Historic district, properties considered

2010-12-03T02:08:13Z

The Sacramento Preservation Commission took an important step toward protecting the River District's history Wednesday by recommending creation of a new historic district and designation of other properties as landmarks.

The commission's six present members voted unanimously to recommend the Sacramento City Council create the North 16th Street Historic District and add nine properties found elsewhere in the River District to the Sacramento Register of Historic & Cultural Resources.

At the same time, the commission postponed a decision on whether to start the historic landmark nomination process for the state printing plant at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard. The building was designed by prominent architect William Wurster. City staff members have recommended its demolition to improve traffic circulation and support economic development at that critical intersection. State officials have no plans to sell it or tear it down.

Historic preservation in the area has come up as part of the city's process to update its plan for the neighborhood under the River District Specific Plan. City planners see the River District as a prime area for infill close to downtown that can help Sacramento achieve smart growth goals, said Rachel Hazlewood, a senior project manager with the city's Economic Development Department.

"Historic assets are a strength," Hazlewood said. "That's why we brought forth the North 16th Street District."

The River District, previously known as the Richards Boulevard area, is bounded by the American and Sacramento rivers, 16th Street and the historic railyards. The buildings and the district are being nominated as part of an update to a historic properties survey of Richards Boulevard and the railyards taken 10 years ago.

Creation of the North 16th Street Historic District is being recommended to preserve the street's historic character and more than 20 buildings, mostly brick structures dating back to the 1920s. The street still maintains traces of the district's early role in transportation, warehousing and distribution for Sacramento. The boundaries are east of Ahern Street, south of Richards Boulevard, north of C Street and west of 18th Street.

The nine properties being nominated outside the new historic district include the Jibboom Street Bridge in Discovery Park, PG&E Power Station B at 400 Jibboom St., the Sacramento River Water Treatment Plant, Fire Station 14 and Pipeworks Complex, which contains a climbing gym.

The district and other properties are a "great selection" of historic industrial buildings, said Commissioner Andrew Hope.

"I'm completely in support of district nomination," he said.

The Quonset Huts erected in 1946 and the Acme Cabinet building containing Loaves & Fishes were dropped from the list Wednesday night. They could be reconsidered at a later time.

City staff have recommended the state printing plant at 344 N. Seventh St. be demolished so Bannon and Sixth streets can be extended through the property. Staff members believe the building won't help stimulate development at that important intersection, Hazlewood said.

"This is going to be the heart and soul of the river district," she said.

Officials with the California Department of General Services' Office of State Publishing, which operates the plant, notified the city they oppose the plant's demolition.

DGS plans to move the printing plant because it's outlived the location, where it's been housed for 50 years. But the state intends to turn the building into a million square feet of office space to meet the state's needs in years to come, DGS spokesman Eric Lamoureux said Thursday.

"Our long-term plan is to redevelop the space," he said.

The building was designed by Wurster, an influential American architect who co-founded the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design. Born in Stockton, Wurster transformed an old industrial area of San Francisco into Ghirardelli Square, one of the country's first adaptive reuse projects in 1964, local historian William Burg told the commission at its meeting.

The building has the potential to be listed on state and national historic registers and could be adapted to reuse, said Burg, a board member of the Sacramento Old City Association and a state historian with the California Office of Historic Preservation.

The commission voted five to one to postpone a decision on the building while sending city staff to get more information about it from the State Historic Preservation Officer.

"As a commission, our mission is to promote preservation of these buildings," said Commissioner Tim Brandt.

The council is expected to consider the commission's recommendations in February.

City eyes state buildings for future tax revenue

2009-10-23T04:38:58Z

City officials are eyeing state buildings in Sacramento as a potential source of local property tax revenue. A public affairs official with the state’s Department of General Services confirmed with The Sacramento Press on Thursday that it is moving forward with plans to sell some state-owned buildings in the city.

Sacramento does not receive property tax from state-owned buildings. But if the crisis-ridden state government sells the buildings it owns to private entities, property tax monies would flow to the city as well as to other local governments, such as the county and school districts, according to Assistant City Manager John Dangberg.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and the city manager support the planned sale. Johnson noted in a phone interview that if the state sold some its buildings, it would help its “cash-flow problem.” There are advantages and disadvantages to being the state capital; one disadvantage is the state’s ownership of some of downtown’s prime real estate, Johnson said.

Dangberg said the state needs to make its own decisions about the economic viability of selling its property. If the state sells its properties, the city “would want to be sure it was done in a manner that would allow us to collect property taxes,” he added.

Dangberg said he has talked about the state’s possible sale of Sacramento properties with Zach Miller, an official in the Real Estate Services Division of the state’s Department of General Services.

The Capitol Area Development Authority’s (CADA) role as a recipient of local property tax revenues adds another dimension to the issue. The city is examining the implications of the state’s possible sale of the Capitol Area East End Complex, which consists of five buildings and a parking facility at Capitol Avenue and N Street. The complex is in CADA’s jurisdiction, Dangberg pointed out. If the state sells the complex, CADA would receive all property tax revenues, he said.

In light of this, the city is trying to figure out if it can receive property taxes in areas under CADA jurisdiction, Dangberg said. He noted that the city provides police and fire services to the CADA area.

The state, meanwhile, appears to be seriously pursuing the sale of 17 buildings. The state plans to lease back the buildings after selling them. “Starting in the new year, we’re planning to market them aggressively,” said Jeffrey Young, deputy public affairs director for the Department of General Services. Details about the state’s plans to sell buildings -- including those in the city and county of Sacramento -- are featured prominently on the department’s website.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

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Historic district, properties considered

City eyes state buildings for future tax revenue