athena -- the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom -- set atop the Acropolis in Athens.

Tsakopoulos Investments includes George Tsakopoulos, Angelo G.'s father. George is the brother of land developer Angelo Tsakopoulos of AKT Development Corp.

The building itself, designed by Sacramento architect Edwin Kado, would be one of the more unusual pieces of local architecture. Its rival for historical reference would be the Sumerian Ziggurat design of the "ziggurat building" in West Sacramento, across from Old Sacramento. Kado also designed the ziggurat building.

Tsakopoulos Investments estimates that the building will be done in 2008. It would be financed by the developer in tandem with Bank of the West. It is available for lease and is being brokered by Greg Levi and Betty Diepenbrock of CB Richard Ellis.

The project is announced at a time when developer David Taylor is preparing to build an office tower at 7th Street and Capitol Mall. Taylor's building would likely be done about the same time, depending on how much pre-leasing he needs.

Although, the buildings may compete for tenants, it's inevitable that both will lease up, given that relatively few new downtown high-rise office buildings are built, said Dan Chamberlain, an office broker and downtown expert with Grubb & Ellis.

It is likely that one of the primary markets for the building will be downtown's legal community, he added.

The building would be named the "Parthenon," because the ancient building is a "timeless symbol of influence and authority," according to the developer's press release.

cheers! capital mall is really developing. Nice to see some unique buildings coming to sacramento.

You wanted unique?

Here it is...I'm not feeling this one all that much.

http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/927-0513details.jpg

Change on the horizon:
Reaction mixed to proposal for new office tower
By Jon Ortiz -- Bee Staff Writer

New York has the Empire State Building, and San Francisco has the Transamerica Pyramid. Sacramento has its Tower Bridge and the Wells Fargo Center, but soon the familiar skyline may be altered with a capital city version of the Parthenon.
Angelo G. Tsakopoulos, the nephew of developer Angelo K. Tsakopoulos, on Thursday unveiled plans for the Parthenon, a 29-story office tower at 500 Capitol Mall that would be capped with a scale replica of the Greek goddess Athena's temple. Angelo G. Tsakopoulos said the Parthenon's design is intended to honor his Greek forebears.

"As a family, we will cherish the building as a tribute to the perseverance and accomplishment of our parents, George and Drosoula Tsakopoulos," said Angelo G. Tsakopoulos in e-mail correspondence with The Bee on Thursday.

The Tsakopoulos family originally hailed from the Greek village of Rizai. Now in the United States for five decades, the family has made money in real estate and is well-known for involvement in Sacramento's Greek community and donations to charitable causes.

The 430,000-square-foot office building - which would be one of the city's tallest - would cost an estimated $105 million to $115 million. Tsakopoulos Investments, which includes Angelo G. and his father, George Tsakopoulos, would pay for the project, along with supplemental financing from San Francisco-based Bank of the West.

Initial reaction to the Parthenon building has been mixed. While Tsakopoulos Investments says Sacramento city planners "have expressed very strong support for the project" in initial talks, architect David Eisen called it "a very uncomfortable mix of boring and overbearing" when he was asked to assess a digital rendering of the building.

"This is the kind of kitschy proposal that might make sense in Disneyland or Las Vegas," said Eisen, a former architecture critic for the Boston Herald who was educated at Harvard Design School. "It is an insult to the people of Sacramento."

Eisen said that the proportions of the tower, its mix of modern and classic themes and its close proximity to the Capitol are all strikes against the design.

"It sends a very bad message to out-of-towners. It's like you have no faith in today or the future, so imitating the past is the only direction you can go," he concluded. "This proposal undermines the Capitol's architecture, appearing as if it is trying to one-up it."

Architect Edwin M. Kado, who designed the Parthenon building, said he heard the same talk about one of his signature projects, the ziggurat, a terraced pyramid along West Sacramento's waterfront.

When that building opened in 1998, one Sacramento designer called it "hyped-up architecture" that "verges on Las Vegas" and other people described as "gaudy" and "too touristy."

That talk has died down, Kado said. These days, the building is often featured as a civic symbol on nationally televised Kings games.

"Any worthy architecture needs to incite some interest and controversy," he said, "especially if you're going to create a memorable, distinctive building."

It's possible that Sacramento's skyline could have several distinctive new structures in a few years.

Developer John Saca is taking deposits from prospective tenants of twin 53-story condominium and hotel towers he's proposed for 301 Capitol Mall. Downtown construction mogul David Taylor is working to build an office tower, the so-called "Lot A" project, on the mall's 600 block.

And Denver-based BCN Development wants to construct a 38-story tower on the western portion of "Lot A" next to Taylor's parcel.

Architecture aside, the Parthenon would be built in a downtown market that has a daunting office vacancy rate of nearly 17 percent. Still, the downtown's net absorption - the change in occupied space - was a positive 91,074 square feet for the first quarter of 2005. Only 25,000 square feet of new offices are under construction, according to Cornish & Carey Commercial.

Workers near 500 Capitol Mall who saw a rendering of the Parthenon weighed in Thursday with mixed reviews.

Sacramentan Galen Scott, a security officer at an adjacent office building, said he would be happy to see the current abandoned building at 500 Capitol Mall torn down, calling it an eyesore and magnet for the homeless seeking cover at night.

"I'm glad to see something useful taking its place. It will blend in with everything," Scott said.

Almis Udrys, an auditor who lives downtown and works across from the proposed building, called the design a hybrid between classic and modern architecture. He would prefer to see the entire building designed with a single motif.

"I have no idea what I would call this," he said. "It looks kind of like, 'Oh, let's see if we can crown this with something funky-looking.' I think somebody would come to town and make fun of that, frankly. They would come to Sacramento and say somebody went off the deep end."

Not so, said Kado, architect of the Parthenon building.

"This building adheres to the city's building guidelines," he said. "It's in keeping with the scale of the area, and it's an appropriate piece to pay tribute to the Tsakopoulos family and their hard work. I don't see anything wrong with it."

its not that bad actually, dont forget that we need as many buildings as possible to make the skyline more dense.

Enjoy...

http://img232.echo.cx/img232/3884/towerscm13zy.jpg

http://img232.echo.cx/img232/3070/towerscm51uy.jpg

http://img232.echo.cx/img232/2572/towerscm48jd.jpg

http://img232.echo.cx/img232/7987/towerscm20uj.jpg

its not that bad actually, dont forget that we need as many buildings as possible to make the skyline more dense.

I'm all for high-rises, but I still would like to see something that looks a little better.

If it has a strong ground floor retail/resturant presence and makes Capitol Mall that much more active at night and on weekend, I'll take it.

I just do not want to see another office tower on CM that rolls up the sidewalk at 5

K Street proposal updates..10th and K looks great.

http://www.cityofsacramento.org/econdev/msc/pdfs/KStreetUpdate_Community051105.pdf

Anther tower proposal...this is getting a little ridiculous

Bob Shallit: Landlord offers new sites for bus depot
relocation of downtown's troubled Greyhound bus terminal may finally be in the works.
Tower Development, which owns Greyhound's current depot site at Seventh and L streets, has identified four alternative sites for a terminal in different parts of town but isn't revealing the locations.

Our objective is to present them to the City Council within a few weeks and let them decide," says Daniel Collins, an exec with Tower, which has owned the Greyhound property for 18 years.
Collins says all potential sites are on land owned or controlled by Tower. And, he says, Tower intends to remain Greyhound's landlord. "Absolutely; they've been an excellent tenant," he says.

Could a move happen within a year? Collins believes that's possible, although the process could easily get complicated.

Greyhound, which has seven years remaining on its downtown lease, could object to the new site. Tower could seek a big subsidy for the new site, but owner Danny Benvenuti says right now he doesn't anticipate needing any financial assistance.

In addition, neighbors in the area of the new depot could protest, fearing that the assaults and public drunkenness that have plagued the downtown site could transfer to the new location.

Still, though plenty of issues remain unsettled, it's nice to see concrete steps being taken to relocate a facility many consider the biggest impediment to downtown redevelopment.


Tower's tower: If the Greyhound terminal is relocated, its old site could become home to a high-rise office, residential and real estate project.

Benvenuti says his company wants to build a 28-story, 240,000-square-foot building at the site.

He's commissioned a design from international architecture firm HOK. It's a modified version of an all-office tower that Benvenuti proposed to build there in the 1980s but then dropped when the economy softened.

Benvenuti says he's ready to submit his plans for the building. Just as soon as he finds a new home for Greyhound.

Keep em coming..this is just the begining! :cheers:

I will be very suprised if we see even half of the 10 or so proposals that are out there right now go up in the next few years. It's going to be a race to see who can get the first few up. All these proposals are too much for the market to absorb in such a short time frame

Hey sugit, could you please explain something.

What exactly is the problem with building many towers at once? Does it cost city a lot of money or something?
Just wondering, thanks :) im kinda new to the whole build thing

There is nothing wrong what so ever with it. I really hope it happens.

The problem is though that if order for the most towers to get built they need to pre-sell 50% of the units in order to get financing from a bank, esp for something so new to a market as high-rise condo's are to DT Sac

So for example, in order for The Towers to get built, around 400 people need to purchase a condo before the first shove of dirt is scoped.

Right now, between all the proposals, there are around 3500 units, that's a tall order to get that many people to buy at one time, esp considering most of them are luxury condo's and will cost around $400-$500 a sf (ie 400-500K for a 1000 sqaure foot condo)

More importantly, that's a lot of money for something that will take 2 years to get built and they can only look at in a marketing brochure.

For an office tower, banks usually require around 30% preleased. 621 Capitol Mall for example, has zero leases signed. They can not start building until they get those leases. DT Sacramento is not a very deep office market to begin with, and right now is even worse with the crappy job market. None of the traditional DT tennants are looking for more office space to expland. So the thought of 4 office towers going up at once, not very likey, I do not think there will be enough demand.

I do think that the condo towers have a MUCh better chance of getting built though, becuase there are people that have been waiting for this kind of living for a long time.

In the end, I'm just not sure Sacramento can handle all these at one time... I hope I'm wrong though

:cheers:

i agree that not all of the towers will get built. The one thing that we should be excited about is that it's starting to happen. We're finally getting some quality high-rise proposals. It's exciting to be in sacramento to see the city growing and the skyline changing. Btw, when is the next mayor election?Heather fargo has to go, i cant stand that lady!

hey found this article on this real estate site... according to this BCN wants to break ground on Epic tower this fall. Im confused cuz i thought they were starting Aura first..


Sacramento High-Rise Projects May Influence Area's Economy
May 16, 2005
By Natalie Dolce, Staff Writer


Several proposals for high-rise apartment buildings are under way in downtown Sacramento, and many more developers are scouting the area for potential sites. But can the market sustain a massive influx of new development?

BCN Development plans to break ground in the fall on a 50-story Downtown condo tower designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind. CIM Group currently is building a seven-story mixed-use project with retail shops on the ground floor and 225 residential lofts above. And developer John Saca has proposed two 52-story condo towers with retail, office space and a four-star hotel. Those projects would make downtown Sacramento the new hot spot, with a stronger residential focus.

"People commute from the suburbs," said Kelly Rivett, senior adviser for the multi-housing investment group at Grubb & Ellis Co., "and after 5 p.m., Downtown is dead. So if people stick around, it will better the economy."

Marc Ross, an associate at CB Richard Ellis Inc., added that young professionals increasingly are turning away from suburban ranch homes and toward Downtown's social aspects, such as its restaurants and the ARCO Arena for the NBA's Sacramento Kings. But he noted there is a current lack of local housing to support the population shift.

Meanwhile, Mark Leary, a senior sales associate at Arroyo & Coates, agreed that high-rise condos would be a boon for Sacramento long term but expressed concern about the possibility of immediate overbuilding. "I don't think the market can sustain the (high-rise buildings) that are planned," he said, "so I don't see it as a good thing if more were planned this year."

John Dailey, a senior vice president with CB Richard Ellis Inc., has similar views, though he believes only a fraction of the projects currently on the drawing table will ultimately be financed and built. "There is a demand for one of the two tower projects (right now)," Dailey said. "The nightlife, the 23 new restaurants and the population growth, which is projected to continue, mean the demand will continue."

"Sacramento needs a stronger residential focus," added Walter Helm, a senior adviser at Sperry Van Ness. "Businesses are moving to Sacramento. The people will follow."


http://cpnonline.com/cpn/regions/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000919868

Nice article, skyscraperHolic. That is confusing though, I also though Aura would be first. Maybe just back fact checking on their part.

It is definatly a nice time for Sacramento. In years past we would be lucky to get 2 or 3 proposals, and be ever luckier if one of them was actually built.

Now we actually have a really good pipeline of projects, and have a greater chance of seeing a few of them actually get built. The next couple of years are going to be key to if Sacramento can make that turn for the better in DT

sugit, don't you believe, that people that live in Sacramento, will be damn excited about all the new downtown 'Living" apartments, and maybe Sacramento has WAY more people that would buy apartments in downtown than we ever though?

I mean, when city of Sacramento was first introduced to the Twin Towers, it got sold out almost instantly, thats a good sign i believe :)

Not so sure about the office skyscrapers, but i think many apartment skyscrapers will be sold out

I mean, when city of Sacramento was first introduced to the Twin Towers, it got sold out almost instantly, thats a good sign i believe :)


Where was this information obtained from?

Where was this information obtained from?

No kidding..There hasn't even been an opportunity to buy one yet. The only thing that has happened is you can get prequalified. I do not even think they are legally allowed to sell them yet

As I mentioned above, I think the condo towers have a much better chance of getting financed and built than office towers, and I do think some will get built...but I just do not think that the luxery condo market, which all the proposals are for, isn't deep enough for all them to built all at once.

Great looking building....

Greyhound might face journey to new terminal

Developer Danny Benvenuti holds the deed to the building that now houses the Greyhound bus station and the key to doing what civic leaders have wanted for years - moving it.
Now Benvenuti is willing to help the company relocate from the K Street Mall area to another of his properties.

Why? Well, Benvenuti disclosed Friday that he envisions a 31-story glass tower that would replace the 70-year-old building on the corner of Seventh and L streets.

Before his concept can be erected, the current Greyhound station must go, acknowledged Benvenuti, the nephew of real estate magnate and Sacramento Kings minority owner Joe Benvenuti.

Greyhound spokeswoman Kim Plaskett said Friday that the city has given the company a list of 14 potential sites. If it finds that none is suitable, Greyhound may launch its own search, she added.
"We are certainly willing to cooperate with the city on finding a new location," Plaskett said, speaking from the company's Dallas headquarters, "but it must be a suitable location for our business and customers."

Moving the bus station has been a goal of city managers who see it as a key to reviving Sacramento's struggling K Street Mall. Police receive more calls to the area surrounding the terminal than to any other in the city.

Sacramento City Councilman Steve Cohn declined to comment on Benvenuti's proposal Friday, but he stressed that getting Greyhound off Seventh and L is "critical" to revitalizing the area. The building's location and poor design lend to loitering outside and complicate security, he said.

"It's the perfect storm of problems, and it's had a negative effect not only on that corner, but K Street and Westfield Downtown Plaza as well," Cohn said. "When Greyhound moves, it needs to be to a new terminal with a better design and security area. That would be good for the city - and good for Greyhound."

Benvenuti isn't the only developer who wants to construct a high-rise tower in the central business district, but he is the only one who has a civic carrot.

He has held Greyhound's lease for nearly 18 years. The company has about seven years left on the contract, but the terms allow termination with two years' notice.

"They've been great tenants, never missed a payment," Benvenuti said. He declined to say exactly where he's proposing the depot move.

"It's a sensitive issue, and I don't want to get ahead of the city," Benvenuti said. "We have a number of places that would be good locations, and we want to work it out with the city and our tenant."

His Tower Development and Tower Realty Group is proposing a stone, metal and glass tower, dubbed 701 L, that would feature ground-level retail, office space and apartments.

