Santa Rosa: Infrastructure and Urban Planning

[ElDudarinodotcom]

It would be nice if this eventually leads to the opening up of the mall. I was down in Santa Monica a couple weeks ago where they recently improved the Santa Monica Place mall. They converted it from enclosed to open-air which greatly increased connectivity.

Mall, city close to deal on parking fees

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 7:40 a.m.

Santa Rosa officials have struck a tentative deal allowing Santa Rosa Plaza to begin charging for parking in exchange for a study of ways to improve access through the downtown mall.

The city has for weeks been negotiating with the mall's owner, Simon Property Group, over the company's request to begin charging people to park in its five garages, the last supply of free parking downtown.

Now the two sides have reached an agreement expected to head to the City Council for its review April 19.

Under the deal, the city would grant the mall's request if it completes by Sept. 1 a “feasibility study” of changes to the mall that “increase connectivity between downtown Santa Rosa at Fourth Street and Railroad Square.”

This would include an analysis of ways to improve pedestrian, bicycle and automobile traffic between the east and west sides of the mall. Simon would be required to include drawings and cost estimates for various options, according to documents outlining the scope of the study...

full article: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...n-parking-fees

[ElDudarinodotcom]

There is now a webcam for the new Sutter Medical Center construction at

http://oxblue.com/pro/open/unger/santarosa

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Hospital construction ready to gear up near Wells Fargo Center

By MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 3:55 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 at 3:55 p.m.

That big mound of grassy earth just north of the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts is about to be moved to a new location, kicking off the next phase of construction of the new Sutter Medical Center.

After two years of design and planning — and several months of quiet soil compression — the familiar sites, sounds and annoyances of heavy construction are about to begin at Highway 101 and Mark West Springs Road in north Santa Rosa.

“Between the dry seasons of 2011 and 2012, all off-site and on-site roadwork and utility work will get done,” said Tom Minard, Sutter’s senior project manager of hospital construction.

The site eventually will give way to an 183,000-square-foot hospital with 82 licensed beds and a 24-station “universal care unit” that hospital officials said will expand the facility’s overnight bed capacity to 116 beds.

The project is the county’s first hospital in more than two decades and the most expensive construction endeavor since the $312 million Warm Springs Dam was completed in 1983.

Mike Purvis, the medical center’s chief administrative officer, said the project will give the North Coast a much-needed economic shot in the arm, creating an estimated 1,500 jobs during the planning, design and construction period.

“We’ve allocated over $3 million just for local testing and inspection to ensure the facility meets all codes,” Purvis said. “Another $30 million will be invested on equipment and furniture, creating jobs for local companies that manufacture and install this equipment.”

By June 1, a new dirt platform will rise where the hospital’s east wing and central utility plant will be located. The dirt compression, a 90-day process called surcharge, eliminates the need for noisy pile driving.

The new surcharge platform cannot be formed until the two sewage treatment ponds that served the arts center are drained and filled. Actually, the ponds were drained and dredged by January. But the heavy winter rains filled them up and elevated the surrounding water table.

As part of the project, Sutter has connected the Wells Fargo Center to the 12-inch sewer line on Old Redwood Highway, which is part of the Sonoma County Water Agency’s sewer system.

Major work set to begin in May includes:

-- On-site roadwork that will widen the site’s main entrance from Mark West Springs Road, from three lanes to five. The T-intersection at the entrance will get traffic signals and added entrance driveway lanes to improve vehicle flows into and out of the arts center.

-- Off-site road improvements which will include widening Mark West Springs Road from two to four lanes, with dedicated left and right hand turns into the main entrance, as well as new bus stops near the T-intersection,

-- All above-ground utilities along Mark West Springs Road, including PG&E, AT&T and Comcast will be put underground along the south side of the roadway.

-- The Highway 101 off-ramp will be widened to include two right-hand turn lanes and an 8-foot shoulder that vehicles can use in case of an ambulance emergency.

Next summer, the intersection at Mark West Springs Road and Old Redwood Highway will undergo major changes, with new traffic signals and lights, more turn lanes, and a system of connecting sidewalks that will provide hospital staff, local residents and students safe walking access to the nearby Larkfield Shopping Center.

