Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "demolition"

Preservation commission adjusts notification policy

2011-08-03T01:16:52Z

A new policy that will notify residents when a structure is scheduled to be demolished will be considered Wednesday by the Sacramento Preservation Commission.

The Community Development Department will present a report on the change to the current policy of notification when a structure that may have historical significance is proposed for demolition.

Under the historic preservation chapter of the city code, there is a provision for the city preservation director to make a determination as to whether the structure may be eligible for listing in the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources.

There is no requirement in the city code for giving notice to neighborhood residents, however.

According to Roberta Deering, senior planner for historic preservation with the city Community Development Department, whenever it seems possible that a structure may be eligible for listing in the city historical registry, an email notification is sent to the City Council member of the district where the structure is located and the area neighborhood association.

“That’s been our procedure for the last three or four years,” Deering said.

Now, the preservation commission is adding another aspect to the notification procedure: a posted sign on the structure proposed for demolition.

“We want to make sure that we have all of the (relevant) information before we make a decision,” Deering said, “and it’s easier (to get information) by letting people know with a notice in front of the structure.”

The new policy is in response to issues highlighted by residents over a project planned for the site of a demolished home in the Newton Booth-Poverty Ridge neighborhood.

“There was concern that, even though we emailed the neighborhood association, it didn’t necessarily translate into people actually knowing about the proposed demolition,” Deering said.

Deering said the structures are properties the committee wants to see in person, “so it’s pretty easy to add a posting notice to the property while we’re out there.”

The department started adding posting notices to its noticing policy about two months ago, according to Deering.

“This way, (the process) is a little more transparent,” Deering said. “People have a legal right to demolish their property if it’s not nominated or listed as a landmark or part of a historic district.”

But neighbors have an investment in the process, too, Deering added, and that is what this additional noticing policy is intended to acknowledge.

“People are surprised if they come home and the house that used to be next to them isn’t there anymore,” Deering said. “We want to make sure they know what’s going on.”

William Robertson, president of the Newton Booth Neighborhoods Association, agreed that residents should be made aware of important changes facing their neighborhoods.

“When people feel that their homes and their neighborhood is being threatened,” Robertson said Tuesday, “it’s best to communicate with them so everyone understands what’s going on.”

In the case of the 24th and T street development, Robertson said the neighbors “literally woke up to the sounds of bulldozers,” and that created a lot of concern for the residents who were unprepared for the demolition.

“Any steps (the preservation commission) can take to create better communication with neighborhoods about changes happening in those neighborhoods is a wise thing to do,” Robertson said.

“I think (the new policy) is a move in a very positive direction,” said City Councilman Rob Fong Tuesday. “I know the neighbors (at 24th and T streets) got very upset when they didn’t know there was going to be a demolition. They knew their hands would be tied after the demolition – they would be stuck with either a vacant lot or some new development that they couldn’t do anything about.”

“Any kind of additional notice we can give to the surrounding neighbors who are going to be affected by changes in their neighborhood – it’s a good thing,” Fong said.

Deering said site posting notifications will include the same information as in the email notices, particularly a request for information from the public about any historical significance associated with the structure. Contact phone numbers and email addresses for the Preservation Commission will be included in the notice.

The posting will remain at the site for one to two weeks.

“One way we have committed to the stakeholders in this area is that we will review all of our policies,” Fong said, “so we’ll be sure to take a closer look to see if this (noticing policy) is enough or if we need to be doing more.”

The new policy will be discussed as part of a report to the Preservation Commission from William Crouch, urban design manager, at the meeting Wednesday.

The Preservation Commission meets at City Hall, 915 I St., the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m.

Read the Preservation Commission meeting agenda here.

Read the Historic Preservation chapter of the city code here.

Find the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources here.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Officials, company careful with demolition

2009-12-22T05:12:13Z

The final demolition of a former Sacramento police building has been halted again while concerns over an adjacent power station are worked out.

Advantage Demolition was preparing to demonstrate Monday how the last two exterior walls could be pulled down safely next to transformers at a historic power station, now known as SMUD Station A, at Sixth and H streets. The station, whose origins date to 1895, supplies power to up to 40 percent of downtown Sacramento, said Sacramento Municipal Utility District spokesperson Dace Udris.

Demolition of the building at Seventh and H streets began several months ago to make way for a 160-unit affordable housing project being built by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, Mercy Housing California and Mogavero Notestine Associates. Demolition was suspended until Monday, when officials from SHRA, SMUD and the city visited the site to watch a demolition demonstration. The work was halted for further discussion of the process that will be used.

"SMUD is uncomfortable, and I understand why," said Robert Scott of Advantage Demolition, a family-run company based in Eldorado Hills.

The company's most technical demolition jobs are handled by Scott and his uncle Peter Scott, who owns the business. For this building, Robert Scott will put 13 years of experience to work running the excavator, which will pull the concrete block walls into the interior of what's left of the building, he said. The exterior was built to resemble brick.

After Christmas, the Scotts will meet with officials to address concerns and to demonstrate the technique on a roughly 26-foot section of wall facing H Street. The most concern arose over the possibility concrete chunks could fly out from the other wall, which runs along one side of the substation, and hit electrical equipment. The company will install tarps between the substation and the wall to control debris, Robert Scott said.