City officials two weeks ago received three other K Street revitalization plans from developers and property owners.

One proposal by Sacramento-based Evergreen Co. and friends envisions new retail and apartment space on the 700 and 800 blocks between K and L streets - including a Nugget Market grocery store where the Greyhound terminal now stands.

Tina Thomas, a local development attorney representing the Evergreen Co., called the 701 L tower proposal "good news" and says it doesn't pose a problem for her group.

The key point, she says, is "if you're going to build residential there (downtown), you have to move Greyhound. ... People won't move there if it's not cleaned up."

Benvenuti and his group say the downtown redevelopment rumblings - and the possibility of the city seizing the Greyhound depot as part of a revitalization plan - aren't what prompted them to forward the 701 L proposal.

"Danny bought the property 18 years ago with the intent to develop it," said Tower Realty spokesman Daniel Collins.

City officials approached Benvenuti "six to eight months ago" about moving the bus depot as part of a larger redevelopment effort, Collins said, "and that's when we really got serious about this project."

The 701 L proposal is the latest in a string of high-rise designs that could alter Sacramento's skyline, including John Saca's 53-story hotel-condominium and Angelo G. Tsakopoulos' plan for the 29-story Parthenon office tower.

Standing at 430 feet, the project would be among Sacramento's tallest structures. The south tower would feature 70 to 80 luxury apartments and a health club overlooking a garden on the roof of the shorter northern office tower.

Below that, architects at Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum of San Francisco made room for parking, ground-level retail and underground residential parking.

HOK has designed several of Sacramento's most notable buildings, including the Wells Fargo Center, 1201 K and the Sheraton Tower.

Tower Development officials said Friday that the company would self-finance the project.

"We're serious about this," said Tower Development executive vice president Ted Kopecko. "This is not a drill."

http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/436-KStreet.gif

http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/135-701.jpg

So that article basically says that this project is most likely to be built, right?

And also, this is a new proposal or it has been talked about before?

Another question, is there a possibility the Asian Trade Center will be built in downtown somewhere?

Impressive design on that building and more of a glassy building for a change. I like it, i like it a lot!! :banana:

So that article basically says that this project is most likely to be built, right?

And also, this is a new proposal or it has been talked about before?

Benvenuti had proposed a tower on this spot back in the late 80's, during the last construction boom, but unfortunatly the economy killed it due to lack of financing and tennants.

This one looks solid right now.

Excited for Sactown ! Question: has any thought been given to freshening up Capitol Mall ? It seems awfully utilitarian-looking, what with those tinpot lamp posts and barren grass medians.

Or maybe it has changes since I was in Sac just a few years back ?

Nope, unfortunately still the same Captiol Mall landscaping

I would also love to see something done to that stretch to make it just a little more flashy and edgy.

The new proposed towers should def help in the flashy and showy area. But I wish something would be donw with the barren grass medians.

I'm guessing you're right, that the new towers will make the street look even more plain-jane by contrast, thus providing some impetus for the rehaul.

The city of Sacramento has wanted to improve the landscaping along Capitol Mall for years. Unfortunately, it is designated a state highway, so the city is not allowed to improve it. (It was once part of the famous Lincoln highway, though I'm not sure exactly what highway designation it has right now.) Anyway, the city has been pressing the state to remove the highway designation for this street. But, it is a long, bureaucratic process that could take years. So, for now, we are stuck with the boring landscaping and the dated street lights...

It's designated 275 right now. And ever since I first saw those street lamps, I wondered why they were there in the first place. They look awful.

I also hope that 701L will get going quickly. It seems like financing is there, and the mixed use in that area will be great.

It's designated 275 right now. And ever since I first saw those street lamps, I wondered why they were there in the first place. They look awful.

I also hope that 701L will get going quickly. It seems like financing is there, and the mixed use in that area will be great.


Yep and Greyhound agreed on the move. Now just gotta get them moved and hurry on the new station

A poster from SSP went to a breakfast this morning about the DT high-rises planned that include Ray Kerridge and John Saca....some good new for The Towers

_________________________________________________________________________

This morning's breakfast was cool. The only things of note were that Kerridge talked about how height shouldn't be an issue, but design should since buildings tend to brand their cities. He thinks new structures should be iconic.

Saca said that response has been "overwhelming" and that he has enough for financing of the Towers. He also said he is optimistic that Phase II will begin around the same time as Phase I. He said that the hotel is not determined yet, but they are still in negotiations with a couple companies for a 4-4.5 star property.

I just found out Aura received permission from the state to start taking deposits for condo's and they DO have an application in file with the city. Deposit is 5K

Maybe Fall is a realistic timeline.

Developer John Saca has been running big ads promoting his planned high-rise condo. Now he's opening a sales office just up the block from the Third and Capitol Mall site where he's proposing what he calls "the largest project in the city's history." He wants to build twin 53-story condo towers, a 250-room hotel, 70,000 square feet of retail shops, a spa and the city's largest health club.

Visitors to the sales office at 455 Capitol Mall will get a virtual reality tour of the building and see sample furnishings, a fully equipped demo kitchen and a scale model of the project. The office also will have "windows" showing the view condo buyers will have from their high-rise abodes.

Saca's plan is to start taking refundable, $10,000 deposits from interested parties in July, when the sales office opens. Then start collecting non-refundable deposits - amounting to about 10 percent of the units' sales prices - in September or October. He hopes to begin construction before the end of the year.

Financing for the $400 million project? It won't be a problem, he says, if enough people sign up to get units, which will range from the high $300,000s to more than $1 million.

"You go to the lenders and say, 'I have 70 percent of the units pre-sold,' you'll get financing in a heartbeat," Saca says.






Luking good: The building Danny Benvenuti is proposing at Seventh and L streets - current site of the Greyhound station - officially is called 701 L. But one of Benvenuti's daughters, 16-year-old Kristine, has a better name for it.

"She looked at (the artist's renderings) and said, 'That looks like it ought to be the Luke Skywalker Building,'" Danny says.

Why that name? The sharp angles, the light blue tint of the exterior. But maybe also its sharp contrast with another downtown building, the famous, dark-glass tower built by Danny's uncle, Joe Benvenuti, in 1989.

That one's officially the Renaissance Tower. But everyone calls it the "Darth Vader" building.

On the block: Speaking of Darth, er, Renaissance Tower, word is that owner Triple Net Properties of Santa Ana has put the building on the market.

Triple Net acquired the 28-story, 300,000-square-foot building from Oaktree Capital Management of Los Angeles 16 months ago, paying about $200 a square foot.

Now it's hoping to take advantage of Sacramento's still-hot market and sell the building for something close to $250 a foot.

The tower once was the city's top office property. It's been upgraded significantly in the past couple of years. But, at Eighth and K streets, it has only a so-so location. If only it were located on Endor ...

Aura is expected to start construction in November 2005 and Epic in June/July

Hey, so whats the difference between Aura, and Aura condo's? Someone please explain

Also, whats the status with the golden state building? has it been cancellled?

Hey, so whats the difference between Aura, and Aura condo's? Someone please explain

Also, whats the status with the golden state building? has it been cancellled?


Aura and Aura condos is the same building. The other building that nassi is proposing is Epic which is the 50-storey building.

I think instead of the golden state building, they are going to build 3 smaller buildings now:(

No the Golden State Building plan isn't decided. There has always been 8 proposals and the 700ft tower was one. The 3 building proposal is #4 and I don't think it made the final cut of the final 3-4 options.

For anyone interested, the last west end public meeting is next wednesday.

West End Office Complex Public Workshop #3
Workshop to gather public comment on the West End Office Complex Project. Location: West Side Projects Outreach Center at the Bonderson Building - 901 P. Street, Sacramento. Enter at the corner of 9th and O Streets.

Date: 6/15/2005

Time: 5:00:00 PM - 8:00:00 PM

Here's a map of where the meeting room is and where the sites are for reference.
http://www.westsideprojects.com/i/outreach_map.gif

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/...-13908358c.html

Public hears K Street options

Redevelopment ideas lead many to believe this effort might take hold.

The K Street Mall was an empty place Monday night, with only a few tourists pulling suitcases, a handful of people waiting for light-rail trains, and a scattering of outdoor diners at Pyramid Brewery.

But above the mall, in a packed conference room, a new future for the struggling street was rolled out to interested residents.

During the first - and only - public presentation of three K Street redevelopment plans, many people were enthusiastic that the area might finally be revitalized.

"This city is moving in the right direction - finally," said community activist and preservation advocate Steve Ballew.

Three development teams presented their ideas, envisioning a vibrant K Street as a place to shop, have fun and live - as well as work. The redevelopment push comes after city officials, elected leaders and members of the business community acknowledged that a tough approach was necessary to bring about change.

There are two competing plans for K Street Mall's most blighted stretch, the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street.

One proposal comes from Zeiden Properties, headed by Joe Zeiden, president of the Gardena-based Z Gallerie home furnishings chain. The plan focuses on retail and seeks to preserve the street's historical feel by keeping buildings to two and three stories.

The Zeiden team announced that they have letters of intent from several well-known retailers, including: Borders Books, Urban Outfitters, Lucky Brand Dungarees and Sur la Table.

Originally, the $35 million plan called for office space on the second floor, but now the team is considering adding a modest amount of housing. (yeah, maybe you should have thought of that at first) It asks for no cash subsidies, although it would require city help to acquire properties.

The second plan goes beyond the city's proposed revitalization area to include the 700 and 800 blocks of L Street. Under the project, conceived by a Portland architectural firm, retail space would line the ground floor along K, L, Seventh and Ninth streets. The team will look for local and one-of-a-kind businesses to fill the retail space and try to preserve the historical facades of most buildings.

As part of this plan, a Nugget Market would locate somewhere within the two blocks. The plan calls for 955 condos, most to rise between K and L streets. The team scrapped plans to build apartments because they required a city subsidy that was too high, said Dan Cole, a partner in the Evergreen Co. and one member of the development team.

Cole said because of unknowns and changes, the development's price tag is not yet known. He told the audience he wanted to get started immediately on the project, but did not offer a completion timeline.

Members of the public were asked to provide opinions on sticky notes under the name of each proposal. The comments will be summarized for a committee of City Council members that will make recommendations by June 28. Several comments suggested combining the proposals.

Only one plan was submitted for 10th and K streets, a proposal from a development group led by David Taylor that envisions a media and entertainment district using all four corners of the intersection. Options include radio and television stations, a boutique hotel, a Paragary restaurant, a movie theater, apartments and condominiums.

Many members of the audience wore buttons urging more housing downtown. Paul Inalou, a student at California State University, Sacramento, said housing needed to be a priority for any project on K Street.

Terry Reese, a Granite Bay resident planning to move into a downtown high-rise, said he wants a plan that focuses on lots of amenities, as well as making the area safer.

"Moving the Greyhound bus station is key," Reese said. "Clean it up and we'll come downtown."
_________________________________________________________________
From LooknUp on SSP...

The Evergreen & Fischer proposal was the most well received. 955 res. Units between 7th & K and K & L street. What made this cool beyond the great renderings is that the existing facades would stay on the ground level but the towers behind would fill with residential.

This proposal is two full city blocks 107,000 retail,
129,000 office and a letter of interest from Nugget Market. The only down side is the taller tower that stands at the corner of L and 8th is where the 701 L street tower has been proposed… will all have to see how all this works out. Also they have a 3 to 5 year plan where the first phase would not be finished for at least 3 years and the others would follow as the market needs them. Good look’en and the developers are from Portland.

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/1025/evergreen11kr.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/8740/evergreen23er.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/3872/evergreen34sv.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/5048/evergreen44tn.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/6518/evergreen50qq.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/5556/evergreen64lw.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/7941/evergreen83ke.jpg

10th and K: CIM Group, David Taylor, Cordano, Paragary

230 residential units, 65,000 retail, and 105 hotel rooms. Possible TV studios, Lucky Strike Lanes, Movie Theatre, Paragary restaurant and high activity retail.

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/9865/kstcentral11xx.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/3360/kstcentral25pl.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/4826/kstcentral32rt.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/742/kstcentral41gi.jpg

This is the Zieden proposal in competition with Evergreen. All they are doing is remodeling the Buildings that are there right now and filling them with shops. They have many letters of intentTo fill the stores too. Most people were disappointed during the Q &A that there was nothing more, no Condos or apartments. IMO a weak attempt.

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/4861/z16ed.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/47/z24gr.jpg

http://img107.echo.cx/img107/1157/z39do.jpg

Also - Captiol Grand Tower website is up

No info yet though...

http://www.capitolgrandtower.com/

Thanks for the info so far, everybody. I'm still following over at SSP aswell.

Maybe i missed it, but i haven't seen anyone comment on the early proposal for the massive "Gold Rush Park" featured in the latest edition of Comstock's Business magazine.

If you heven't seen it, there is only one large photo of a scale model shown, but it is the cover story - and the article is very interesting. I'd love to find out your opinions on the subject.

and here it is... (http://comstocksbusiness.com/ccr-story-june05.htm)

I heard about this around a year ago, simply an amazing idea. The people behind this seem very motivated, I wish all the luck in the world on this...they are going to need it.

I think if this happens, it will need to be a major regional effect (kinda like how the arena should be!!)

"Leon Younger is currently about halfway through a feasibility study for Gold Rush Park; the final document should be done in September."

This will probably tell us quote a bit.

btw...here is a link to Gold Rush Park

http://www.goldrushpark.org

The powerpoint under downloads is a good read, as well as old articles under article/news

I really hope this happens. I also heard about it a while ago, and it's a very novel idea. I just hope they can get the property owners on board. It would be the Balboa Park of Sac.

hey guys this gold rush park is a really good proposal for the city.

I did a little search and found this great site that has more info and bigger renderings for the project. :)

http://lda.ucdavis.edu/newsevents/gold.html

A render from that site:

http://images4.fotopic.net/?iid=ycoeey&outx=800&quality=70

Sweet model. I think some of those buildings are ones that are already proposed by seperate developers, so they wouldn't hurt the park, but they wouldn't be part of it either. Other than that, it looks like there is a lot of museum space and the new site for the zoo will give it much needed space.

City of Sacramento Design Review Internship

Date: 2005-06-15, 4:10PM PDT

The City of Sacramento seeks a detail oriented intern. This is a paid opportunity for a college student to gain exposure to architectural projects proposed in the Sacramento area. This is a one year internship starting immediately and ending in June of 2006. Interns will be responsible for checking in projects, noticing the community, and coordinating with staff and supervisor. This position calls for a great deal of administrative work. Applicants should be familiar with computer programs such as Excel and Microsoft Word. All majors will be considered, but preferably architecture or interior architecture students should apply. Applicants must be at least in their Junior or Senior year in the fall at an accredited University. Interns will be granted University credit as well. Interested applicants may send cover letters and resumes to Luis R. Sanchez, AIA, Director of Design Review City of Sacramento Development Services. E-mail address is lsanchez@cityofsacramento.org

Job location is Sacramento
Compensation: After training period $8 - $11.00 per hour

Posted on SSP.. This project will add 25,000 new residents and which works out to be about 75K persons per mile.

Urban Village" Planned for Downtown Railyard

http://www.kxtv.com/storyfull1.asp?id=11535

Two-and-a-half years after negotiations began, developer Millennia Sacramento is a step closer to buying the Union Pacific railyard near downtown Sacramento.

Today the developer announced it has filed an application with the city for approval of its project for the 240-acre railyard. It says the deal is about 95 percent complete, and it hopes to finalize the purchase by the end of the year and begin construction in 18 months.

"We are delighted to have achieved another major milestone in this very complex transaction," said Stanley E. Thomas of Millenia's parent company, Thomas Enterprises, Inc.

Millennia plans to build what it calls an "urban village" on the site. It would include 10,000 housing units, along with offices, stores, and cultural attractions.

