Have you ever been to the part of the Sacramento River sandwiched between Capital City Freeway and Old Sac? This particular area, dubbed "The Docks," is certainly not the most attractive place to hold a riverside picnic.  It is desolate and barren where dirt grows like grass and old generating plants and reservoirs go to die. However, that will change as the city readies itself once again for the Docks Area Project. 

On September 30, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB 2026, a bill allowing the Department of Parks and Recreation to transfer surplus properties through sale or exchange. This means that the city can now acquire the last three parcels of land it needs to begin Phase I of the project. Once this transfer is made, the city can continue with the Sacramento Docks Area Draft Specific Plan, adopted in January 2008.  

The plan outlines the project's goal of creating an urban neighborhood and a publicly accessible riverfront while promoting green and environmentally friendly policies. The city wants to do this by turning the Docks area between the river and Front Street, Capital Mall and I-80, into a mixed-use neighborhood, allowing for the construction of residences, retail and office space, public parks, and a riverside promenade accessible to the surrounding communities. 

The most exciting aspect of the Docks project is the riverside promenade, which will extend along the levee from O Street to R Street. Already designed by Walker Macy, the promenade will offer public access to the waterfront, providing a space for regional recreation as well as promoting the river's ecological value. Easily accessible to the surrounding neighborhoods, the promenade will also serve as a link between several different Sacramento communities. For example, Southside Park community members can enjoy easy access to the promenade and the Docks' neighborhood using the proposed bike trail across the R Street Bridge over I-5. 

The promenade will also connect the surrounding communities with the Docks' residential neighborhood, which will hold approximately 1,115 units of housing and retail space, at least one park, and a hotel. The three streets between the I-5 and the river - Park Street, River Street, and Front Street - are intended connectors between the Docks' neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods.  Park Street is set to function as the interior connection between neighboring communities, while River Street will act as the main retail street. Front Street will provide an access road for vehicles, public transit, and bicycles.

However, as with any development project, the Docks Area Project poses some serious foreseeable problems.  For example, one problem comes from the Pioneer Reservoir, an overflow receptacle for Sacramento's combined sewer system. The Pioneer Reservoir is situated in the center of the Docks, a prime location perfect for a public park. As of now, the Draft Specific Plan poses two alternate solutions: either relocate the Pioneer Reservoir to another location and make room for the park, or reconstruct it, cap it, and build the park on top of it.    

Near the Pioneer Reservoir lies another problem: the area of contaminated soil that once held a PG&E natural gas tank as well as a coal-gas generating plant. And, a lesser problem comes from the Docks' proximity to two noisy freeways, the I-5 and Highway 50. On top of all this, the city still needs to worry about the ever-increasing cost in a period of unstable economy.   

How will this issue of cost affect the city of Sacramento, and the residents of its various communities? How will any of these problems affect the neighboring communities?  How will this development affect the riverside's neighbors of Southside Park? What kind of retail would benefit the surrounding communities?   

For more information, visit www.cityofsacramento.org.