Construction plans also call for a continuous stretch of sidewalk on the east side of Old Redwood Highway, from the shopping center to Mark West Springs Road. On- and off-site roadwork is expected to take two years.

The actual steel-frame hospital structure will begin to go up in January. The hospital is scheduled to open two years later.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...s-Fargo-Center

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Renovation starts at Coddingtown

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 5:07 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 5:07 p.m.

It's a long time coming, but the renovation of Coddingtown Mall is finally underway.

That was the theme of a glass-breaking ceremony held at Coddingtown Mall on Thursday.

“It's kind of like wait for it, wait for it, wait for it — and then boom, we're ready to go,” said Santa Rosa Mayor Ernesto Olivares before he donned a blue hard hat and broke a frosted pane of glass to reveal a rendering of a redesigned entryway.

Coddingtown Mall is beginning renovations that include building a play area, updating the restrooms to be more family-friendly, rebuilding two entrances and installing new light fixtures, flooring and plush seating.

“It's something that has been long-awaited, and certainly is overdue,” said Kelly Hartsell, regional vice president for Simon Property Group, which co-owns the mall with Codding Enterprises. “Through this renovation we look forward to bringing in new tenants.”

The company has been talking with at least four tenants who are close to some sort of agreement, Hartsell said in an interview. It is “very close” to announcing an agreement with an “exciting national retailer” to move into the empty building vacated by Gottschalks in 2009, she said.

“There's a lot of interest, more interest than we've had in years,” Hartsell said.

Lois Codding, vice president of leasing at Codding Enterprises, said the mall was getting close to an agreement with BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse, but it was not yet finalized. She added that the mall has been talking to a lot of potential tenants but they haven't yet signed leases...

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...at-Coddingtown

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Sounds good to me

A little bit of exciting news for downtown...

Santa Rosa Plaza getting an upgrade



There are some exciting changes in store for the Santa Rosa Plaza, as unveiled this morning in a preview of upgrades about to take place. Construction is slated to begin in July of this year to create a more inviting and friendly shopping plaza, as well as to integrate the mall with the downtown area and Railroad Square. The construction is proposed to last 16 months, and will upgrade every major aspect of the Plaza.

There has been question about whether or not the Hand at the entrance of the mall will be remaining, and it is assured that it will. In fact, all improvements to the East/Main Entrance will be designed around the favored art sculpture. One of the exciting new features that will be added to the B Street side of the Plaza will be a circular drop off area. Cars will now be able to drive through and drop off passengers near the front entrance. The Main Entrance itself will have the glass doors moved forward to be parallel with the front of the building, creating a more expansive interior entrance to the mall. Another restaurant or shop will be added to the right side of the building, across from Rubio’s. The landscaping and lighting will be improved. And more seating will be added.

The walkway leading to the West/Rear Entrance from Railroad Square will possess new signage leading up to the mall. The area will be freshly landscaped and will be revamped with better lighting, as well as benches. The improvements to the parking garages include refurbished elevators, better lighting, paint, landscaping, and signs at each car entrance to the lot.

The inside of the mall will be receiving many new improvements. Watch for new carpeting on the upper level, as well as new glass handrails to replace the ones already there. The restrooms will be refurbished with new stone and tile features, and the mall will include a new Family Restroom. Soft seating will be available throughout the mall to make lingering in between shops that much more enjoyable.

And, of course, they’re excited about some new tenants moving in to the Santa Rosa Plaza.

Papaya, a shop for girls in the 16-25 age bracket, will soon be making its debut in the mall. Their clothes are a brilliant mixture of boho, florals, frills, dressy, and casual, and are moderately priced.

And another big name retailer is bound for the store directly above Forever 21, though the Santa Rosa Plaza is still remaining tight lipped about who it might be. I’ve heard a few rumors, but I’m almost afraid to mention them in case it jinxes their arrival. Let’s just say, if I’m right – it’s going to be huge.

http://www.shopsoco.com/2011/05/sant...ng-an-upgrade/

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Rendering of the west entrance of the remodeled Plaza



http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.c...ollar-upgrade/

[Animo]

You can discuss all related issues in the City of Santa Rosa in here.

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Animo. I'm not sure we need two threads for Santa Rosa.