The Union Pacific chose Millennia as the favored developer for the site about two-and-a-half years ago and announced a tentative agreement last July.

Today's move comes just two weeks after developers led by David Taylor, Tony Giannoni and Angelo Tsakopoulos offered to buy the site. They want to use the former railyard as the site for a new Sacramento Kings arena. A spokesman for Union Pacific said the company is not entertaining other offers.

http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/s...tml?jst=b_ln_hl

Millennia proposes 10,000 homes in former downtown railyard

The company that has been negotiating for more than a year to buy and redevelop the 240-acre railyard in downtown Sacramento said Friday it has applied for city approval of its multibillion-dollar project -- including a proposal for 10,000 homes and regional food market

A year ago Millennia Sacramento III LLC said Union Pacific had agreed to sell the railyard. But many issues remained unresolved, including public participation, environmental cleanup and a state claim to a piece of the railyard that was formerly part of the American River riverbed.

Ninety-five percent of those issues have been settled, said Suheil Totah at a press conference in the Sacramento Amtrak station Friday afternoon. Totah will lead the project for Thomas Enterprises Inc. of Atlanta, which controls Millennia Sacramento.

Totah said he expects the sale of the railyard to be completed by the end of 2005.

Stanley E. Thomas is a major national real estate developer. Totah said Thomas Enterprises will open its Northern California office in Sacramento.

Totah also said he gave notice Friday that he was resigning from Morrison & Foerster LLP in Sacramento, where he was a partner, to take the new job with Thomas.

Millennia Associates of Los Angeles has the lead role in planning the railyard project, which would include 10,000 new homes and millions of square feet of offices and stores.

The city chose Millennia to be the lead developer on the railyard in fall 2003. The players had hoped to close a sale by the end of 2003, but various issues -- plus retail competition and proposals to put a new arena for the Sacramento Kings downtown -- complicated the situation. The talks to reach a deal were extended several times.

One complication is "Superfund issues," said Mike Casey, Union Pacific's director of special property sales and development, who expressed confidence Friday that those problems will be settled.

The application filed Friday proposes a mixed-used "urban village" with enough homes to add 20,000 to 25,000 new residents downtown, Totah said.

Also proposed so far are 2.34 million square feet of office space, 620,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, 300 hotel rooms, and 350,000 square feet of public-cultural space that will include the Railroad Technology Museum, a combined bus-train-light-rail station, and the renovated central shop buildings.

The former shop buildings would be the heart of the project. They would be reborn as a public marketplace, possibly hosting a regional food market "similar to San Francisco's successful Ferry Building marketplace," according to a press release, that would symbolize and enhance "Sacramento's history and reputation as a leading food and agricultural center."

The plan also includes an extension of 5th and 6th streets over the relocated railroad tracks.

Thomas Enterprises plans to establish its permanent Sacramento office at the railyard at the start of 2006.

This stuff is huge for sacramento, It would be great if they can squeez in a kings arena. :)

More news...initial renderings look awesome.

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/13086006p-13931021c.html

http://www.sacbee.com/static/rich_content_images/17973-milennia250x203.jpg

http://www.sacbee.com/static/rich_content_images/17973-railyard500x524.jpg

Railyard suitor weaves vision of 'urban village'

A developer's proposal foresees a mixed-use cityscape that would transform downtown.

As it pursues its purchase of the 240-acre Union Pacific railyard, Millennia Sacramento came out Friday with a revised plan to show its commitment to the deal, a plan that calls for 10,000 units of housing - more than twice the amount initially envisioned.
The developer unveiled its new plan to the city proposing a mixed-use "urban village" jampacked with enough housing for 20,000 people, as well as office, hotel and retail space. It also calls for a Railroad Technology Museum and a chic public market space similar to San Francisco's popular Ferry Building, and it reserves space for a downtown arena.

Developer Millennia Sacramento has been in purchase talks for the past 2 1/2 years with UP. Although talks continue, filing the development application signaled a "major breakthrough," said Suheil Totah, vice president of Thomas Enterprises, Millennia's controlling entity.

"This has been a very long journey to this point," Totah said at a hastily called news conference. "We are, and remain, committed to this project."

Totah said Millennia would begin working with the city on the application next week. The purchase deal with UP should close by year-end and, barring further hitches, construction could begin within 18 months.

Millennia's plan would be one of the nation's largest infill projects, with 37.6 acres designated for residential use, 39.2 acres for general mixed use and 25.5 acres for commercial and office space.

And instead of the 4,500 lofts, apartments and condominiums once proposed, the application calls for a whopping 10,000.

Sacramento's red-hot housing market caused the developer to more than double the number of units, Totah said. They will be both rental and for-sale, priced at market rate and for low-income residents.

Michael Ault, executive director of the Sacramento Downtown Partnership, said the plan clearly answers calls for more housing in the city's central core.

"The housing will activate downtown," Ault said, adding it also would help lure new retailers.

Kay Knepprath, a community activist who has pushed to save the railyard's historic depot, agreed Millennia's application signaled a major milestone.

She said progress on the planned intermodal, a major transportation hub that will include the depot, was stalled until Millennia's application was filed.

Now, an environmental study can begin.

"A big bottleneck has been opened," Knepprath said.

Millennia's announcement comes on the heels of reports that a trio of prominent local developers had submitted a competing offer for the railyard. The team of David Taylor, Tony Giannoni and Angelo Tsakopoulos said they joined the fray as they watched talks with Millennia make little progress.

Earlier this month, Carol Shearly, the city's new growth manager, told The Bee that repeated postponements of the railyard deal had "become a joke."

On Friday, however, Shearly voiced the city's strong support for the project and lauded the plan as a way to contribute to downtown's renaissance.

"We continue to have a strong partnership with Millennia," Shearly said.

Totah downplayed the competing offer, saying rumors were untrue that negotiations that began in 2002 had only recently restarted between Millennia and Union Pacific.

Mike Casey, UP's local project manager, said the railyard's position was unchanged and it isn't considering other offers.

"The door on that has been closed," Casey said.

Taylor, Giannoni and Tsakopoulos could not be reached for comment Friday.

In July 2004, Millennia announced it had reached an agreement with Union Pacific to buy the railyard and predicted the two parties would close the deal by the end of the year.

But the issues turned out to be more complex than either side imagined, Totah and Casey said.

During a title search, they learned that because a bank of the American River had been on a portion of the railyard, arcane case law placed nearly 30 acres of the property under the control of the California State Lands Commission.

"That caught us all off-guard," Totah said.

Said Casey, "We couldn't continue to negotiate with the concern that we couldn't close the transaction."

The issue was settled to the satisfaction of UP and Millennia on Thursday, allowing Millennia to go forward with the development application, Casey said.

The issue still needs to be settled with the state, Totah said.

The other major hurdle centers on the environmental cleanup of the Superfund site. As it continues its cleanup of the site, UP has discovered higher levels of toxic materials than anticipated, Casey said. That in turn changes the scope of work agreed upon by UP and Millennia, he said.

Totah also said Friday he has resigned from the Morrison and Foerster law firm to head a new Sacramento office of Thomas Enterprises and lead the railyard development effort.

L Street Lofts website is up. Accross the street from the 18th and L project in midtown. 8-stories, 95 for-sale units and 4K retail

I really like the design of this building

http://www.lstreetlofts.com

http://www.lstreetlofts.com/Portals/32/Assets/perspect.jpg

What I don't get is that if they can put up an 8 story project in midtown, then why did CIM think that 8 stories was sufficient in DT?

I think there are a couple reasons for it.

1st, the CIM project was a ground breaking development, that was really the first large scale housing project in DT. LOT of risk involved. Plus, 225 units on that 1/2 block is still very very dense, it's just not tall. I think it's a little less than 200 units/arce. (225 /~1.25) The Towers is around 280 (754 units / 2.67 acre)

2nd: Plaza Lofts is all rental units, L Street Lofts are for-sale. While for-sale prices in Sacramento are making high-rise housing possible, rental rates are not even close to what other cities in CA get, and thus there is no way developers can build 30 story rental buildings and expect to get the rents necessary to make money. The CIM project cost the city 16M dollars for that very reason. The Towers and these other projects can afford to build higher and most costly cause people will BUY a unit for that amount.

In the end Plaza Lofts is going to be a great project for DT. And to think about it, really..none of these other projects have even broken ground yet, at least we know for a fact that Plaza Lofts will be built.

Yeah, yeah yeah. You and your facts and what not.

:laugh:

It has me very worried that Zeiden's propopsal could potentially beat Evergreen's. Though Zeiden's would be quite "nice" with all those big brand names lined up and all... Evergreen has got the all the priorities right.

Residential first
Retail second

Even a novice like myself knows this. That is the only order you can work with. The shops follow the people, and it never works visa-versa. Downtown Sacramento has had many great shops for years, but few people even know. People from Roseville don't come down here to shop. And really... why should they? Have you ever noticed the resaurant crisis up there? You can feed those people anything, because there's such a high demand.

Zeiden's would end up like a strip mall version of DT Plaza. Evergreen's will work perfectly for the near future of Sacramento.

I agree. And I really don't like that the project revolves around specific tenants that might not be around that long.

Good point about the tenants. At least with Evergreen, there will always be that solid residential base.

A little something I did in my spare time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/ltsmotorsport/Sacprojects.jpg

Blue= towers u/c, approved, proposed

Red= large infill




Also, an updated version of the original map.
http://img270.echo.cx/img270/5194/projects6ff.jpg

Now Saca has a third condo project. This time it's 300 condos at 10th & J.

Towering plans for downtown
High-rise condos proposed; developers, buyers enthusiastic
By Mary Lynne Vellinga -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, July 1, 2005

Developer John Saca continues to push for the clouds. Even as he works toward breaking ground this fall on a pair of 53-story hotel and condominium towers, he has started planning hundreds more high-rise condos downtown.
This week, he bought a half-block of property at 10th and J streets that city leaders have long hoped to see redeveloped. The tentative plan: about 300 condos.

He also has joined a development team proposing to rebuild the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street with ground floor retail and about 955 condominiums on top.

Other developers have been pouring into the market, too. Suddenly, downtown Sacramento is a hot spot for high-rise living, even though not a single tower has been built yet.

In total, more than 2,200 condominium units are currently being proposed for downtown.
It's a race to see which one will get started first. Saca and Denver developer Craig Nassi both say they hope to break ground in the fall. One 15-story project already under construction, a Residence Inn at 15th and L streets, will feature 30 condominiums.

Nassi has started taking reservations for units in Aura (www.Auracondos.com), a 38-story tower he's planning for 601 Capitol Mall, site of a former city parking lot. He has opened a sales office on the site.

"We've had an overwhelming response," Nassi said. "I think the market has a lot of depth. I think there's a good deal of wealth in Sacramento and the surrounding geographic area. There's a great deal of baby boomers, who are our No. 1 clientele, and there are a lot of Bay Area people who see the value of sizing down and getting a good bang for their buck."

Sacramento's worsening traffic also helps, he said. "There's never no traffic.... People are starting to realize they're crazy to drive an hour each way to El Dorado Hills if they don't have to."

Nassi's strikingly modern glass tower, with the balconies massed to create the impression of curving lines sweeping down the sides, was designed by Daniel Libeskind, who created the master plan for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center in New York City.

Nassi tried to buy the 10th and J site as well, but the deal fell through.

That's when Saca stepped in to buy it.

Saca said buyer response to his Capitol Mall project (www.sactowers.com) also has been stronger than he expected. He said he would begin taking reservations in July.

"The support we've gotten, and the interest, has far surpassed anything I ever envisioned," he said. "That's why we're doing more projects."

Other developers proposing condos include a partnership of the Cordano family, Steve Eggert and St. Anton Partners that proposes to build a 23-story high-rise at 11th and J streets, replacing a dreary block of storefronts that includes a burned-out furniture outlet.

Landowners Moe Mohanna and John Lambeth also have proposed a high-rise condominium and hotel project at 1215 J St.

A year ago, city officials were struggling to get ownership housing built in the central city.

But with rents fairly stagnant, interest rates low and home prices seemingly locked in a never-ending rise, condos suddenly make a lot more sense than apartments.

"It's simply exhilarating to go from a position of having to bribe and cajole people to invest money in downtown Sacramento to a position of being barely able to keep up," city economic development director Wendy Saunders told attendees at a June forum on high rise development.

In an interview this week, Saunders said she's "a little nervous" about whether all the proposed condo projects actually will get built.

"I hope there's really some substance there," she said.

Saunders called Saca's purchase of the 10th and J property a good sign.

"If John Saca has so much (interest) that he felt bullish enough to spend a few million dollars more, that's really a good sign. That's a lot of money to put at risk."

Greg Schmidt, a developer who sold the property to Saca, wouldn't reveal the exact purchase price, but said it was "close to" the $7.8 million he said Nassi had agreed to pay before his deal with Schmidt fell through.

Saca and other developers say one of the keys to selling downtown condominiums in the vicinity of J and K streets will be getting the Greyhound bus station moved and reducing the preponderance of single room occupancy hotels in the area.

"Until that's cleaned up, you'll never get the project you deserve," Saca said.

The owner of the Greyhound station building, Danny Benvenuti, recently announced his own office development proposal and said he would help relocate Greyhound to another one of his properties.

The single room occupancy hotels pose a thorny issue for the City Council, which must balance its desire to redevelop downtown with the needs of the low-income people who rely on such shelter.

As a first step, the council has asked the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency to inventory the hotels and come back in nine months with a rehab strategy and plan for new units.
_____________________________________________________________________


Good to see this article, but I was surprised to hear that Saca bought 10th & J, since I hadn't even heard that Nassi's deal fell through. I wonder when we'll start seeing docs for this one?

I really do hope that Nassi can pick up that 1/2 block at 7th & J, as it's as bad and where St. Anton wants to put their project down J @ 11th (also good to hear confirmation that the project will get rid of the old Copenhagen store).

Thanks to LOOKnUP at SSP...

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
From the July 1, 2005 print edition

Saca proposes two more condo towers, on K St.
Mike McCarthy

Staff Writer

Developer John Saca plans to build two high-rise towers of up to 500 condominiums, plus ground-floor retail, on the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street in downtown Sacramento.

Saca said this week his proposal wouldn't need a subsidy and could be built independently of the development process kicked off by the city's request for project ideas on the two blocks this year.

But he said he won't build the towers unless the city commits to creating a master plan for the two blocks, including the L Street side, that includes moving out the Greyhound bus station and the downtown hotels where low-income people live.

Saca's new condos are the latest shift in the emerging plans for the south side of K between 7th and 9th streets, a largely moribund strip that got builders' attention this winter when the city asked for the development ideas. It received two -- one originally for apartments, and one for stores from Z Gallerie owner Joe Zeiden -- and is expected to pick one this summer.

As for Saca's latest proposal, "that's great," said city economic director Wendy Saunders. "But we'll have to see what it means."

City wants Zeiden, Saca to team up

Saca's idea -- not to be confused with his separate plan to build a condo tower and hotel at 301 Capitol Mall -- is the newest change involving a proposal made in April by Dan Cole of The Evergeen Co. and apartment builder Hank Fisher, working with K Street landowners Mohammed Mohanna and John Lambeth.

Cole's group proposed more than 900 apartments, plus stores on K. Many of the rentals would have been built where the Greyhound bus station now stands but that idea was derailed, partly because developer Danny Benvenuti plans to use the Greyhound site for an office tower.

Saca recently joined the Evergreen partnership and is now leading its effort on K Street.

His group is pitted against Zeiden, who proposes 86,000 square feet of mostly ground-floor retail along K Street, plus a small number of homes and offices on the upper levels.

Although Zeiden owns two buildings on the stretch, he would require the city to buy other property, including the Mohanna-Lambeth buildings that constitute more than half of the project area on K Street.

