Tag Cloud
Friday, February 10, 2012
Street Interview
by Suzanne Hurt, published on May 28, 2009 at 6:27 PM
Storyline: Street Interviews
Community Tags
business
community
culture
development
People
riverfront
sacramento river
street interview
The Sacramento Press is all about providing an outlet for everyone in the community. We hit the street to get people's opinions about development in our town. We welcome your suggestions for future "Street Interview" questions.
This week's question: New development is happening on the city’s downtown riverfront. What businesses or public amenities would draw you there?
Santiago Rosales, 21
Sacramento City College Student
Sacramento Resident
Somewhere you could go on a bike and enjoy the scenery, and more restaurants. So whoever wants to go on a bike ride could stop, relax and enjoy the scenery a little. I'd rather see more development with businesses, to employ people, so we can get the economy better.
Kayla Kawamoto, 18
San Diego State University Student
Elk Grove Resident
More of a beachfront, where it's, like, cute little shops, bars and restaurants. If you can, make a beach. And (have) some sort of tourist thing down there. Activities -- you want something to bring them to the shops.
Shawn Evans, 37
"Just a Regular Guy"
Sacramento Resident
Probably more restaurants and fine dining by the river. Something really elegant. A romantic ambiance. Not too expensive, but not too cheap. Anniversaries come around -- we're still in a recession, we don't have a lot of money -- but we still want to treat our spouses to a good time.
Drew Ersland, 22
"Houseless; A Connoisseur of the Wind"
Sacramento Native
I'd like some family businesses that give back to the community, instead of taking (money) overseas. Less sidewalks. More grass and trees. We need to breathe. Public bathrooms; people pee in the city, and I can smell it when I walk.
Marie McLean
State Planner
Land Park Resident
I think Sacramento honestly has had one of the most disappointing city councils, who have had no imagination about taking Sacramento's assets and creating for Sacramento its own identity. I've spent a lot of time in San Antonio, Texas. They've got the River Walk, with restaurants, hotels, parks, things to do for kids, stores, artwork... it's beautiful. It's not that nobody in Sacramento never suggested this to the council. But they've given millions of dollars to the goddamn mall over there (K Street and Westfield Downtown Plaza). If they had spent that much trying to develop the Sacramento River, the city would be much better off.
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Unlike the tame little San Antonio River, we have a real river--and a long legacy of the river as an important point for shipping and transportation. Let's recognize, appreciate and celebrate our broad-shouldered past as the gathering point for the Central Valley's agricultural bounty. The "Docks" area is going to have to wait until the housing market turns back around, but at least we have a plan--I just hope that the Towe Auto Museum can still be a part of it, as the California State Railroad Museum's "Sacramento Southern" trains certainly will be. San Antonio can keep its cute little gondola boats--we should get the Delta Queen back and have full-sized riverboat cruises to the Bay Area and back! We can have a bustling riverfront with trains and boats and cars and big buildings, as long as we make sure the levee is still sturdy enough to stop the river from washing all of those things down the river like toys.
The American River also has to have a levee system (it has also flooded the city) but while it is technically "undeveloped" it is hardly unused--the American River Bike Trail is one of the most-used recreational trails around. Having a place for nature and trees so close to the city (especially a place where nature tends to get pissed off and flood regularly) is an amenity in its own right.