In search of funds for SR bike bridge

On Thursday, two elected officials and I got into the weeds — literally and figuratively — over the proposed bike bridge spanning Highway 101 in Santa Rosa.

When Santa Rosa City Councilwoman Susan Gorin and Rohnert Park Vice Mayor Jake Mackenzie and I took a walk along Armory Drive to Steele Lane, we had to walk single-file at one point to wade through the waist-high weeds lining the sidewalks.

“Now we get into the weeds of traffic,” said Gorin as she motioned west where Steele Lane passes under Highway 101 near Coddingtown.

Gorin recounted her tale of biking to a meeting on the west side of town one morning and nearly losing her life with trying to maneuver through the area to turn south on Cleveland Avenue. “I will never, ever, do that again,” she vowed.

No question. It’s a hazardous and uninviting area to anyone having to travel by foot or bike. Traveling with kids? Forget about it. But, aside from the Highway 101 crossing at Bicentennial Way, which isn’t much better, it’s the only way to get from one side of the highway to the other in that part of town. Which is why so much political energy is being invested in building a bike bridge connecting the Santa Rosa Junior College neighborhood with the southeast corner of Coddingtown Mall. With a SMART train station to be built up the block on Guerneville Road, it makes all the more sense. But does it make financial sense, given the projected cost of somewhere between $10 million and $20 million?

Gorin and Mackenzie, both avid cyclists, invited me on the field trip because of our editorials raising questions about whether this is the best use of gas tax, redevelopment and other funds. The cost of just doing initial studies has jumped from $200,000 to $500,000.

They argue its still worth the investment, particularly given that transportation projects can take years to move foward. Remember how long it took to widen Highway 101?

Mackenzie, chairman of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, says it’s possible that Santa Rosa could be reimbursed for some of the study costs through funds from Measure M, the quarter-cent sales tax county voters passed in 2004 for transportation.

After that, they hope to build the bridge through grants, federal transportation funds and possibly through some local fund-raising. But will local residents be willing to contribute to a bike bridge?

If the Measure M funds come through, it may help persuade the majority of City Council members to keep the idea alive for now. But there remain a lot of thorns on this issue.

- Paul Gullixson

http://www.watchsonomacounty.com/201...r-bike-bridge/

[Animo]

Hi!

The other one is already locked and you can post new updates here. As you can see right now I am cleaning up the forum and its easier to read/update threads.

Cheers,

Animo

Originally Posted by ElDudarinodotcom

Animo. I'm not sure we need two threads for Santa Rosa.

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Alright. Thanks for clearing that up.

Judge weighs arguments in Sutter hospital project lawsuit

Dan Verel, Business Journal Staff Reporter
Friday, May 20, 2011, 6:06 pm

SANTA ROSA — A Sonoma County judge today heard arguments in a lawsuit [1] filed to stop construction of Sutter Health’s $284 million hospital [2] next to the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts north of Santa Rosa.

Superior Court judge Rene Chouteau heard the arguments from attorneys for Sutter Health and the North Sonoma County Healthcare District, which oversees Healdsburg District Hospital and was the lead party bringing the suit. The suit questions the scope of the project as it relates to licensed beds, greenhouse gas emissions and employment figures [3].

A ruling is expected within the next few months.

Attorneys with Shute, Mihlay & Weinberger, representing the health care district, argued that the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors erred in certifying the environmental impact report on Sutter’s forthcoming hospital. The report fails to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, they assert.

“The EIR is filled with inconsistent and conflicting data about the project’s basic attributes,” according to the brief by district’s legal brief for the hearing today. The attorneys previously called the report “flawed and fragmented.”

The groups bringing the lawsuit argue in filings that Sutter’s bed count at the proposed new hospital — 82 beds with a possible expansion of 27-bed expansion — falls short of requirements in the 1996 county Health Care Access Agreement. That document permitted Sutter to take over operations from the county at the Chanate facility, a much larger hospital.

Sutter’s attorneys from Cox, Castle & Nicholson countered that the bed count is not the most relevant factor. Rather, square footage and staffing ratios are what should determine the appropriate level of care provided. The scope of the project, which has changed over the years, fits within CEQA’s guidelines and that the county was correct in its approval of the project, the team argued.