The conflict could be resolved if Zeiden works with Saca's group. The city is pushing them to cooperate.

The condo plan so far

In the meantime, Saca plans to build the K Street towers on land controlled by him and his partners -- mainly Mohanna -- plus any property the group may assemble on its own. He does not plan to use adjacent parcels that belong to Zeiden, or others that were part of the area covered by the city's request for proposals.

Saca's ideas are rough so far, and he is still examining the site's potential. But he wants to build 400 to 500 condos for sale, up from an earlier plan for 300, in high-rises that could rise more than 20 stories, and probably not fewer than 15.

The towers would need a footprint of 11,000 to 14,000 square feet each, and would be built at the back and on top of the partnership's buildings on K Street.

On the ground floor, stores would take about the 50 first feet back from K Street. Saca estimated that some 70,000 square feet of retail could be built. The historic buildings would be restored.

"We need to do a lot of research before we really determine the sizes of things," he said.

Prices for the condos would probably start at around $300,000. Saca said he expects to hand the city a detailed development application within 45 days.

Money the city might have spent on a subsidy, or to assemble land, can be used instead to landscape and improve the streetscape around the project, Mohanna said.

Reports big interest in mall condos

Saca said he decided to build on K Street because he has received applications from "thousands" of would-be buyers financially qualified to buy units in the two 52-story condo towers he proposes at 301 Capitol.

He figures his 765-unit Towers on Capitol Mall will be 60 percent pre-sold before it breaks ground.

"The market is definitely ready," he said. "This will also do well."

He wants the master plan from the city to include provisions for moving the bus station, fixing the streetscape, and moving the single-room-occupancy hotels in the immediate area.

"We need a commitment from the city that they'll do all three," he said. "The reality is, we'll never get off the ground without that commitment."

Retailers and homebuyers, he said, probably wouldn't come to the site because of the dubious characters who hang out around the hotels and the depot. Remove them, and fix up the street, and what are now the two worst city blocks could be the two best, he said.

The city commitment could be oral or written, he said, just so it's convincing.

City couldn't get it all at once

With the city's cooperation, the project could get entitled by mid-2006 and some initial construction could begin next year. The market would drive the project, Saca said.

He said he hopes the city can get around its desire to have the whole stretch of K developed at once. In the real-world market, builders operate independently in master-planned communities, building their own sections as the market allows.

The high-rises would change the look of K Street, which is now dominated by low-rise buildings. But modern downtowns build up, he said. "It will make us a world-class city, like Baltimore, St. Louis and San Diego."

Mohanna, a member of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership business group, said it has made more housing its first priority, and this project has plenty of housing, compared to Zeiden's proposal.

"We have a very credible local team doing a high-quality, innovative project," Lambeth added. "We've all been here 20- plus years. We live here and we want to take care of downtown."

"Our project has more economic impact for the city," Mohanna said. "It has more housing, that with retail will certainly make K Street successful, providing life at night."

The retailers won't come without the housing, he argued, pointing to businesses in his own buildings that closed because not enough people live nearby.

Saca said he is one of the most accomplished retail developers based in Sacramento, but he added that he is willing to cooperate with Zeiden "to see if he can be part of the project and bring his tenants to it."

If the city chooses Zeiden, Saca said, legal fights over eminent domain could delay the project.

Zeiden's response

Zeiden's camp said it's important that the stretch in question be all retail.

"It's not a lot of real estate for retail, so it's critical there be no gaps," said Zeiden spokeswoman Wendy Hoyt. "Neither property owner has that, or owns the critical corner parcels."

The high-rises, she argued, could create a "cavern effect" along K Street. But Saca's idea of creating housing along the back of the K Street buildings would support the retail Zeiden wants to develop, she said.

"We'd be delighted to move forward," Hoyt added, "regardless of the SROs and Greyhound."

City economic director Saunders said she has to figure how Saca's proposal fits into the procedure already in place for the site.

A developer will be chosen by a committee of City Council members on recess until late July. She said nothing can be decided until after they come back.

Since I still cannot post over at SSP, I have to reply here and hope someone notices...

If the SACFRG needs a website and a brochure, than I'm sure I could be of great assistance. I am a freelance graphic designer located downtown. I have loads of professional experience in graphic/web design, and would be happy to assist such a noble organization. :)

Let me know if you'd like my help.

Click to email me. (zach@hellobubba.com)

I noticed, but I didn't know you couldn't post over at SSP. That sucks. You should PM a fflint or another moderator.

Anyways, we pretty much decided to do that last friday, but we don't want to spend too much on the website and looknup will help with the brochures (he is a graphic designer). You should've come to the last meeting too. :cheers: :)

I've tried emails, with no response. When I log in at SSP I'm not allowed to message anyone or post replies. Basically all I'm allowed to do is read...

which I have been doing for a long time now.

If LOOKnUP needs the software to do the brochure, tell him to shoot me an email (zach@hellobubba.com). Otherwise I'm available to do that project as well.

As for the website... I have free hosting space available. If you want a website, there would be no cost at all. Just let me know what you want to do, and I'll get it done.

It's the least I could do after reading all the great info you guys have been sharing. And yes I should've come to the last meeting... So hopefully it wasn't your last meeting :)

Maybe try and create a new ID...hellobubba1 or soemthing like that

Towers on Capitol Mall sells first 250 condos

Developer John Saca has insisted all along that interest was high for his proposal to build two 53-story towers with 765 condominiums and 276 hotel rooms in downtown Sacramento. This weekend, he proved it.

Prospective buyers paid deposits on the first release of more than 250 condominium homes at The Towers on Capitol Mall during a weekend sales event. With the 250-plus condos valued at a total of more than $150 million, that means an average price approaching $600,000. The figure is well above the Sacramento County average of $286,767 in the second quarter, according to The Gregory Group.

The deposits are fully refundable, according to project spokesperson Marcia Neese-Ooley, "until we get a little further along."

Positioned between the state Capitol and the Tower Bridge on the site of the former Sacramento Union newspaper building, the Towers would be bordered by 3rd, 4th, Capitol Mall, and L streets. The first tower would include more than 300 condominium homes. A luxury hotel, by an as-of-yet unnamed brand, would occupy the first 20 floors. The second tower would have more than 400 residences. Homes at The Towers on Capitol Mall would have up to about 1,600 square feet. Penthouses can be custom designed with flexible square footages.

"This is the largest sales launch we have ever experienced," said Robert Pontarelli, senior vice president for the Ryness Co., the sales and marketing firm for The Towers, in a press release. "The amenities and location of The Towers has made this the greatest value of any high-rise building in the entire region. This sales event has broken records not only in Sacramento but in the entire state of California."

Among the selling points for homeowners are: 24-hour room and concierge service, housekeeping, town car service, valet service, valet dry cleaning and a fully staffed lobby. Residents will also have access to a 7,000-square-foot hotel ballroom, conference rooms for functions, a $15 million 40,000-square-foot fitness center with a basketball court, a 10,000-square-foot spa and salon, 80,000 square feet of retail, a business center, privately walled and "lushly landscaped" grounds, a wine cellar with temperature-controlled private lockers, secured garage parking and a rooftop pool with barbecues, an outdoor fireplace and a full kitchen.

The release this weekend was the first of several planned, Ryness said, with an announcement on the next release to be expected "in the next few months." Only those who register on the Web site, www.sactowers.com, and are pre-qualified by one of The Towers' lenders will be allowed to purchase.

Earlier this month, Saca said construction of his $300 million project is set to start at the end of this year.

In a separate interview two weeks ago, Saca told the Business Journal that he has plans to build two high-rise towers of up to 500 condominiums, plus ground-floor retail, on the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street in downtown Sacramento.

Saca said he won't build the towers unless the city commits to creating a master plan for the two blocks, including the L Street side, that includes moving out the Greyhound bus station and the downtown hotels where low-income people live.

Man, Sacramento is BOOOOMING! :eek:

There's an article (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/21/BUGT6DR1IS1.DTL&type=printable) in the business section of today's San Francisco Chronicle describing the project, along with a picture:

http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2005/07/21/bu_libeskind.jpg

It sounds as though approval is fairly certain. :)

Nassi said yesterday that more projects are planned past his current 'Aura' and 'Epic 50 story' projects.

I would think Nassi would make Epic taller then the 615' towers on Capitol Mall. He thought the 38 story Aura was underbuilding, so I would expect his other future proposals to be tall.

There's talk of future taller projects in the article. :)

Sorry, my bad :nuts: I didn't notice

Hey everyone... Sorry, a little off topic here...

I've been enjoying reading all your postings these last few weeks. I went ahead and posted some pics of Sacramento in the "Rate our Skylines" section. Go ahead and vote!

Thanks.

I saw a small article in the Bee last week about the possibility of putting a fleet of street cars into use on a loop from downtown to West Sac. Has anybody heard of this? More info?

Hello all! This being my first post, I want to say hello!

There is a Capital Area Street Car Summit coming up on September the 23rd in the Grand Sheraton Hotel.

Here are the summit goals:

Educate the Community about streetcars, the types of streetcars are used for transit and the various ways streetcars may be best used in a community (tourism, commute, economic development, etc).

Present the hurdles, opportunities and benefits that have been experienced in other jurisdictions.

Discuss some of the elements of streetcar system construction (vehicle types, construction of guideways, stations, etc).

Present information regarding redevelopment benefits that have been experienced in other cities.

Discuss funding options (federal, public/private and volunteers).

Suggest possible uses of streetcars in our region (Downtown, Old Sacramento, Point West, West Sacramento, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, CSUS, UC Davis Med. Center, etc).


The summit is free, you just need to register. Check out the full details at www.sacrt.com/cass.stm

I would really like the street cars to come back. It would be a good compliment to the bus system.

Maybe then after that, they could move RT to subway under the central city, like it should be.

Streetcars would kick ass...

"Maybe then after that, they could move RT to subway under the central city, like it should be."

Subway in Sac? Let's take it one step at a time there....:laugh:

Maybe, but I think they should put that on the 20 year plan. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Now financing is another story.

bring on the subway;)

Hi I'm new to this site and wow i never knew that much people we're intrested in the same thing i am. I am glad i found this site i read the forums for Sacramento and it's a great start for the capitol of the golden state

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=42 Is also a place you can also check

Yeah, there's really a TON of info over at SSP.

Here's the highlights of the text from today's front page article from the Bee about the federal transportation money that was approved. Looks like Sacramento fared quite nicely.

"In the Sacramento area, the big ticket item in the transportation bill is some $71.6 million to widen Interstate 80 from the Sacramento-Placer County line to Highway 65, bringing congestion relief to one of the fastest-growing areas in the country."

"In addition to authorizing light-rail extensions to Natomas and the airport, and from Meadowview Road to Cosumnes River College, the bill provides some $16 million to get those projects moving, authorizes an undefined street-car program for downtown Sacramento and gives the green light to extending Amtrak rail service to Auburn.

For downtown Sacramento, said Mayor Heather Fargo, the highway bill is especially welcome. The measure provides $8.4 million for work to connect Richards Boulevard to downtown around the old railyard near Interstate 5, opening up a 1,500-acre industrial area for city expansion, Fargo said.

"This will be a very important connection to get people from one point to another and allow development there," she said.

With the money, Fargo said the intermodal center providing bus, light-rail and Amtrak connections in a new facility making use of the historic train station, will become a central hub for the railyard development. The intermodal center will receive about $5.9 million.

"This bill is a big deal for us," said Fargo, calling Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer "our champion" in securing the provisions.

Other projects in the bill are:

* $3.2 million for Watt Avenue improvements from Keifer Road to Fair Oaks Boulevard.

* $6.6 million for Folsom Boulevard improvements between Rod Beaudry Drive and Sunrise Boulevard.

* $5 million to the Sacramento Area Council of Governments to improve air quality.

* $2.4 million for a Lincoln bypass on Highway 65.

* $1 million for a Harbor Boulevard interchange at Interstate 80 in West Sacramento.

* $1.67 million to improve the Yolo bus administration and maintenance facilities in Woodland.

* $1.6 million to replace the Winters Bridge over Putah Creek in Yolo County."

So it looks like the street cars are a step closer to becoming reality, as well as a new light rail line. Plus, that Richards Blvd. expansion should open up the old railyards to new developement.

It looks like these are going to be the golden years for Sacramento!

What do you guys think about the A's moving here?

Speaking of the A's......Raley Field could easly fit 35K with a second deck and outfeild bleachers. I would love to have them here, and it makes a lot of sense, but I just do not see it happening. I hope I'm wrong though...

http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13316375p-14158476c.html

Marcos Bretón: Perfectly logical to move the A's here

Stuck in traffic on a gorgeous Bay Area afternoon, it became crystal clear why the A's belong in Sacramento.
Because A's fans have to be bribed to see baseball's hottest team.


Because if not for cheap grub - for $1 hot dogs and root beer floats - and if not for $1 tickets, you wouldn't have seen 15,000 ticketless people show up at the Coliseum for Wednesday's stirring A's win over Cleveland in extra innings.
You would have seen about 25,000 fans, give or take, which is about the A's average this season, down from last year and one of the lowest attendance figures in Major League Baseball.

Indeed, it could be called pathetic how the A's can't simply be great and draw fans. Or it could be called embarrassing how they can win 38 of 52 games, including 11 of the past 14, and still draw less than mediocre slugs such as tonight's A's opponent, the Detroit Tigers.

"I have no idea how many fans we will have (tonight), and that's the tough thing," said A's general manager Billy Beane.

"You should know."

Yes, you should. But the A's can't take anything for granted, though they are the toast of baseball and are playing .700 ball on the wings of Rich Harden, Barry Zito, Dan Johnson and Bobby Crosby.

For them, outdrawing the woeful Colorado Rockies is considered a victory.

There are many reasons for this, but let's not lose the point: Sacramento could do much better.

Sacramento could provide the land for a stadium that the A's will never find in Oakland or in Contra Costa County.

Sacramento is far enough away from the Bay Area for the A's to finally climb out from under the Giants' shadow but close enough to maintain their sense of history in Northern California.

Sacramento is as rabid about its sports as the Bay Area is blasé about the A's. A simple "celebrity" softball game at Raley Field as part of the recent Triple-A All Star game festivities drew a stunning 14,414 people on a steaming Monday night a few weeks back.

Yes, there was also a Triple-A home run derby that night, but the point is: Can you imagine the local drawing power for big-league baseball?

The A's would sell out nightly, particularly given new A's owner Lew Wolff's hope for an intimate new stadium seating 35,000 or so.

Build it here, Lew, they will come.

A month ago, the University of the Pacific's Business Forecasting Center told The Bee's Andrew McIntosh the Sacramento region's economy will more than double in the next quarter century. The four-county area - Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado - will grow to 3.5 million residents.

Personal incomes will rise above the state average, the local professional and business sector will add 13,500 jobs in the next 2 1/2 years, and by 2030, the region's gross economic product will soar from $84 billion to $200 billion.

Why not get in on the ground floor of all that? Why not be like "The Jeffersons" and "move on up," and out of a horrible stadium, a depressed economy in Oakland and a dysfunctional political climate that will never generate a stadium in the East Bay. Ever.

Of course, Beane - also a minority owner in the team - will entertain no such discussions right now. He, Wolff and the rest of A's ownership say they are "committed" to the Bay Area. They have to say that.

But Beane also knows too well how his team is boxed into a relative corner of obscurity in the crowded Bay Area sports scene.

"Our biggest days are always when we have dollar (promotions)," Beane said. "The fact of the matter is, our venue is old. It's outdated."

Yes, the Coliseum is a hole where even 40,000-plus crowds seem smaller in a cavernous space. Compare the number of A's games on Fox Sports Net to those of the Giants. It's not even close. Meanwhile, the A's seemingly switch radio stations every year. Currently they are on KFRC, which plays religious music. That's pretty sad for a four-time world champion.

