The two Midtown alleys stand largely quiet and deserted, except for the occasional rumbling delivery truck and dumpsters crouched behind buildings. The alleys have a hidden, tranquil feel in contrast to busy streets they run between.

A third alley holding the entrance to Old Soul coffee house gets more foot traffic and cars heading surreptitiously to and from a state parking garage. So many cars, in fact, that they rob the alley of that serene environment.

One group has another vision for what these alleys could become.

They see al fresco dining in an upscale restaurant row reminiscent of San Francisco's Belden Street. They see a small, affordable, alley-front condo building that doesn't add to urban sprawl. They see an inviting pedestrian alley helping to link visitors to a cheap, after-hours parking garage in one of the city's hottest areas.

Cities from San Francisco to Austin, Seattle, Portland and beyond have transformed these old service streets into intimate, charismatic spots for smaller businesses and residential flats. For the last year and a half, several dozen people known collectively as the city's Alley Activation Committee have met regularly to initiate a similar movement in Sacramento. They've also started bringing project ideas to city staff.

"It's an exciting way for a mature, well-developed city to rediscover an asset right under its nose," said developer Jeremy Drucker, who co-chairs the committee and developed 9 on F, the grid's first certified green residential project. "One thing that's great about alleys is there's this whole element of surprise, of discovery. It's a little magical."

On Aug. 11, the committee -- made up of architects, developers, engineers and property owners --
will present the Sacramento City Council with ideas for three prototype alleys: two alleys stretching from 17th to 19th streets between L Street and Capitol Avenue in one of Midtown's hottest areas, the Handle District; and a third from I to J streets between 16th and 17th streets across from Memorial Auditorium. City staff will present an overview of the alley activation efforts.

Council members will be asked to approve naming guidelines championed by Councilman Steve Cohn, as well as staff recommendations that city staff continue working collaboratively on this effort to create three model alleys.

The standard 20-foot width of alleys give them an Old World feel that charms many and entices some to see their potential as prime urban real estate. But these alleys are also being seen as a way to build connected, sustainable communities that are more pedestrian- and bike-friendly and don't require costly infrastructure because it already exists, said committee Co-Chair Julie Young, a developer who kick-started the organized alley-use movement here.

The value of alley-front property has risen recently, especially in the most sought-after areas, after Midtown development has experienced a growth spurt. The people on the committee said they believe alley activation is an idea whose time has come in Sacramento.

"It's very much a Zeitgeist," Drucker said.

The committee has identified 41 Midtown alleys as potential sites for alley activation, which can be as simple as attractive paving and lights, plants and signs. Those would be the alleys between I and J streets, K and L streets, and L Street and Capitol Avenue, from 16th to 28th streets.

The cost of permeable pavers and concrete bands, solar lighting, planters, trees, benches, signs, trash enclosures and electrical hookups for trash compactors (but not overhead utilities) would cost at least $180,000 per alley, Young said.

The committee expects to seek up to $5 million in local funding to pay for alley beautification, said Midtown Business Association (MBA) President Aaron Zeff, a developer/property owner. He proposes creating a restaurant row near Memorial Auditorium.

MBA recently took about 15 committee members on a tour of Pasadena's developed alleys to show what can be done.

"These alleys don't require much at night time to become pretty," Zeff said. "I think it's an opportunity to create something special in an environment that's been successful in other cities. If Pasadena can create nice alleys, why can't Sacramento?"

Upgrades would be expected to cost $150,000 to $300,000 per alley, according to Cohn. The total to improve 41 alleys at that cost would be about $6 million to $12 million.

MBA has already hired a consultant to help locate funding. City funding and grants through the Sacramento Area Council of Governments are two possible sources, Cohn said.

However, the future of those 41 alleys is in the hands of the people who own property on them, said Young, regional manager for Valley Commercial Contractors and a developer through Young Clifford LLC.

"I wouldn't want people to go into this (council) meeting and think we know what's best for the city," she said.

The committee is evaluating potential funding sources, environmental and economic returns on investments and potential alleyscape pieces such as trash containment, lighting, benches, signs and landscaping, she said.

While the alleys are largely lined by businesses, there are some homes and apartments on the north side of Capitol Avenue between 17th and 19th streets. Questions have been raised about emergency vehicle and garbage truck access, access for the disabled, unattractive dumpsters, alley access blocked for residents and funding.

Committee members have been meeting with city staff, the area's neighborhood group and residents to ensure pilot alley development meets government regulations and solves other concerns, Drucker said.

One benefit to using the backs of buildings or deep, 160-foot lots for commercial or residential space is that alley-front prices are lower than street-front. Residential units can be priced lower; Drucker's condo project called "Stitch" would be targeted to singles or young couples with $40,000 to $60,000 incomes.

Alleys are also enticing to entrepreneurs. Sidewalk cafes, tailors, tiny art galleries, funky boutiques and other unique enterprises can better afford alley space, Drucker said.