“Hospitals often have fluctuating numbers of beds that can be used by patients,” Sutter’s attorneys wrote in a court filing. “Indeed, due to strict hospital staffing ratios, the actual number of beds in use is dependent on the available staff.”

Joining the health care district in the suit are Palm Drive Healthcare District, California Nurses Association and San Rafael-based Transportation Solutions Defense Fund.

The Sonoma County Department of Health Services had to approve Sutter’s planned new hospital before the Board of Supervisors could do so. The department did so last July.

http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.c...oject-lawsuit/

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Plans moving forward to connect Santa Rosa's Sixth Street

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 7:27 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 7:27 p.m.

Long-delayed plans to reconnect 6th Street in Santa Rosa under Highway 101 may get a jumpstart this summer thanks to cost savings from widening work along the highway.

The California Transportation Commission last week approved nearly $700,000 for the project, which is expected to cost about $1.5 million.

“We think it's a good project to better connect Railroad Square and the other side of downtown,” said city public works director Rick Moshier.

Sixth Street was one of the many city streets severed by the construction of the freeway in the early 1960s. CalTrans was expected to reconnect it as part of the two-year, $111 million widening project that began downtown in 2006.

It built the overpass, but because the work came in over budget, it didn't have the money to complete the work at that time, Moshier explained.

Now the recession has caused the pendulum to swing in the other direction, with construction bids often coming in below estimates, Moshier said.

“The public is getting really good prices when we put projects out to bid,” he said.

That has created some extra money for other transportation projects, explained Suzanne Smith, executive director of the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, which advocated for the funding.

This allowed $200,000 in state transportation funds to be dedicated to the project, Smith said.

“It's a long-overdue project and we're delighted to see Santa Rosa be able to go out to bid on it this summer,” she said.

The city also worked to win $492,000 in federal transportation dollars, for a total of $692,000, Smith said.

“Santa Rosa and (City Councilman) Gary Wysocky in particular have been very dogged in pursuit of this project,” Smith said.

Currently, the underpass is a fenced off patch of dirt, with weeds growing along the edges and graffiti adorning the overpass walls.

When completed, the 300-foot stretch will have bike lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, storm drains, and signals and crosswalks at both intersections, said Colleen Ferguson, deputy director of public works.

Reconnecting the street should improve traffic flow through the area, said supervising engineer Dave Montague.

Traffic on the east side of the highway heading west on Sixth Street now must turn south on Morgan Street and cross beneath the freeway at 5th Street.

“It's kind of a little detour,” Montague said.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...s-Sixth-Street

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Study reviews new, bigger Sonoma County criminal courthouse

By MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 8:03 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 8:03 p.m.

The state has released a draft environmental review of the proposed new Sonoma County criminal courthouse — a $179 million, six-story building located next to the old jail facility in the county administration complex in Santa Rosa.

The new courthouse would be located next to the existing, two-story Superior Court building and would be almost three times larger. The Judicial Council of California, which governs the California's more than 500 courthouses, has deemed it one of 41 courthouses in “immediate and critical need.”

The new courthouse would consolidate all criminal court operations into a single facility. The Family Court Services, which until last year was located in leased space at 475 Aviation Way, would also be located in the new building.

The new criminal courthouse would relieve issues of overcrowding, accessibility and security, state officials said.

“It keeps the judicial facilities close to one another but also close to the jail,” said Teresa Ruano, a spokeswoman for Administrative Office of the Courts, the council's staff arm.

“We've been working a long time to make the new criminal courthouse part of the county administration center,” she said.

While the proposed location, at 600 Administration Drive, is the preferred site, a second location — 7.6 acres in Santa Rosa's Northpoint Corporate Center — has been approved as an alternate site by the state Public Works Board, Ruano said.

A downtown site on Third Street where the post office is located was dismissed because it would involve protracted negotiations, according to city officials. In early February, Santa Rosa's City Council voted 4-3 not to encourage the state to build its criminal courthouse downtown.

The administrative office has determined that the project will not have significant impact on the environment and is considering adopting a “mitigated negative declaration” in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.

A public comment period will extend to June 24.