For their part, the Giants, who haven't won a title in 51 years and have not won one in 47 years in San Francisco, are on KNBR, a 24-hour sports titan that can be heard throughout the West.

"The Giants have a radio station that reaches Utah, so what team (is the Bay Area) going to get into?" asked Tyler Bleszinski, who runs athleticsnation.com, a popular A's blog. "If you're a Sacramento A's fan, you live out in the cold."

Time to embrace a bold idea: The A's should move to Sacramento, where it's always warm.

From Wednesday's Business Journal:

A local citizens group says Sacramento City Council members have illegally held secret meetings to review competing proposals for redeveloping a portion of the K Street Mall downtown.

The group, which calls itself Sacramento Citizens for Property Justice, sent a letter Tuesday addressed to Mayor Heather Fargo and other council members demanding that secret meetings to discuss the proposals be stopped and that recommendations resulting from these meetings be ignored by the council.

The challenge involves proposals to redevelop the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street. The City Council issued a request for proposals in January, and the city is now reviewing proposals from two development groups.

One of the proposals is from Evergreen Co. Properties, which includes K Street property owners. The competing proposal, from Zeiden Properties, would require the city to use its eminent domain power to force property owners to sell, according to the citizens group.

The City Council directed its downtown review committee, composed of four council members, to review the proposals. The committee met behind closed doors, with no public input, and then presented its recommendation to the council, according to the citizens group.

The group also alleges that the committee members contacted other members of the council to develop a "collective concurrence" on which proposal to back before making their recommendation.

California's open meetings law, known as the Brown Act, requires that meetings of local government be held in public, with some exceptions. The group contends that meetings of the downtown review committee, which comprises a majority of council members, qualifies as a meeting of local government, especially since the committee also consulted other members of the council.

In their letter, drafted by Sacramento attorney Kelly Smith, the group demands that the city ignore any recommendation of the downtown review committee and conduct all future deliberations regarding K Street redevelopment in public.

It's a week old article, but it looks to spur on the time it takes to start construction on some of the planned projects in Sacramento. As another plus, it looks like the Parthenon building is still going forward (I'm a fan of it).
Sorry for the length of the article, but you have to sign up to read it, so I wanted to just quote it below.


http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2005/07/25/story5.html?page=1

Architect Ed Kado stopped at the front counter of the city of Sacramento's development services office early this month and dropped off an application for a 29-story experiment.

The $100 million project at 500 Capitol Mall is planned by Kado's employer, Tsakopoulos Investments, headed by George Tsakopoulos and his son Angelo G. Tsakopoulos. When Kado dropped the application at the counter, it became the first high-rise project that would enter the "Matrix" -- a system for processing development applications. The department's new director, Ray Kerridge, is developing the Matrix to streamline processing and answer long and persistent criticism about delays and confusion in the city's system for handling such projects.

Angelo G. Tsakopoulos said he has talked with Kerridge and was impressed by his experience and determination. "Normally, I'd be skeptical about being a test subject," he said. "But I feel comfortable about being the first major project to start in this process."

The proposal is also notable because the design includes a likeness of the Athenian Parthenon atop the Capitol Mall building. The Parthenon, a 2,450-year-old temple of Athena, remains one of the world's most sophisticated feats of architecture. The Tsakopouloses included it to honor their Greek ancestry. The Capitol Mall version would house a restaurant and banquet hall with views. It's likely to be controversial with the city's design review officials and some of the public.

Because 500 Capitol Mall would be a landmark project, and is the first high-rise office tower to enter the Matrix as a new application, the Business Journal will be tracking it with this series of stories. The idea is to see if Kerridge's crew and the willing developers can make the Matrix work.

Whether it works is of great concern to the city, the Tsakopouloses and the many developers who work with the department. The city usually handles the largest volume of development applications in the region, or close to it -- around $1 billion worth annually.

But the city's development application process has been given very poor grades by developers. Sacramento's development processing has regularly ranked at or near the bottom in the Business Journal's annual survey of the industry. Developers complained that their applications were bounced around and sometimes lost within a confusing system that took far too long.

Kerridge was hired away from Portland. Ore., to improve the process.

He took over the department in January and has dubbed the new process the "Matrix," but not after the movie of that name nor even after the dictionary definition of "matrix" as an environment in which something thrives. MATRIX is the city's acronym for "Multi-discipline Action Team for Responsiveness and Innovative Execution of the Development Review Process."

Backers and builders hope the dictionary meaning also applies. It doesn't yet.

Kado meets the Matrix
On that first day, Kado didn't notice anything new about the system, and with good reason; the Matrix hadn't yet reached the front counter. The staff at the counter took his application and routinely routed it in the old way -- sending it to the many divisions that would be involved in the project's review. The "circulation" process typically takes 30 days.

"They never mentioned the new process," Kado said on July 14, a week after he dropped off the application. "So far, it seems business as usual."

Having heard something about how the Matrix is supposed to work, he expected that a team leader would be assigned to shepherd the project through the process. But he'd heard nothing about it from the department by the 14th. The only contact he had with the department was an e-mail and call from associate planner Erik deKok, who told Kado the project could require an environmental impact report.

"I asked deKok if he was the designated person," Kado said. "He said he wasn't. He mentioned that they are trying to adopt a new system. I'm waiting to hear from them to get together for a meeting."

Bill Thomas, the department's operation manager, explained that the Matrix is not slated to officially start until Aug. 22 and staff at the counter were not aware that this test case was coming. By the 14th, however, Thomas had been told about the application and had appointed a team leader, Willie Harris, to shepherd the project. Thomas gave Harris the nod to contact Kado, getting the Matrix in place a bit early.

"I got a call from Willie Harris," Kado said on July 18th, a Monday. "We'll meet and he'll come over to my office. I was surprised. That's never happened. We'll go over the application, then he'll set up a meeting with staff people."

Back in the old days ...
Kado said it was very different under the old system. He would not, for instance, have received a call from the department. "I'd be calling them after two weeks," he said. "I'd get some kind of run-around and would call again the following week. Then four to six weeks later, I'd call again. They'd say they can't find the application. This is pretty good. They've got this guy to lead the thing."

Said Thomas, "Under the old way, they would submit plans and they'd fall into limbo, not knowing when they'd come out the other end. We want Matrix to be seamless, predictable."

Harris expects he will have regular meetings with Kado. "We'll sit down and develop a partnership," he said. "We're not looking to be confrontational."

When Thomas gave the go-ahead, Harris began putting together the team of 31 staff members from various divisions and departments whose review and approval are needed for the project. The team will tackle the application "concurrently," said Thomas. That's different from the old "sequential" process, in which an application would move from one staff person to another, possibly being sent to the developer repeatedly with questions.

Altogether, the department is forming nine such teams, each to handle a different type of development.

Thomas pointed to a chart showing how the old, sequential process recently dealt with a local homeowner's application for a minor addition to his house. It took five months to get the application approved. "It's because the application was not looked at holistically, but sequentially," Thomas said. "I told the planners I'd buy them all dinner if they could compress that process to 14 days."

Big wheel churning
He described the concurrent review process as like a wheel, in which a team leader like Harris is the hub and the staff are spokes, all answering to Harris in short order on the issues that must be dealt with. Harris will be the department's main contact for Kado. But when needed, Harris' team will meet with members of Kado's team to settle issues quickly.

The new process should save considerable time on 500 Capitol Mall, especially in the early, design stage, Thomas explained.

Typically, a high-rise application moves through three stages -- 15 months of design by the architect; 14 months of approvals by the department; and 24 months of construction. The planning and approvals stage thus takes 29 months. Thomas aims to cut five months off that, mostly by working with the developer and architect in the first stage. Ideally, of course, the Matrix would start working with a project when the private architect started, but that was not possible in this case, he added.

One tool the Matrix will use to cut time is the "rolling review," meaning the parts of a high-rise could be reviewed by individual staff members, as soon as possible. Under the old system, all parts of the design would be submitted at once, with little or no pre-examination by city staff.

"They design a little, we review a little," Thomas said. "That's compared to the traditional scenario, where the owner can spend months in design to have us tell them they can't build it."

For instance, permits for demolition, the foundation and underground utilities can be reviewed and given the nod by staff well before the project goes to the Planning Commission for approval. Some element might be altered by the commission's decision, but these early moves toward construction are otherwise ready to go as soon as commission approval is given, he explained.

Rolling review can be done all through a project, with the architect's team and the city team maintaining a dialogue all along.

A developer in Portland once told him the cooperative, friendly process was like working with Andy Griffith's Mayberry, Thomas said.

Watching the Matrix closely is the city's Development Oversight Commission, a city-appointed group of industry figures that advises city officials on improvements to the process. "I'm intrigued to see how well it works," said developer Brian Holloway, the group's past chairman. "It's very important that it works, because it's an opportunity to get projects to move faster and with less confusion."

Court ruling muddles K Street plan
By Mary Lynne Vellinga -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, August 1, 2005
Story appeared on Page A1 of The Bee
Get weekday updates of Sacramento Bee headlines and breaking news. Sign up here.

The prospect of an expensive eminent domain fight with a major downtown property owner is complicating efforts by the city of Sacramento to spruce up the dilapidated K Street Mall.
A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain has made the situation stickier. And it doesn't help that the developer in question, Moe Mohanna, recently starred as a champion of private property rights at a Capitol press conference.

Mohanna and a competing developer have rival proposals for the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street. An ad hoc committee of four Sacramento council members is expected to make its recommendations to the council by mid-August.


If the city chooses a proposal from Joe Zeiden, owner of the Southern California-based Z Gallerie furniture chain, it faces years in court fighting Mohanna, who controls much of the property in the two blocks and vows not to sell willingly.
Not only would he fight the city in court, Mohanna said, but also he would retaliate by making downtown's main streets look even more blighted.

"If that happens, I'll be boarding up all the other properties I have," said the Iranian immigrant. "What do you want me to do? After 30 years they take my property. This is not what I expected from America."

Mohanna has joined with developer John Saca to propose a retail and condominium project using only those properties controlled by him or his partners.

Zeiden's rival proposal would encompass the entire 700 block of K Street and half of the 800 block. It would require the condemnation of up to 14 properties, many owned by Mohanna. Such an effort could cost the city millions in acquisition costs and years in court.

Eminent domain has always been a difficult issue for politicians sensitive to public opinion. But council members have grown more skittish since the recent Supreme Court eminent domain ruling.

On its face, the decision in Kelo v. the City of New London, Conn., strengthened the hand of local governments. The court upheld an action by New London to demolish houses to build a commercial center.

But far from empowering cities around the country, the court's action has instead ignited a backlash against eminent domain, giving property rights activists an issue to rally around.

"You'd think the (Supreme Court) decision would have settled the law, but it's turned eminent domain into more of a political issue," said Councilman Steve Cohn.

"The result has been a political movement in a number of states, including California, to restrict the use of eminent domain," Cohn said.

Mohanna supports this movement. In mid-July, he appeared at a Capitol press conference held by state Sen. Tom McClintock, who proposes a ballot measure that would ban the use of eminent domain for any private development.

In an interview, Mohanna asserted it is "un-American" for local governments to condemn private property so that another developer can build on it.

"Where I come from, the government does these types of things, but not in America," he said.

Even before the City Council committee has chosen a plan, one property rights group is threatening to sue the city over its decision-making process on the K Street Mall.

A new group calling itself Sacramento Citizens for Property Justice sent the city a letter accusing it of violating the state's open-meetings law by allowing the four-person committee to deliberate in closed session.

Harvey Zall, spokesman for the group, said he views the use of eminent domain to award property to a private developer as an "abuse" of government power.

City leaders said they're confident the city is on solid legal ground by allowing the committee to deliberate in secret.

"I don't think there's a lot of substance to the accusation, at least not based on what our attorneys have told us," said Mayor Heather Fargo.

The accusation, she said, "isn't diverting us from focusing on the issue at hand."

That issue is the K Street Mall. City leaders have for years expressed frustration about the continued decline of the 700 and 800 blocks of the pedestrian thoroughfare, the entrance to Downtown Plaza. The two blocks are pocked with empty and collapsed buildings.

City leaders also are seeking to redevelop the 1000 block of K Street, much of which the city already acquired.

Earlier this year, the city issued a request for development proposals. It received only one for the 1000 block, from a group led by developer David Taylor. But Zeiden and a group affiliated with Mohanna submitted rival plans for the 700 and 800 blocks.

The plan submitted by Mohanna and developers the Evergreen Co. and Hank Fisher Properties called for a large-scale housing and retail development that would have extended all the way to L Street and replaced the Greyhound bus terminal with a Nugget Market.

But Danny Benvenuti, who owns the Greyhound building, emerged with his own proposal for an office and apartment tower on his property. He said he would help Greyhound move elsewhere, something the city has long sought.

Mohanna then joined forces with John Saca, a local shopping center developer who is working on several planned high-rise condominium projects downtown.

Their new plan proposes to cut the K Street buildings controlled by Mohanna and his partners in half, maintaining retail along K Street but erecting high-rise condominiums on the rear portions.

Cohn said he likes the fact that Saca and Mohanna are proposing about 300 units of housing.

"There's definitely some merit to the proposal," Cohn said. "The problem they've had is that they're now with their third (development) partner. It's made it a little difficult to evaluate what exactly their proposal is and who their partners are."

Mohanna has been a landowner on the street for decades, and has continued to accumulate properties. In recent years, city leaders have begun openly criticizing him for failing to make significant improvements.

But Mohanna said the time for big action has only just arrived. And he wants to be part of it.

"It has taken me 30 years to assemble these properties," he said. "First you have to assemble them, then you can propose a big project."

Zeiden came to K Street about two years ago to do his own project. His family-owned retail chain has a store in the Downtown Plaza, but would like to move it out onto the street with other new stores such as those it has in six other cities.

But Zeiden managed to buy only two properties, a record store in the 700 block and a furniture store in the 800 block. He now wants the city's help to make his project happen.

Zeiden said he could move quickly by restoring existing historic buildings and putting up historic-looking structures where buildings have fallen down.

"If you walked down the street in 1925 - that's kind of what it would look like," he said.

He touts letters of interest from such retailers as Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Sur la Table. He proposes to put a modest amount of housing in the second and third stories of the buildings.

Zeiden said his project would cost about $35 million - money he already has lined up.

But his proposal comes with an expensive catch. The city would have to assemble the remaining land for him and pay for it - a cost that Mohanna estimated would run at least $25 million.

State law has long given cities the right to exercise eminent domain to acquire land in areas defined as "blighted." These powers have been used on the new Central Library and the apartment complex under construction at Ninth and J streets.

"We've got some very good examples of how we've used (eminent domain) judiciously, and we wouldn't use it any other way," Fargo said.

Cohn said he and other members of the ad hoc committee, which also includes Fargo, Rob Fong and Ray Tretheway, have been pressuring Zeiden and members of the Mohanna group to join forces to avoid a legal battle.

"Eminent domain isn't something you want to go through. It's really a last resort," Cohn said.

Sorry for all of the posts...but I keep on finding all of these great articles that I want to share. But finally, the trade center is moving along!


Bob Shallit: Rumors flying of big trade center deal
By Bob Shallit -- Bee Columnist
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, August 1, 2005
Story appeared in Business section, Page D1

Details remain fuzzy. But a long-rumored world trade center could soon be taking root on land east of Sacramento International Airport.
Several sources report that a global investment group is close to completing the purchase of part or all of the 1,800-acre Metro Air Park project owned by megadeveloper Buzz Oates and numerous other property owners.


The deal could be completed as early as this week. If that happens, the air park would become a center where merchants from around the world display their wares.
Such a center has been the subject of scuttlebutt for several months. But principals were sworn to secrecy.

Now, some are confirming the bare outlines of the center concept and saying it's far more real than similar proposals floated in the past.