"You can start to bring back the smaller businesses that have been priced out of Midtown," he said.

Committee members are studying ways to eliminate overflowing dumpsters, clean up alleys and improve security through lighting and increased use.

The model projects will develop "baseline" plans that meet city approval for shifting some alleys from primary uses for vehicles and trash collection to pedestrians and alley-front commercial, residential or mixed-use. Those already-approved plans can then be used by other people who want to activate alleys, Young said.

Zeff is proposing to build an alley "restaurant row" in a block where he owns much of the property, between I and J streets, from 16th to 17th streets. He envisions turning two cavernous old buildings into mixed-use space with alley-facing restaurants. The block contains only businesses. Zeff is applying for a permit to close or temporarily encroach on the alley for sidewalk cafe use.

Zeff and his wife, who grew up in Sacramento, moved their family here from San Francisco's Nob Hill seven months ago. Zeff owns Priority Parking Inc. of San Francisco and has substantial business interests in Sacramento, which include property, parking garages and lots, and Harv's Car Wash.

Sacramento's potential and the possibility of creating a Belden Street here helped him decide to move his family from the San Francisco Bay Area just seven months ago.

"Sacramento, I'll admit, has its challenges with the front sides of streets, let alone with its alleys," he said. "But in certain alleys, there are fewer landlords, fewer complexities and, frankly, fewer people that are sticks in the mud."

Another person leading the effort is Sacramento architect Ron Vrilakas. One of Vrilakas' earlier projects was to rehab a turn-of-the-century house where restaurateur Ernesto Jimenez opened Ernesto's Mexican Food at S and 16th streets.

The pair teamed up again when Vrilakas designed an innovative mixed-use building at 18th Street and Capitol Avenue. Anchored by Jimenez' newest restaurant, Zocalo, the building also houses Dragonfly Restaurant and 58 Degrees wine bar. Vrilakas built his architectural office over Zocalo and two residential units on the alley behind Zocalo. He also laid pavers over the existing alley to the end of his building.

Now Vrilakas is one of the architects helping to design these potential urban-infill projects. He's the architect behind the two alley construction projects, which involve restaurants on one alley and a condo building on another.

"Ron has always tried to raise the bar for Sacramento because he has a large worldview of how communities work and how communities become sustainable," said Young.

The two prototype alleys running from 17th to 19th streets between L Street and Capitol Avenue are building on Vrilakas' efforts there, which have turned the intersection of 18th and L streets and nearby blocks into one of Midtown's most popular areas. Vrilakas also built a five-story, mixed-use residential building nearby at 1801 L St.

Young got interested in the city's alley potential through a project to construct a small, mixed-use building on a now-vacant lot at 1813 Capitol Ave., next to the Zocalo building. She and developer Sotiris Kolokotronis, who built L Street Lofts, laid attractive pavers over the rest of the 18th to 19th streets alley.

Now Young proposes turning that alley into an appealing, pedestrian-friendly corridor that, when combined with the 17th to 18th streets alley, will link diners and shoppers to the East End Parking Garage, a state-owned garage where the public can park for a $2 flat fee nights and weekends. Requests to do hardscape improvements and beautification for those two alleys are being considered, said Stacia Cosgrove, a senior planner with the city.

The second prototype alley would contain a three-unit, model condo building constructed behind a house at 1717 Capitol Ave., a deep lot facing Old Soul and currently owned by Jimenez, who's lived in an alley-facing house behind Ernesto's for more than a decade.

Jimenez is not on the committee, but he supports alley activation as a way to create infill development and encourage business owners to be more responsible for their property and garbage. Businesses must pay for their own garbage removal. Improving alleys -- which may include consolidating dumpsters on each alley into one central, enclosed location with a compactor -- should address current problems with alley garbage and overflowing business dumpsters, he said.

"It adds to the fabric of the city," Jimenez added.

Last week, Drucker turned in permit applications to the city's zoning administrator for the necessary entitlements for his environmentally conscious "Stitch" model. That building would serve as a sales model for three years, he said.

In a meeting last week, committee members said they recognize that proposing to spend money to improve alleys may be a tough sell to some. They're collecting information about how alley activation could generate more local spending and city revenue in the form of permit fees and property and sales taxes.

Jason Griest and Tim Jordan blazed a trail for other small-business operators when they opened Old Soul in the back of a warehouse at "1716 L St. Rear Alley" in 2006. They believe alley activation could make the city cleaner and more walkable, while helping to contain sprawl and protect outlying natural or rural areas from development, said Griest.

"Sacramento, in my opinion, is the only big city in California that can still redefine itself," he said. "I think Sacramento has a lot of potential. It could be the base for a lot of great ideas."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. She can be reached at 916-804-2856 or suzanne@sacramentopress.com.