According to the draft environmental study released Wednesday:

The project will provide three parking lots for courthouse users — an adjacent surface parking on the east side of the site, a lot to the north on Russell Avenue, and a lot across Ventura Avenue, where the city fleet services building is located.

The offices of the district attorney, county public defender and the probation department will remain in the existing courthouse building.

The new building will centralize criminal, traffic, and juvenile dependency proceedings, family court mediation, probate investigation, and drug court support services.

Other features include jury assembly and deliberation rooms, in-custody holding, attorney interview/witness waiting rooms, a children's waiting room, and security screening for all court users.

The deadline for written comment is June 24.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...nal-courthouse

[ddxv]

Hopefully they will have some interesting ideas.

Architects to unveil ideas for vacant Caltrans land in Santa Rosa

By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 12:26 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 12:26 p.m.
A group of architects in town to help residents envision a future use for a long strip of vacant land in southeast Santa Rosa will present their findings tonight.

A team from American Institute of Architects has been in Santa Rosa since Monday holding meetings aimed at helping the community come up with a vision for a sustainable use for the property.

The 300-foot-wide, two-mile swath of land stretches from Farmers Lane to Summerfield Road. It is owned by Caltrans, which once proposed to use it to extend Highway 12 over Spring Lake.

The Southeast Greenway Committee has been working for several years to preserve the property.

The AIA's Sustainable Design Assessment Team will present their findings tonight at 7 p.m. at the Friedman Event Center, 4676 Mayette Avenue.

[ddxv]

redtape news.

SMART to confer with land owners on rail crossings
By BOB NORBERG
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at 5:22 p.m.

Architect's image of the SMART commute trained planned to begin operation from Santa Rosa to San Rafael in 2014.
With commute trains still scheduled to run three years from now between Santa Rosa and San Rafael, Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit officials plan to meet with the users of 28 private track crossings on safety issues.

“We all share the concern of the safety of our citizens with trains going by at 70 miles per hour,” said Farhad Mansourian, executive director. “The goal is so nobody gets hurt and to make sure their business and livelihood is not hurt.”

SMART has sent letters to the 300 owners of private crossings on the track from Cloverdale to Larkspur, where SMART plans to someday run trains, and from Novato to Napa, which is SMART-owned track that the Northwestern Pacific Railroad will use for freight trains.

The commute rail district wants to eliminate and consolidate as many crossings as possible for it’s own safety concerns and also to comply with state Public Utilities Commission and Federal Railroad Administration policy.

The 28 crossings in the initial segments range from farmland to the crossing at the Redwood Landfill and Recycling Center in Novato, said SMART Chief Engineer Bill Gamlen.

SMART’s operating committee on Wednesday approved Mansourian’s proposal to meet first with the owners of the crossings from Santa Rosa to San Rafael, the segment SMART is building first because of budget restraints.

The lessons learned in those meetings can be used to deal with the remaining hundreds of crossings elsewhere on the line that will be built later, Mansourian said.

“It is going to be a challenge to find solutions that will satisfy everybody,” Mansourian said. “I don’t believe one size fits all will work in such a diverse area.”

He estimated the cost of holding 14 separate meetings to deal with clusters of crossing users will be $50,000.

SMART had proposed charging crossing owners $1,500 to apply to have the crossing studied to remain open and another $2,600 a year for inspection services, but Gamlen said those fees have not been adopted.

Mansourian is serving as SMART executive director while taking time off from his position as Marin County public works director.

[ddxv]

Fixing up FoodMaxx with more strip mall stores.

New life for vacant Roseland shopping center
By CATHY BUSSEWITZ
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Friday, June 24, 2011 at 5:05 p.m.




JOHN BURGESS/Press Democrat
Construction workers build the facade for stores, including a new Ross store, at Stony Point Plaza in southwest Santa Rosa.
A Roseland shopping center that has long suffered from vacancies will soon be home to four new stores, and locals are hoping the additions will breathe new life into the economically challenged area of southwest Santa Rosa.

Ross, Anna’s Linens, Goodwill Industries and Fallas Paredes, a discount clothing chain, are slated to open outlets in Stony Point Plaza, a shopping center on Sebastopol Road anchored by Food Maxx.

Construction work on the center is scheduled to be completed near the end of August. Goodwill plans to open its store by the end of 2011. Representatives from the other companies did not provide opening dates.