The talks have "gone much further than you typically go if it's just puff," says one person familiar with the project. "We're down to details."

Says another: "It has a 100 percent chance of happening."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Condo mania: Demand seems very deep for those high-rise condo projects being proposed downtown.
John Saca, planning twin 53-story towers at Third Street and Capitol Mall, recently held a sales event for 250 prequalified people and collected $10,000 deposits for 270 units.

But he could have sold more. About 4,000 people from his interest list had been prequalified to buy.

Why weren't more invited? "We only wanted to sell about 240 units," he says.

Another sale will be held this year for a similar number of units in the second tower.

He'll hold out about 200 for later sale, presumably at a higher price.

Meanwhile, Craig Nassi, proposing a 38-story condo tower at Sixth Street and Capitol Mall, reports he has taken $5,000 deposits from more buyers than he has available units.

Can both projects get built? Developer Scott Rasmussen, who is about to break ground on his own condo project near Pavilions shopping center, isn't betting against it.

"I'm blown away by how many people say, 'I want to live downtown,' " he says.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eyes on Sactown: Of the two competing condo projects, Nassi's still is getting the most attention outside Sacramento.
The project was highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal story that examined economic growth in Sacramento, a place the writer calls "this sleepy capital city." The Saca proposal wasn't mentioned.

The San Francisco Chronicle also had a story on the Nassi project (with a brief Saca reference.) There's a nice - though perhaps immodest - quote in the piece from Nassi architect Daniel Libeskind, discussing his shift from high-profile projects like Freedom Tower in New York to high-rise abodes in places like Sacramento.

"Michelangelo built for popes and royalty - why shouldn't ordinary people have the right to live in a beautiful environment?" the architect asks.

Unfortunately, the Chron writer misspelled Nassi's name. Thankfully, he didn't call Sacramento sleepy.

Keep on posting news:) I wonder how the trade center will look.. Should be interesting.

I think it's slightly hysterical how, given the spectacular demand for highrise living, that media types are breathlessly posing questions like, 'Can both projects get built ?'

Sounds kind of quaint.

^ Yep it is hysterical, but you know the media.

From the Sac Business Journal...


Condo developer opts to build two towers at once - - -

Developer John Saca will try to build both of the 53-story condo towers he plans at 301 Capitol Mall at once, instead of in phases, as he originally planned.

When the dust cleared from his marketing event for the project two weeks ago, he had deposits from prequalified buyers for almost 280 of the 337 condos planned in the first tower. The deposits, for condos with an average price of about $600,000, are refundable -- but Saca now feels sure he'll find more than enough buyers for the entire 765-unit project. "The response we've been getting showed demand was there, and it would be more cost effective to build both at once," he says.

Saca plans to start building The Towers on Capitol Mall by year's end, and demolishing the building now on the site within 45 days. City officials say he might just do it; planning commission review is set for Aug. 25 and staff is recommending approval, said city planner Stacia Cosgrove.

Aura, another condo high-rise planned on Capitol Mall, is headed for the commission Sept. 8. Work could start on that venture by the end of the year, but "it could be tough" because of the time needed to get building permits, says Michael York, the city planner working on that project.

Hey Sugit. Thanks for the article on the A's and Sacramento. I'm gonna start up a new thread about it.

It appears that Epic Tower will be on 12th and I, not on J st. It will be well over 50 stories. Read todays biz news in the sacbee for more info.

Epic Tower is going to be really tall. Even at the old design at 50 stories, it was at 615+ ft. I can't wait to see some additional renders and updated information on this. Isn't it good for I Street? Moves the highrise line further north and with some serious height. Good news...

Looks like all these projects have a really good chance of getting built. I think epic is gonna look great when it gets built. I think the current rendering is kinda misleading. If it gets builit, it might actually turn out to be the signature building for this city.

Exactly. Look how Aura turned out


http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/3693/aura190qb.jpg

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/4061/aura150iz.jpg

Aura is lookin so sexy grrrrrrr.

City eager to revive riverfront (http://www.sacbee.com/content/community_news/sacramento/story/13371136p-14212740c.html)

Mixed development is planned from Miller Park to Capitol Mall
By Robert D. Dávila -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, August 7, 2005


Tantalizing views of urban life on the waterfront - including public open space, shops and cafes, and high-rise housing - are being sketched for a dusty, industrial area wedged between the Sacramento River and Interstate 5.

City officials and residents are drawing up plans to revitalize the Sacramento River docks area, which stretches roughly from Capitol Mall to Miller Park.

Participants at a public workshop Wednesday will refine concepts for redeveloping the 43-acre site, which is the second-largest infill project downtown after the Sacramento railyards.

"This is a really exciting property for the city, because it's the last remaining undeveloped area on the Sacramento riverfront," Economic Development Director Wendy Saunders said.

Planners envision a lively recreational and residential neighborhood on the banks of Sacramento's namesake river. The conceptual framework includes open space for public gatherings and access along the waterfront, backed by mid-rise to high-rise housing towers closer to Interstate 5.

The centerpiece is a parkway along the river linking Old Sacramento with Miller Park, dotted with trails, fishing spots, picnic sites and activity fields. New specialty shops, outdoor cafes and a promenade also would draw visitors to the water's edge.

The green space would be buffered by a mix of retail, office and residential development near the edge of downtown. Urban dwellers in medium-and high-density housing ranging from five to 20 stories tall would enjoy unparalleled river views.

"This is a unique opportunity to create a meaningful open space that caters not just to the neighborhood, but to all the people of Sacramento," said Dan Gorfain of Friends of the Sacramento River Greenway. "It would have the kinds of things that would make people want to come down and spend the day at the river and feel like they're in a public place, not somebody's back yard."

The docks project is part of a broader joint effort by the cities of Sacramento and West Sacramento to reinvent their riparian boundary as a popular urban waterfront, similar to successes in Portland and Vancouver. A 2003 master plan envisions vibrant neighborhoods flanking the Sacramento River between Discovery Park on the north and Miller Park at the south end.

Officials are drumming up support for riverfront redevelopment among neighborhood and business groups. Recent meetings for the docks area project have drawn hundreds of participants, including residents, community activists, business leaders and developers.

"It has captivated the imagination of people in Sacramento to a very significant degree," Mayor Heather Fargo said. "People are enthusiastic about seeing the waterfront develop the way they see it in their minds and the way they've seen other cities do."

A final public workshop on the docks area is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the California State Association of Counties office, 1020 11th St. Planners are seeking ideas on how the neighborhood should look, including open space, housing densities, streets and public transit.

Information also is available at www.sacramentoriverfront.org.

City officials hope a mix of open space and housing will reinvigorate the docks area, which historically was a bustling wharf and warehouse district on the Sacramento River. Activity fell off as river transportation declined and structures were demolished after the 1950s, especially when Interstate 5 was built in the 1960s.

An irregular shape and artificial barriers pose design challenges. Cut off from downtown by Interstate 5, the area is bisected by the Pioneer Bridge. The site is hemmed by a levee and railroad tracks used by excursion trains from Old Sacramento.

Additional constraints include contamination from a Pacific Gas and Electric plant and huge oil tanks near Miller Park. Meanwhile, planners must consider how other existing facilities fit into a redeveloped docks area, including the Towe Auto Museum, the city's animal shelter and the enclosed Pioneer Reservoir.

The popular Towe museum has outgrown its Front Street home, which also needs repairs, director Kristin Hartley said. The city owns the property, and some officials have suggested the auto collection eventually could be showcased better near other museums in Old Sacramento or the railyards.

"We don't have a problem moving if the building is adequate," Hartley said. "But our preference is to stay here, because if there is going to be redevelopment we'd be a nice anchor for it."

The city is taking steps to clear the way for transforming the docks area, including negotiating with state regulators to resolve contamination and flood-control issues, officials said. Other design solutions include moving the oil tanks to the Port of Sacramento and creating a "green roof" park on the roof of the Pioneer Reservoir, similar to the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.

The City Council is expected to take final action in December on plans for the docks area north of the Pioneer Bridge. Meanwhile, officials are considering a national design competition to select a developer for the project.

"We think a competition could bring in some new ideas that we haven't even conceived of," Fargo said. "The city is vibrant, and it's a great time to be looking at new ideas."


http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/115-0807riverfront01.gif

From last Friday's Business Journal:


Newest downtown proposal: Townhomes on T Street
Mike McCarthy
Staff Writer
Developer Tony Giannoni and partner Kevin Noell have bought a city block in midtown Sacramento, where they plan to build deluxe townhomes for buyers who want something more genteel than the high-rise condos proposed in the central city.

The deal is one of many prompted by the apparently rising demand for downtown homes from downtown workers. This project is unusual in taking up an entire city block.

Giannoni and Noell, who built the 12-story Meridian Plaza office building at 1415 L St., this week bought the 3.1-acre block bounded by T, U, 20th and 21st streets from Angelo Tsakopoulos. Tsakopoulos' daughter, Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis, is a partner in the project, said Noell.

Noell is a San Diego builder who specializes in rehabilitating polluted "brownfield" sites in existing neighborhoods. He was scouting the R Street corridor for properties when he came across the Tsakopoulos site, which happens to be free of toxics, Giannoni said.

The partners propose 61 detached townhomes, each separated by three feet of air and built around a grassy common area. The structures would rise two stories above ground-floor garages, and resemble brownstones found in New York City or Boston.

The partners could have proposed a condo high-rise, but felt downtown Sacramento has plenty of those in the offing. Other developers have proposed up to seven high-rises in the central city, all with at least some condos.

Also, Noell said, the brownstone look fits in better with the Victorian neighborhood around 20th and T.

Prices to start in low $400,000s
The site is a short distance from the award-winning, Safeway-anchored R Street Market shopping center that developer Paul Petrovich completed last year. Because of that project and others in the area, Noell said, the partners decided their venture didn't need to include stores.

They haven't settled on prices, but Noell estimates that the units will be priced from the "low $400,000 range to around $700,000."

"Yeah, that price range should be fine," said John Schleimer, owner of Market Perspectives, a company that analyzes the new-home market. "And having the ability to offer detached townhomes should be fine there."

The buyers would include people who prefer detached homes to high-rise condominiums, downtown workers tired of commuting, and people who prefer the urban lifestyle, Schleimer said.

The T Street townhomes sound a bit like Regis Homes' 45-house Metro Square project in midtown, which sold out in one week in 1998 and demonstrated a demand for new homes in the central city.

Reservations, start dates
The property is listed with real estate agent Jaci Wallace of Lyon Real Estate's midtown office. Giannoni expects the partnership will be able to take reservations for the units in December. Construction would be in phases, with the first units started next April.

Noell said 45 of the homes would range in size between 1,500 and 1,800 square feet, featuring roof decks. Another 16 would be 1,000 square feet.

The site now has an empty industrial-style building that was used as an office. It would be torn down. Although the property's current zoning might allow homes, Noell plans to ask the city to rezone it residential.

The project architect is Packowski Heinritz Associates.

Comstock's magazine reports that Sacramento is the 7th healthiest city in America. I'll take that with a grain of salt.

www.bestplaces.net

Posted by Urban_Encounter @ SSP

From the Sacramento Business Journal

Developer Mark Friedman plans to ask West Sacramento this month to let him build up to 3,000 homes on 50 acres near Raley Field and the Sacramento River, up from the 1,750 homes he proposed a year ago.
He's responding to the continued strong market for housing.
The condos and rental lofts would help create one of the most distinctive ventures proposed in the region. Condo towers would rise along a half-mile of landscaped riverfront. Behind them would be a cozy, Euro-style downtown built around an oval park. One million square feet of offices, with about 200,000 square feet of retail for services, strores and restaurants.
The first building would be a 250-condo mid-rise Friedman wants to build on the old Empire Electric site, 860 South River Road.
Friedman, president of Fulcrum Property Corp. of Sacramento intends to send his application for the entire venture to the city this month. If West Sacramento approves, construction could start by mid-2007.
"The waterfront is a blank slate, and it's one of the only sites left with a riverfront and view of downtown Sacramento," said Greg Paquin, owner of The Gregory group, a local company that studies the new-home market. "Where can you find an amenity like that anywhere else in the Sacramento area?" The homes should sell easily he said. The amount of office and retail space hasn't changed from Friedman's initial proposal last year.
Friedman's family and the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, which owns th Cache Creek Casino, co-own the 50 acres. They're part of the 180-acre Triangle, a changing industrial district in West Sacramento and vital to the planned urbanization of the city's waterfront. The Triangle includes the 20 acre Raley Field ballpark, home of the Triple A Sacramento River Cats.
The Condos would be built just south of Raley Field. About two-thirds of the housing would be condos for sale, Friedman said, and the rest would be lofts.
Friedman's venture comes amid proposal by various developers to build several new office and condo high-rises in downtown Sacramento, not far from the Triangle.
The condos will be comepetition, said John Schleimer, owner of Market Perspectives, a company that studies the new-home market.
"But there will be people who don't want to live in high-rises who will be attracted to the mixed use project," he said. "If Friedman does an attractive streetscape, it's got some unique opportunities in the market."
The riverside views and promenade would help market the project, Schleimer said, although the depth of the local demand for urban-style living remains unknown.
No faux-historic architecture: "We aim to recreate the livability and ambiance of a European street scene," Friedman said.
The projects architecture wil be "modernistic-not old brick, but more glass and steel."
Firedman has also bought the old Empire Electric building on 2 acres next to the 50-acre Friedman/Rumsey Band tract. He hired cutting edge architect Stanley Saitowitz of San Francisco to design the condo mid-rise Freidman wants to build.
Saitowitz would probably set the modern look that Friedman seeks for the entire project, so Freidman calls the mid-rise project "The Edge."
In San Francisco Saitowitz designed Embarcardero Promenade and the lofts at 1022 Natoma St., where he works. Saitowitz also works as a professor of architecture at UC Berkely.

Woww..... amazing....

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/13473619p-14314399c.html

Downtown towers approved

Twin skyscrapers get final OK; work to start next month on Capitol Mall
A pair of 53-story towers on Capitol Mall won approval Thursday night from the city Planning Commission, clearing the way for construction of the tallest buildings in Sacramento.

The panel voted 7-0 for the twin 615-foot hotel and condominium skyscrapers planned by developer John Saca. The action gave the final go-ahead to the biggest of several high-rises proposed to reshape the city's skyline.

After the hearing, Saca said the project planned at Third Street and Capitol Mall sets a precedent and predicted more residential high-rises in downtown's future.
"A year and a half ago, people thought I was crazy when I said I wanted to do this," he said. "They said Sacramento wasn't ready.

"Now we see more excitement and energy downtown. This project will be the first of more to come."

The city's design review board approved the towers Aug. 3. The project does not require City Council action.

Demolition of a vacant building on the site is expected to begin next month, followed by support pilings going into the ground by the end of the year, Saca said. He predicted residents would begin moving in by late 2007.

Plans for the Towers on Capitol Mall include an upscale 276-room hotel and more than 700 condominiums in twin buildings. Saca said he expects within 30 days to announce the operator of a "4 1/2-star hotel" on the first 21 floors of one tower.

The appeal of high-rise living downtown has captivated public attention, including more than 4,000 potential buyers who prequalified for condominiums, the developer said. During a recent sales event for the first 250 units in one tower, sellers collected $10,000 refundable deposits on 280 condominiums.

Saca said 300 more units in the second tower would be offered for reservations within 60 days. After getting permission from state real estate regulators, Saca said, he plans to begin converting deposits to nonrefundable down payments in November.

The project drew opposition from preservationists, who said the towers' height and scale would overshadow the Capitol and ruin views along Capitol Mall. Current height restrictions apply only to development with two to three blocks of the Capitol grounds.

When completed, the towers will surpass the 30-story, 423-foot Wells Fargo building on Capitol Mall as Sacramento's tallest buildings. Other high-rise projects also are planned along the boulevard stretching from the Capitol to the Tower Bridge.

