Valerie Mamone-Werder walked K Street Mall on a wet morning last week. Wrapped in a black trench coat, Downtown Sacramento Partnership's new retail recruiter didn't seem to notice the dark clouds bulging with the day's next rainstorm. She seemed too full of excitement. "I love all these old buildings," Mamone-Werder said, standing near a corner of 10th and K streets. She pointed out what's happening near that important spot: the sophisticated vibe The Cosmopolitan cabaret, café and nightclub have brought to a corner once inhabited by Woolworth's, and the work under way nearby to turn a former Hit or Miss clothing store into Dive Bar and Pizza Rock. She also discussed the potential for t

Ending more than three years of dispute, a court arbitrator determined Wednesday the city overpaid developer Thomas Enterprises by more than $2.5 million for railyards land next to the historic train depot. The land is at the center of current discussions to build a new arena and regional transit center adjacent to downtown. Arbitrator William Bettinelli, a retired Sonoma judge, set the value of nearly 33 acres of land at $52.35 million, the city manager's office and the developer announced in a joint press release late Wednesday afternoon. In 2006, the city paid Thomas Enterprises $55 million for the parcel after the developer bought the 244-acre former railyards site from Union Pacifi