“This whole section was so vacant for so long, so it will be nice to have more businesses coming in,” said Carl Weber, sales manager for the Rent-A-Center store in Stony Point Plaza.

The new stores are moving into a site targeted by Wal-Mart before the retail giant abandoned the controversial project two years ago, citing delays and unfavorable economic conditions.

Meanwhile, a strip of stores and restaurants across the parking lot have struggled to remain profitable in a center where nearly half of the retail spaces have been empty.

“The past few years it has been really tough,” said Salvador Sahagun, owner of Taqueria Santa Rosa. “That part of the shopping center was a ghost town, because there was really little traffic on that side.”

But having dozens of hungry construction workers around is already helping his business.

“It has come alive again,” Sahagun said. “Having a store like this will be good for the area. It will create a lot more traffic and a lot more jobs.”

About 45 local construction workers are currently employed on the project, said Kile Martin, project supervisor for HBI Construction. The crews have built a new facade with raised buttress columns that are more than 30 feet tall.

Representatives for Ross did not return phone calls. The Pleasanton discount clothing chain, which also operates a store in Montgomery Village, has been steadily expanding, according to an equipment salesman who handles dock installations for Ross.

“Things are still slow in new construction,” said Ricardo Bustillos of Hayward-based Arbon Equipment Corp. “So to see this on a local basis is encouraging. We need it.”

Anna’s Linens, a Costa Mesa retail chain that sells bedroom, bathroom and window furnishings, plans to hire about 20 new employees, said Travis Essary, district manager.

“We’re looking at some huge growth here in the Bay Area,” Essary said. “We have two new stores just this year, and I see a lot more to come.”

Goodwill Industries is moving from a smaller store on Sebastopol Road, enabling it to expand its used books collection and provide more employment training opportunities to the public, said Anne Martin, vice president of retail and operations. Goodwill also opened a store on Fourth Street last week.

Supervisor Efren Carrillo, who grew up in the area and now represents it, said the new stores will enable residents to shop where they live.

“It’s still a tough economy, but I think it’s a sign that things may be stabilizing, and we will begin to see opportunities for improved economic development and the jobs that come with it,” Carrillo said.

“I hope it brings some business, because we really do need it,” said Joanne Kanu, store manager at Payless. “It’s pretty dead out here.”

[jchernin]

The proposed 'Museum on the Square' project in downtown Santa Rosa.
PD FILE

'Museum on Square' developer strikes parking deal with City Hall
By KEVIN McCALLUM
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 9:21 p.m.

The developer of the proposed Museum on the Square project in downtown Santa Rosa has worked a deal with City Hall that would allow tenants to drive through the city's bus-only transit mall.

The city will grant an easement through the mall for tenants to park in or beside the 10-story, glass-clad mixed-use tower planned on the site of the long-vacant former AT&T building...

The arrangement retains the seven spaces of bus parking within the mall. It also requires that the parking gate to the building lot be set back 18-feet from the sidewalk so cars don't block the sidewalk as they wait to enter. Flashing lights and an alarm will go off when a car is leaving the lot to warn pedestrians, Frank Kasimov, program specialist in the city economic development department, told the council.

Hugh Futrell has said allowing parking access on the south side of the building was an important way to increase the leasable space on the ground floor, making the project more financially viable. The other, more expensive option was to tunnel a driveway through the building from Third Street....

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...with-City-Hall

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Sounds like good news to me. Last I heard the demo/construction is supposed to begin this fall. I really hope we see this one come to fruition soon.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us
http://tlcdtoday.com/2010/01/07/muse...e-goes-public/

[ddxv]

Originally Posted by ElDudarinodotcom

Sounds like good news to me. Last I heard the demo/construction is supposed to begin this fall. I really hope we see this one come to fruition soon.

Are they demolishing the building? I thought they were just renovating it?

[jchernin]

Originally Posted by ddxv

Are they demolishing the building? I thought they were just renovating it?

i believe they are renovating it and adding 4 floors.

[ElDudarinodotcom]

Originally Posted by ddxv

Are they demolishing the building? I thought they were just renovating it?

They are renovating the existing structure, but they have to remove the 18 inches of solid concrete that make up the facade of the building.