The city's design review board expects next month to consider the Aura project, a 38-story tower planned by Denver developer Craig Nassi at 601 Capitol Mall. Local developer David Taylor is planning an office tower on a portion of the same lot.

The board also expects next month to hear Angelo G. Tsakopoulos' plans for the Parthenon, a 29-story office building at 500 Capitol Mall. The developer has proposed a 455-foot tower topped by a replica of the namesake temple to the Greek goddess Athena.

Good news there. And do any of you folks have any pictures you could repost of the Parthenon? I remember seeing a picture of it a while ago, and remember I wasn't too fond of it.

Here ya go.

http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/927-0513details.jpg

Hi folks -- been reading this thread for some time now and finaly broke down and registered. Been watching the Sac skyline try to grow up for well over a decade now. Been there for the exciting and not-so-exciting times in its transition! I usually comb numerous resourses to dig up info about our going-ons. Of course, if I come across anything that might be of interest, I will post them here.

Michael

HighInTheSky, welcome to the boards;)

Have you been checking the Sac boards over at SSP too?

I don't hate the Parthenon, I think I would like to see a change of the glass color though.

yea same here wut color is it now like a light brownish?

Yes, enigma -- I've been perusing the SSP site as well. I'll probably register on that one soon as well.

I'm not so sure if the one-and-only rendition of the Parthenon isn't just a conceptual drawing. Not unlike the Greyhound Depot project. I believe it is nothing more than a generic rendering to showcase the concept of the Parthenon as its crown. Although I would hate to argue with anyone wanting to build a skycraper, nor would I argue the majesty that is the Parthenon, but it just doesnt say "Sacramento" to me -- How 'bout a replica of the state capitol building on top instead? Or a huge statue of a gold prospector? Any other ideas?

Michael

Does anyone know how to attach an image on this???

Anyway, here is the text from an email I received this morning from The Towers, if anyone is interested in reading it...

The Towers on Capitol Mall in Sacramento Makes History!
On Thursday August 25th 2005, The Sacramento city Planning Commission made local history by giving The Towers on Capitol Mall final approval to move forward with construction. This approval represents not only the local support for The Towers on Capitol Mall, but it is also a sign of the support for the growth in our entire downtown region. In the very near future Sacramento will be well on it's way to taking its place in California as one of the great cities in the State with a thriving downtown lifestyle. The Towers on Capitol Mall is sure to be the catalyst for many other projects both large and small in our downtown region, and we are very pleased to be such a big part of this local history. We are looking forward to starting demolition of the existing building within the next few weeks, and starting construction of The Towers on Capitol Mall by the end of the year.

In addition we are very pleased to announce that our first pre-construction sales event was a tremendous success! The 250 available residences that were released in Tower One were all reserved, breaking all records in the Sacramento region, totaling over 160,000,000 dollars of real estate! This successful event was due to the extreme interest of our buyers.

Those of you who did not get the chance to reserve a residence at our first event may still have an opportunity in the near future. We still have two-thirds of the project to release and we anticipate the next pre-construction sales event to occur within the next 60 days. Please note that pricing will only be available at our next event.

We are happy to announce that we will be opening our sales office shortly. We encourage you to come visit us to address any questions or concerns that you might have, view the features and upgrades for your new home, and see the model of our Towers Project.

In the meantime, please feel free to contact us @ 916-443-2200 or by email at info@sactowers.com . Thank you for your continued interest and support in The Towers.....The Place To Live In Sacramento!



Sincerely,

The Towers Sales Team

To post an image, it has to already be online somewhere (can't be on you hard drive) and you paste the address into the dialogue box that comes up when you click on the little image of mountains above the text box when you post something. It looks like this.

http://skyscrapercity.com/images/editor/insertimage.gif

It would be nice if the Towers or Epic can have an observatory like the Sears tower or Torre latinoamerica in Mexico City. I can just picture it now. Locals ans tourist buying postcards and miniture models of the buildings.

let me try -- sorry everyone for the learning curve

http://www.excellenceinprinting.com/images/DowntownSacramento.jpg

hey, it worked !!!!

Here ya go.

http://www.sacbee.com/ips_rich_content/927-0513details.jpg

Thanks... Yeah, that doesn't look as bad as I remember it. Though I do agree with you guys about the glass.

If it was reflective glass like renaissance tower, then it wouldn't be so bad. But still, it would look a lot better with light blue glass.

I love downtown Sacramento. But, there are some things that bug me about the downtown. The good news is that a lot of the things that bug me are either in the process of being fixed, or are at least being talked about among city officials. There are plenty of other things I could have added to this list, but I thought I'd try to keep it to just 10 items. (By the way, if I made of list of things I love about downtown Sacramento, it would go on for many, many pages...)

So, here's a list of my Top 10 Downtown Sacramento Pet Peeves:

(In no particular order.)

1. The vertical lights on the new Federal Building were turned off after 9/11 for security reasons. They have never been turned back on, even though there is no reasonable logic to leaving them off.

2. The ugly concrete barricades around the Federal Building need to be replaced with something more aesthetically pleasing.

3. The water sculpture/fountain in front of the "Emerald Tower" on Capitol Mall does not seem to be turned on anymore. At least, I have not seen it turned on in years...

4. Capitol Mall needs to be properly landscaped, and the ugly/dated lightly needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, what is holding up these improvements is that it is strangely designated a state highway. This designation needs to change - and change soon.

5. The K Street Mall needs to reintroduce car traffic. It was a major mistake to make it in to a pedestrian mall.

6. The Southern Pacific rail depot is in desperate need of renovation. I know this is supposedly in the works - but it has been in the works for years and years and nothing has been done.

7. The ugly, temporary planter barricades around the State Capitol building need to be replaced with attractive/permanent barriers.

8. The flop houses and rundown hotels/motels throughout downtown need to be cleaned up and/or demolished.

9. Westfield has allowed the Downtown Plaza to dramatically deteriorate. The city needs to find a way to give Westfield the boot or force them to properly maintain the mall. Westfield has allowed the whole place to fall in disrepair and they can't even attract a decent second anchor tenant. So, they decide that bringing in a trashy Walmart is their best option.

10. There are a number of things that need to be improved in Old Sacramento. The remaining empty lots need to be developed. Old Sac needs to be better shielded from Interstate 5. All the streets in Old Sacramento needs to be done in cobblestone. It's enough to have a the cars ruining the historic atmosphere. At least let's get the place looking like a historic district.

I honestly feel that the design of the new Parthenon building is one of the worst architectural ideas I've seen in quite some time. The design of this building comes across as very immature - like a child thought of the idea. It doesn't take much thought or talent to plot a scale replica of the Parthenon on top of a modern skyscraper. But, it could have looked at least half-decent had the architect exhibited a little nuance and a proper understanding of architectural history. Unfortunately, the execution of this idea is atrocious. There is no subtlety to the design. It comes across as silly and rather insulting to the Greek culture. I really hope it doesn't get built in its current format.

hey does anyone have any pictures of the meridian plaza ll or any idea of what it looks like.I know about the 1st meridian plaza just not the second but i heard its 20 sumthing stories tall

Meridain II is supposed to be an exact replica of Meridain I, but 22 stories instead of 12

kool thanx by the way im 13 and ive been following this thread cause its really exciting hearing how sacramento is going to do soo much

The area around the Towers is fenced in. Looks like demo work is imminent

Thanks to Majin at SSP for the pic

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/6789/pic10xt.jpg

Great news for downtown today....


Construction to begin on downtown high-rise
By Jon Ortiz -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:43 pm PDT Thursday, September 8, 2005

Construction crews will break ground in two weeks on Downtown Sacramento's first high-end office project in more than a decade, said developer David S. Taylor.

The project, dubbed Six Twenty-One Capitol Mall for its location just three blocks from the state Capitol, will be a 25-story steel-and-glass tower and should be completed in about 2 years.

Downey Brand LLC, one of the region's biggest law firms, has signed a lease to move from its current offices at 555 Capitol Mall into Taylor's high-rise in 2008. Two other firms, whom Taylor declined to name Thursday, also have signed contracts. That would bring the total preleased space to about 35 percent of the building's rentable 366,000 square footage.

The site of the building is a vacant half-block parcel known as Lot A, bordered by 7th Street on the east, L Street on the north, Capitol Mall on the south and another city-owned parcel on the west.

"It's the last undeveloped block in the downtown area," said Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. "We'll definitely see momentum from this project spin into more development in the area."

Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum of San Francisco are the buildiing architects. Hensel Phelps Construction Co., based in Greeley, Colo., is the general contractor.

Also...The Towers began demo today. They are tearing the roof off the old Sac Union as we speak.

A new chapter has begun!!! Lot A will be a nice dense block.

Pics from yesterday by LOOKnUP @ SSP.

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/1695/towersdemo11la.jpg

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/5858/towersdemo26gk.jpg

everything looks great in sac. im kinda new at this so can anyone tell me the website for SSP. Thanks

sackingsfan, here's the link to the forum...
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/



and here's a link to the California section where there is a whole bunch of info.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=42

There's also other sections of the site that are pretty interesting (the diagrams and galleries), but most of the info is in the forum.

Thought I'd post this rendition here too! (as seen on SSP) for good measure!

MP II

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/HighInTheSky/towers/MPII.jpg

:cheers: Oh wow...I just hope they will build more skyscrapers in Sacramento. :bash: Why are they building more skyscrapers in the Bay Area for? I just think it's too dangerous because there might be a huge earthquake there.

They should all come to Sacramento..... :cheers:

:cheers: Oh wow...I just hope they will build more skyscrapers in Sacramento. :bash: Why are they building more skyscrapers in the Bay Area for? I just think it's too dangerous because there might be a huge earthquake there.

They should all come to Sacramento..... :cheers:

Are you old enough to drink? :cheers: haha

does anyone know anything more or have any more pictures of the golden state towere cuz i havent seen or heard much of anything but it sounds cool

That tower was 1 of 8 ideas for the state west end office complex going in near 8th & N, but it wasn't chosen. From the latest news, it looks like it will be 2 towers on 2 blocks @ around 400 ft. We're all hoping the state will go a little higher, but it is the state we're talking about here.

That tower was 1 of 8 ideas for the state west end office complex going in near 8th & N, but it wasn't chosen. From the latest news, it looks like it will be 2 towers on 2 blocks @ around 400 ft. We're all hoping the state will go a little higher, but it is the state we're talking about here.

Yep the state wants huge ass floorplates. Maybe I am wrong, but wouldn't the state be better off developing on one lot and selling the other off? I don't know what current real estate would be for a lot a block away from Capitol Mall, but i'd imagine it is pretty good.

So why not use that extra money to help fund a taller tower. How about a design with twin towers and a few skybridges connecting them? State sucks.

That was my original idea, but we all know once the state has made up its mind, there's no chaning it.

http://www.capsweb.org/main.html

all of this hoopla over the parthenon building design... i say a spire on top would look good

"That tower was 1 of 8 ideas for the state west end office complex going in near 8th & N, but it wasn't chosen. From the latest news, it looks like it will be 2 towers on 2 blocks @ around 400 ft. We're all hoping the state will go a little higher, but it is the state we're talking about here." so have these been like approved already or are they just prosposed

"That tower was 1 of 8 ideas for the state west end office complex going in near 8th & N, but it wasn't chosen. From the latest news, it looks like it will be 2 towers on 2 blocks @ around 400 ft. We're all hoping the state will go a little higher, but it is the state we're talking about here."
so have these been like approved already or are they just prosposed

so have these been like approved already or are they just prosposed

Well, it's the state we're talking about here so they can pretty much do what they want. They decided to build them, and they will get built. They are neithor approved nor proposed. An EIR (Environmental Impact Review) is in the works, and when that is complete, the project will start.

Yeah, when the EIR comes out soon, then we'll get to see how the two towers will actually look.

That's why it's so scary to be at the mercy of the state. They can build or design um anyway they want to.. and nobody can say a damn thing about it.

Hey, does it kinda bother anyone else that Epic is gonna be at 12th and I, instead of 10th and J, where (if I'm not mistaken) it was originally supposed to be? Seems kinda out of the way. IMO, I'd like the tallest to be in a more central location.

Remember, I st is really moving forward these days. Very shortly there will be an annoucement about a new tower at 8th and I. And Epic is right next to the Capitol Grand Tower. (Which is being revised taller then its current design at 38 stories)

Hey Whats up everyone Im a long time reader first time poster, Im originally from Belarus but I grew up here in Sacramento. I live in Citrus Heights right now. Im very excited about the projects being built in Sacramento, I usually read updates on skyscraperpage but I signed up here becuase Skyscrapercity has a better Russian Projects forum. Anyways Ill be posting some of my pics of Sacrameno pretty soon. Hope you guys will enjoy them.

Welcome:) Nice username;) We welcome your pics, so please post them.

New pics are always nice to see. Good to see another Sac forumer.

Hey thanks guys, Ill post them as soon as I can make attachments. Does anyone know how long that takes?

Nobody can post "attachments" per se -- You cannot attach a pic or other document from your hard drive. You have to first upload it to the internet, copy the URL, click the font of the mountains http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/HighInTheSky/imageicon.jpg and then paste the URL in the box that pops up.

Most of us use a free service called "photobucket.com" for uploading (there are others too) and its super cook-book easy. Give it a try!

http://photobucket.com/

^ SkyScraperPage.com provides more activity and info among forumers, I highly recommend it. This thread here does not get too much traffic! The "Sacramento 2005 Construction Thread" seems to be the busiest.

^ SkyScraperPage.com provides more activity and info among forumers, I highly recommend it. This thread here does not get too much traffic! The "Sacramento 2005 Construction Thread" seems to be the busiest.

Yeah I check it out all the time, maybe I should sign up.


About posting images, I know how to do that part, I dont understand how it works on this forume where do I upload them or what kind of code do I use to paste it here.

I'm not sure what else to tell you. First you say "...about posting images, I know how to do that part" and then in the same breath you say "I dont understand how it works on this forum" Well, which is it?

If you wish to post images from your hard drive:
Go to Photobucket.com (if you haven't already done so) and register. Then click "browse", find the file you wish to upload, then click "submit" -- Photobucket will upload your image and assign it its own URL address. Next, "copy" the URL address of the image you want. Then come back to this forum, click "post reply", then click on this icon http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/HighInTheSky/imageicon.jpg then "paste" the URL address when promted and click "OK" -- you're done!

If you wish to post an image from the internet:
Even easier -- Just right-click on the image in question, hi-lite "properties", then "copy" the URL address and paste it into your post. Dont forget use the image icon http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/HighInTheSky/imageicon.jpg

Good luck, my friend -- we are looking forward to your pics!

^Oh I figured it out, but thanks anyways. Ill be posting those pics shortly, should I make a seperate thread or post it in this one?

Just post them here. Better yet -- go to skyscraperpage.com and post them there

Go to which ever site, but definatly make a new thread.

Thought I'd post this rendition here too! (as seen on SSP) for good measure!

MP II

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/HighInTheSky/towers/MPII.jpg

This is the M2? (it's just an enlarged version of M1 isn't it?). So where is this going (if it is ever built)? From the rendering it looks like where "The Park" has just been built so I don't think its coming anytime soon.

:weirdo: =ozone. Duh it is the M1 tweaked.

And since this hasn't been posted here yet, here's the new renders for the Parthenon.

http://www.capradio.org/resources/images/1806.jpg

And since this hasn't been posted here yet, here's the new renders for the Parthenon.

http://www.capradio.org/resources/images/1806.jpg

When I first saw the new Parthenon renders, I wasn't sure what to think. After all, nobody likes the ziggurat and here comes another bold Kado design.

I think the main reason the Parthenon doesn't work is because the features of the parthenon are not incorporated into other parts of the building design. I don't have problem with the building shape or the parthenon, but I think the main issue here is that it needs to flow.

