Downtown Plaza

Mural proposals sought

2010-03-13T04:59:53Z

The wall of a Midtown restaurant soon will soon become a fresh canvas for a Sacramento muralist.

Hot Italian and the Arts & Business Council of Sacramento have put out a call for artists to submit mural proposals with modern Italian themes. The winning artist will be paid $1,000, plus $500 in restaurant certificates, to design and install an 8-foot by 3-foot mural for the eatery's main dining room.

The space was intended to hold a bicycle. But the restaurant's owners, Andrea Lepore and Fabrizio Cercatore, want to open it up to local artists instead and decided to hold a contest to choose the design, Lepore said.

"It's really open to anyone," she said. "It could be any medium: photography, mixed media, painting. It's up to them and the space."

Local muralists involved with the nonprofit Midtown Murals Project see the contest as a great opportunity for a student, apprentice or other amateur. After factoring in the cost of supplies and other expenses, the artist would likely make about $100 a day for about a week's worth of work, said James Cooper, executive director of SEEART, the umbrella organization that oversees the murals project.

"We're happy to see that people are thinking in this realm," he said. "We'd just like them to think a little more about equitable benefits and not be so one-sided about who benefits."

Artists going through a rough time in this economy might consider the work, too, as long as they retain rights to reproduce their artwork — a major money-maker for artists, Cooper added.

The arts council applauded Hot Italian for hiring an artist, rather than just offering the opportunity to promote their artwork in a busy setting.

"A lot of businesses believe the promotion is enough. Some don't understand the value of design or how much work goes into creating an art piece," said Michelle Alexander, executive director of the Arts & Business Council. "It's really admirable that Hot Italian is treating the artist like a professional and paying them for their work — and also opening it up to the community to maximize what could be considered."

A detailed agreement, including reproduction rights, will be worked out with the artist. The restaurant is likely to be open to an agreement in which both sides could reproduce the artwork as needed, Alexander said.

The deadline for submissions is March 28. Finalists' work will be displayed April 10 at a Second Saturday event at Hot Italian, where visitors can vote on the designs. The mural is expected to be installed in June. For more information, go to www.hotitalian.net/mural or e-mail arts@hotitalian.net.

Photos provided by the Midtown Murals Project.

Mayor seeks buyers for Downtown Plaza

2009-12-16T05:51:09Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday he will start searching for buyers for Downtown Plaza within weeks, after Westfield Group announced its willingness to sell the struggling plaza.

After the holidays, Johnson will start talking to "big developers" and investment groups who understand the plaza's role in revitalizing downtown. Potential buyers could include people interested in developing a new downtown arena at that site, he said.

"Westfield has agreed to step aside, and, if necessary, sell its interests in Downtown Plaza," Johnson said during his weekly press conference Tuesday morning. "That could be very monumental for the downtown corridor. The big news is Westfield is no longer willing to stand in the way of the downtown mall being developed."

The city is "extremely committed" to reviving the plaza, he added.

"It's one of our most important assets," Johnson said. "We want a developer to say, 'This is also a high priority for us.' "

However, Johnson added that Westfield's decision should "enhance" arena developers' ability to talk to Westfield about buying the property for a sports and entertainment center.

Westfield company representatives could not be reached by phone for comment. However, in a late statement, Westfield confirmed its willingness to consider offers to buy the Downtown Plaza. Westfield has met with the mayor several times to discuss how to "integrate" the plaza into "broader plans" to improve K Street Mall and create a master plan for downtown. But the two sides haven't been able to agree on the future of the plaza.

"Westfield has a good working relationship with Mayor Johnson, but differs about the desire to put a street grid through our property and about the viability of such a plan," the company said in the statement. "Under certain conditions, and presented with qualified buyers, Westfield would be prepared to consider offers to purchase the center to allow the city to create such a master plan."

Westfield's agreement to sell comes after nearly 12 years of "bad blood" between the company and the city, which has been pressing Westfield to invest in the plaza since buying it in 1998, Johnson said. The company is one of the world's largest shopping mall owners, with more than $47 billion in investments in 119 shopping centers throughout the world.

"Over 12 years, there have been a lot of promises and commitments they haven't been willing to come through on," he said. "All of us feel that mall has never reached its potential in 12 years."

The Downtown Plaza was built in the 1970s. But the "inward-facing" mall, designed like suburban indoor malls of that era, is now outdated, Johnson said.

Westfield had proposed a $120 million plaza overhaul in 2006. But the company repeatedly stalled on putting those plans into action. In May, Westfield postponed those plans for at least the rest of the year, yet completed a $120 million reinvestment at Westfield Santa Anita in Southern California's Arcadia. Johnson opened negotiations with Westfield in August.

During talks, Westfield representatives said the company was willing to invest in Downtown Plaza, but "not nearly" as much as $120 million, Johnson said. Westfield also did not get on board with the city's new vision to open up the plaza, creating an "outward-facing" mall open to the sky and street traffic, he said.

The plaza, which Johnson said is 70 percent filled, has lost tenants such as Banana Republic and Ann Taylor recently. The mayor said he planned to call the chief executive officer of the plaza's anchor store, Macy's, later Tuesday to assure the department store chain of the city's commitment to creating a "better environment" at the plaza.

A vital plaza is key to the health of K Street Mall and adjacent areas, he said.

"It used to be bustling," Johnson said. "We have a chance to recreate that."

In the meantime, Westfield said it will keep searching for tenants for the plaza.

"Until or unless such time as the city is able to verify its intentions for downtown and confirm how it intends to fund such initiatives, Westfield remains focused and committed to investing in the management, leasing and operations of our property, along with ongoing predevelopment work," the company said in its statement.

The mayor has been asked to bring potential buyers and investors to Westfield. Westfield is willing to sell if the city can find someone willing to buy the plaza at a "reasonable" rate, Johnson said.

The city and the company will collaborate to find a buyer or investors who can negotiate a price with Westfield.

"Whatever will be done, will be done together," he said. "We'll all be looking out for what's in the best interests of the city and Downtown Plaza."

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Westfield will sell plaza; Mayor seeks buyers

2009-12-15T21:37:49Z