Look below, he used a pediment but the exterior of it blends with the rest of the building. Now look at the parthenon, it is a completely seperate building on top of a building and is defined by a different color and shape.

I realize he wants to bring visual interest to the Parthenon feature, but this just doesn't look good.

Here is an image I made up quickly in Photoshop to express what I was thinking. The Parthenon columns are not exactly right, and could be wider but I think this building is acceptable.

http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/5551/parthenonenigma3ou.jpg

A render for Epic -- To be built at 12th and I.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/enigma99a/epic_render.jpg

AWESOME!!! that pic looks great compare to the old one.

Another tower for I Street.

This one at the old interm city hall at 8th and I

http://www.ceo.saccounty.net/pio/press-releases/2005/docs/10/Media-Tip-Sheet-10-17-05.pdf

DR Horton was choose in an RFP process for a 21-story tower with 295 condo's with a small amount of office and retail.

These guys had revenues of 11 BILLION last year, so they are loaded and can build right away.

No rendering yet

Here's a rendering of the Horton condo from this week's Business Journal.

http://img476.imageshack.us/img476/5105/sachorton6ao.jpg

i love how sac-town is devopling

From LOOKINUP from SSP

Aura has been APROVED in a 9 - 0 vote.

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/3417/aura6de.jpg

The official height is 441ft. with a total number of condos of 282 @ 39 stories.

This week's new tower...

35 Stories.

10th & J streets
35,000 Retail Square Feet
330 units Resiential Units
Developer: Saca Development

Application should be filed within the next 45 days. No rendering avail yet

This week's new tower...

35 Stories.

10th & J streets
35,000 Retail Square Feet
330 units Resiential Units
Developer: Saca Development

Application should be filed within the next 45 days. No rendering avail yet


What's the name of that new building?

Yah, no idea on the name. I don't think we will know until the marketing campaign goes full force in a few months.

Thought I would post some demolition updates from SSP of the Twin 53 story towers at 301 Capitol Mall.


http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8313/301cm139vq.jpg

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/9979/301cm127er.jpg http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/1793/301cm140zg.jpg

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=3565

Washington, DC – The final FY’06 Energy and Water Conference Report approved today by House-Senate conferees includes $40.9 million to strengthen California levees and flood control.


“A major earthquake in Sacramento or the Bay Delta is a nightmare scenario for California,” Senator Dianne Feinstein said. “The earthquake damage would be bad enough. But if it were to weaken the levees, it would cause terrible flooding, kill thousands of people, jeopardize the drinking water for 23 million people, and cost billions. That’s why we’ve got to act now. The funding approved today is a down payment on improving Sacramento-area flood control, but millions more is needed. But we will not give up the fight. We will look for every way possible to obtain the funding that is needed so that catastrophic flooding can be averted.”


"This funding will help us create the blueprints we need for the most critical levee repairs and storage expansion projects,” Chairman Richard Pombo said. “This is just the beginning, obviously, but we are off to a good start. I would like to thank Senator Feinstein for her tireless efforts to make sure the Delta levees are secured as soon as humanly possible. With her leadership in the Senate, Californians can be confident the job will get done."


“I am pleased Sacramento received record funding for our flood control efforts - it is recognition that we are better off making an investment in protection rather than funding a clean up,” Representative Doris Matsui said. “However, this is only the beginning and we must continue our commitment to flood control funding to ensure Sacramento is no longer the 'most at-risk river city in the nation.”

Sacramento and Delta Levees and Flood Control




$15 million for American River Watershed -- Folsom Dam Mini Raise


$9.555 million for American River Watershed -- Folsom Dam Modifications


$4.405 million for American River Watershed -- Common Features


$3.75 million for South Sacramento County Streams


$6.3 million for Sacramento River Bank Protection


$1.2 million for the Yuba River Basin


$500,000 for short-term Delta levee assessment (CALFED 180-day study)


$250,000 for a Delta Islands and levee feasibility study




CALFED

The bill also includes $37 million for CALFED projects. Congress approved legislation sponsored by Senator Feinstein and Chairman Pombo authorizing $395 million over six years for CALFED last year. The FY '06 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill provides a total of $37 million for the Bureau of Reclamation’s California Bay-Delta Restoration Account.


“This bill funds numerous CALFED-related projects including water storage studies, the environmental water account, wetlands restoration, dam storage safety, and desalination projects,” Senator Feinstein said. “This is good news for California water and indicates Congress commitment to funding CALFED in a balanced manner.”


The following CALFED projects were specifically funded in the bill:




$4 million for the Upper San Joaquin Storage Study


$300,000 for the Sites Reservoir Storage Study


$4 million for the Shasta Enlargement Study


$3.2 million for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Study


$8.3 million for the Environmental Water Account


$2.5 million for Ecosystem Restoration


$2 million for the San Luis Reservoir Low Point Study


$1 million for the Interagency Ecological Program


$1.65 million for Westside Drainage and Salinity Reduction in the San Joaquin River




In addition, the following important water supply projects were funded:




$13 million for the Hamilton Airfield Wetlands Restoration


$2.25 for the Orange County Groundwater Replenishment System (as compared to $1.25 million in the President’s budget request)


$2.1 million for the Calleguas Water Recycling Project (as compared to $1.35 million in the President’s budget request)


$1.875 million for the North San Diego County Area Water Recycling Project (as compared to $1.25 million in the President’s budget request)


$1.25 million for the Long Beach Desalination Project


$622,000 for Long Beach Recycling


$500,000 for the San Jose Area Water Reclamation and Reuse Project (as compared to $300,000 in the President’s budget request)


$250,000 for the Hamilton City Flood Control and Habitat Restoration


$150,000 for the Mission Springs Water Reuse Project


$77,000 for the Pasadena Reclaimed Water Project




Other Bureau of Reclamation projects funded in the bill include:




$3 million for Lake Tahoe Regional Wetlands (as compared to $100,00 in the President’s budget request)


$52.219 million for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund


$4.828 million for the Salton Sea Research Project


$4.177 million for the Solano Project


$3.35 million for the San Diego Area Water Reclamation and Reuse Program


$1.78 million for the Cachuma Project


$1.27 for the Orland Project


$766,000 for the Southern California Investigations Program


$570,000 for the Ventura River Project


$120,000 for the Napa-Sonoma-Marin Agricultural Reuse Project




Army Corps of Engineers (Partial List)

The Army Corps of Engineers projects in California (other than the CALFED projects listed above) that are funded in the bill include:


Preliminary Study and Design (General Investigations)




$600,000 for the South San Francisco Bay Shoreline Study, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project


$125,000 for the Humboldt Bay Long-Term Shoal Management Study


$125,000 for the Inglewood Transmission Pipelines


$80,000 for the Norwalk Central Transmission Main


$175,000 for the Morro Bay Estuary


$850,000 for the Los Angeles County Regional Dredged Materials Management Plan


$100,000 for the Carpinteria Beach Shoreline Study


$800,000 for the Matilija Dam Removal


$860,000 million for the Tahoe Basin


$500,000 for Tahoe Regional Planning




Construction




$3 million for the San Ramon Valley Water Recycling Project


$5 million for the Upper Newport Bay Harbor Restoration


$48 million for the Oakland Harbor 50 Foot Navigation Improvement


$2.7 million for the Port of Los Angeles Channel Deepening


$900,000 for the Bascule Bridge Replacement in West Sacramento


$12 million for Napa River Flood Control


$350,000 for the York Creek Dam Removal


$3.75 million for Murrieta Creek Flood



Control




$8 million for Dam Safety at Success Dam, Tule River


$5 million for Stockton Metropolitan Flood Control Reimbursement


$3.5 million for the Upper Guadalupe River


$3.6 million for Tahoe Basin Restoration


$3 million for Kaweah River




Operations and Maintenance




$450,000 for Port San Luis Harbor Breakwater Repair


$3.676 million for Coyote Valley Dam, Lake Mendocino


$4.562 million for Humboldt Harbor and Bay


$675,000 for the San Leandro Jack D. Maltester Channel


$900,000 for Marina Del Rey


$225,000 for the Pinole Shoal Management Study


$4.47 million for Redwood City Harbor


$2.511 million for Sacramento River (30 foot project)


$1.44 million for San Francisco Bay Management Study


$4.619 million for Suisun Bay Channel




Environmental Infrastructure




$3 million for the Harbor/South Bay Recycling Project


$2.1 million for Oyster Point Marina Breakwater Reconfiguration




Department of Energy




Department of Energy projects in California that were funded in the bill include:


$5 million for Renewable Energy Production Incentives


$83 million for the Stanford Linear Accelerator Coherent Light Source Project


$7 million for the UCLA Institute for Molecular Medicine


$750,000 for new equipment at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles


$750,000 for a PET/CT Fusion Imaging System at California Hospital Medical Center


$500,000 for St. Mary’s Cancer Center


$400,000 for new equipment at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hos

From News 10's website 11/12/05:

Tower Two Condo Sales Open in Downtown High-Rise Project

http://www.news10.net/assetpool/images/05825192221_Sacramento%20Towers-185.jpg

The second wave of buyers interested in living in Sacramento's new 53-story downtown high-rise project The Towers got their first look at what could be their new home Saturday.

A select group of potential new tenants of The Towers on Capitol Mall attended an exclusive, invitation-only event to put down $10,000 deposits on one of nearly 300 condominium homes to be built in the second tower. The pre-qualified invitees were able to choose from several different floor plans in what will be the tallest residential complex on the West Coast when completed.

Last July, 240 condos in the first tower sold out in two days.

The 615-feet twin towers conceived by developer John Saca will include more than 700 condominiums, retail space as well as a 276-room four-star hotel. The luxury condominiums sell for between $300,000 to $1 million per unit.

Construction on the two towers are expected to begin simultaneously by year's end, allowing the first condominium owners to move in by late 2007.

From the Bee 11/16/05:


One down, one to go: The developer of downtown's Meridian Plaza office building at 14th and L streets is about to launch the project's second phase - a 23-story tower right behind the 12-story, 240,000-square-foot original.

Tony Giannoni says he has just signed a contract with architecture firm Hornberger+Worstell and expects to submit plans to the city in three or four months. The start of construction is probably a year away.

What will be in the new building, at 15th and K? That's not decided. Offices, certainly. But it could have upper-level residential condos. Office condos also are a possibility.

"We want to be as flexible as we can so we can adjust to the market," says Giannoni.

How has leasing gone on the first building? Very well. Industry talk has a local law firm taking the building's last big chunk of available space - about 24,000 square feet.

"That's the scuttlebutt," Giannoni says, then all but confirms the rumor. "That's why we're kicking off Phase II."

I think part of the reason those buildings in that area do very well that is where we are seeing a majority of the new restaurants, clubs, mixed use loft developments and general entertainment being built in that immediate area. It creates a energetic and fun working environment for people.

Being out on Capitol Mall is kinda boring (at least until 621, Aura and The Towers are built) I worked there for a year, not many place to go in the immediate area for lunch or after work drinks other than Il Fornio or 4th Street Grill

Sac's K Street Proposal

http://www.downtownsac.org/uploads/projects/800saca.jpg

Developer John Saca plans to build a 24-story high-rise tower of up to 220 condominiums, plus ground-floor retail on the 800 block of K Street in downtown Sacramento.

Is it me or the rendering doesn't look like a 24-storey building?

It's just you:) It's the building mass (footprint) that makes it appear shorter then it is

I like the glass curtain wall on Saca's proposal, but isn't there a better way to hide the parking levels? Like how about some residential units on the parking floors fronting 'K'? It looks like a flashcube on a pedestal. :ohno:

Poor SSC -- being neglected. Anyway here is an update:

Epic- 638ft Currently racing though approval process, should start in 2006.

From LOOKnUP @ SSP.com
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1408/epicwest9sn.jpg

Summary:
- Fifty (50) story, 638 foot tall high-rise
- 78,850 sf of retail and office use on the first five floors
- 349 residential condos on 44 floors and a mezzanine
- On site parking 413 parking spaces
- 6th floor will include 13,500 sf amenity level including 2 pools

Just saw it on the news. Maybe this will kickstart something...

http://www.replacearcoarena.com/

Im about to buy one of those t-shirts :cheers:

BREAKING NEWS:
The Towers hotel is a 230 rm. -Intercontinental and will occupy the first 18 stories. read the biz journal for more details.

Update for the Capitol Grand Tower. It is now 56 stories and about 725-750' in height. Renders attached, enjoy.

http://img274.imageshack.us/img274/2089/capitolgrand6nr.jpg

Looks impressive...i like the design a lot.

Reminds me of the trump tower going in for Toronto.

After I read more about Westfield Downtown Plaza looking for more of an ununusal and upscale anchor store, could they possibly be looking for a Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Saks? I mean, since there is a lot of new highrise and luxury lofts being built, the wealthy need somewhere nice to shop, rather than the Nordstrom at Arden Fair or the stores at the Galleria Roseville. *You have to admit, the stores at Downtown Plaza aren't that great*

After I read more about Westfield Downtown Plaza looking for more of an ununusal and upscale anchor store, could they possibly be looking for a Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Saks? I mean, since there is a lot of new highrise and luxury lofts being built, the wealthy need somewhere nice to shop, rather than the Nordstrom at Arden Fair or the stores at the Galleria Roseville. *You have to admit, the stores at Downtown Plaza aren't that great*

DTP stores suck a$$. The rumor from two seperate people that work at DTP is that soemthing is in the works with Saks.

Who knows how accurate it is though, time will time.

But as you said, with The Towers, Aura and Plaza Lofts...plus all the others in the works or UC, I'm sure Westfield is starting to view DT Sacramento in a different way, instead of the discount store type city they perceived in the past. The Wal-Mart talked were proof they didn’t think much of DT Sacramento, but if they are indeed talking with Saks, they have started to changed their perception.

If DT Sacrameto can land a Saks, I think we soon start to see other big names come along. Once one big name comes, and has SUCCESS, they all follow like sheep. Just like developers.

Wow, this is not Sacramento I used to see. It's changing big time in downtown!

Some good pics from Innov8 and growinup on SSP..

Cranes!!!

621 Capitol Mall

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b359/HighInTheSky/100_0744.jpg
http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/2874/621cmfoundation22mw.jpg


The Towers
http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/4856/301towers2bv.jpg

http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/9721/301towers36tx.jpg

GrowinUP from SSP posted a video clip of pile driving at 301 Capitol Mall. (55 story twin towers)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3742669154643093812

Update for the Capitol Grand Tower. It is now 56 stories and about 725-750' in height. Renders attached, enjoy.

http://img274.imageshack.us/img274/2089/capitolgrand6nr.jpg
Is the height total including the spire? :)

They have started to put in reinforcement walls for 621CM.

http://img418.imageshack.us/img418/8053/621cm2200rm.jpg

http://img314.imageshack.us/img314/3421/621c2m2201he.jpg

15th & L Street Marriott

http://img307.imageshack.us/img307/5357/marriott39tw.jpg

http://img307.imageshack.us/img307/6257/marriott25qe.jpg


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/mz1613/12marriottmeat3.jpg


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a132/mz1613/9marriottmeat.jpg

Is the height total including the spire? :)

Yeah, and its spire is about 80+ ft.

What project is 500 N Street? Have we seen renderings on it? I saw their ad in Saturday's Bee (500NStreet.com) but no images in the ad or on their site.

EDIT- Sorry! Just remembered this is the renovation/conversion. :runaway:

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/987/301cm227065kr.jpg

The Towers on Capitol Mall site.

The US Bank Tower

http://img438.imageshack.us/img438/4870/621cm3062fz.jpg


http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/3428/621cm33060yj.jpg


http://img428.imageshack.us/img428/4718/621cm43067ny.jpg


http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/9310/621cm53068do.jpg

cant wait to see the building go up!!! i need to make a trip out to sac town to get a look first hand of downtown's transformation.