"I've been in this situation many times," he said. "I have yet to have an accident."

The demolition could be completed within days once the go-ahead is given. Demolishing the rest of the walls should take a few hours. Prepping — installing tarps and making the site safe — will take a day, while cleanup will take two to three days, Scott said.

For years, the building under demolition was the city's patrol station. Patrol officers were based there, while patrol cars were housed in a garage where the federal courthouse now sits. Police administration headquarters were located at the site of the present Sacramento County Public Law Library, said Sacramento Police Department spokesperson Norm Leong.

In 1994, the building was converted into the city's first non-live-in police academy. Forensics also was based there. The building had so much history for Sacramento police that some officers grabbed concrete "bricks" as mementos once it started coming down, Leong said.

"There's history there," he said.

SHRA is overseeing the nine-story project to build one-bedroom and studio apartments, along with ground-floor retail and a clinic, to replace low-income, single-residency occupancy units on K Street Mall or elsewhere downtown and to help develop permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless people. The tenants would be primarily single people with low-wage jobs. Mercy Housing California hopes to establish one-third to half of the units for "special needs" tenants who have been homeless or at-risk in other ways, according to an SHRA staff report.

City To Demolish Landmark "Bel-Vue" Building

2009-07-03T21:28:18Z

The city of Sacramento has announced its plans to demolish the Bel-Vue Apartments, a registered city landmark, in order to clear land on 8th Street for a potential future parking structure.

Located adjacent to the now-vacant corner of 8th and K Street, the Bel-Vue was built in 1910 as the American Cash Apartments. Built in the Craftsman style with Asian overtones, the three-story brick building contains apartments above a commercial ground floor. When the Bel-Vue was built, it was one of many downtown apartment buildings. If it was built today, the Bel-Vue would be described as a mixed-use, transit-oriented infill project. The building is currently owned by the city of Sacramento’s housing and redevelopment agency, the result of a complex land exchange between Mohammed “Mo” Mohanna, Z Gallerie owner Joe Zeiden, and the city of Sacramento. This land exchange was part of the currently stalled plans to rehabilitate the 700 block of K Street.

The city’s plan is to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) containing two possible alternatives for buildings to be built on the site, and then demolish the existing buildings. One alternative is a pair of residential towers 300 feet high, running from K Street to L Street along 8th, originally proposed by former owner Mohanna and developers John Saca (of the failed 301 Capitol Mall project) and John Lambeth. The other alternative is a 300 foot hotel tower at the corner of 8th and K, currently vacant, and a six-story parking structure on the site of the Bel-Vue and the other buildings at the corner of 8th and L. There is no developer or investor specified in the EIR notice of preparation; the city of Sacramento plans to create the EIR and demolish the Bel-Vue and nearby buildings on speculation, in case a developer appears who is interested in constructing the buildings the city has proposed for the site.

When the city of Sacramento acquired the Bel-Vue building and its neighbors, it was an occupied apartment building with several retail tenants on the ground floor. There were also commercial tenants in the adjacent buildings, and apartments above most of those buildings. The city of Sacramento evicted the residents, and today only one retail establishment, a Chinese restaurant, occupies the Bel-Vue, aside from a parking garage in one of the buildings facing L Street.

All of the buildings on the site have a role in local history. 815 L Street, constructed in 1915, was most recently the site of a nightclub of the same name. In 1957, the site was one of the original Sam’s Hof Brau locations. The side of the building, invisible from the street, still bears a painted mural advertising Sam’s. La Rosa, an Italian restaurant opened in 1927, occupied the site before the Hof Brau. On the corner of 8th and L is the Feldhusen Building, a two-story building with ground floor retail and residences upstairs. It was built in 1895 and remodeled in 1954. It was home to many businesses including grocery stores, dressmakers, and the Diamond Club Tavern card room.
Buildings like the Bel-Vue were once commonplace in Sacramento, but over the years they have become very rare.

Today, some developers seek out historic buildings for residential projects, converting them into modern apartments or condominiums. Local companies like D&S Development (http://www.dandsdev.com) have completed projects like the Old Sacramento iLofts and 1409 R, and are now restoring the historic Maydestone Apartments at 16th & J Street. Architect Mike Malinowski, contractor Bruce Booher and CFY Development helped convert the Globe Mills grain mill complex into unique residential lofts. At the Railyards, developer Thomas Enterprises will make the historic Southern Pacific shops buildings the focal point of a new downtown neighborhood. Other adaptive reuse projects like the Citizen Hotel, MARRS, the Cosmopolitan and the Firestone Building show how vacant historic buildings can be made into exciting, unique urban destinations. Projects like these are often more popular than newly-built projects because they offer one-of-a-kind places to live, work and play in an urban setting. They appeal to those who want to be close to the action of the central city and their downtown workplaces, or just like the unique character of historic buildings. Instead of demolishing the Bel-Vue, the building could easily be repaired and returned to its role as a place to live, with businesses on the street to serve downtown’s residents. Restoration of historic buildings is also a greener option than new construction, as it needs far fewer building materials and requires far less landfill space (where the demolished building’s components would end up.) If sales of recent projects like the 1409 R lofts (opened in April and already two-thirds sold) are any indication, these projects are popular even in slow economic markets, while urban infill projects in new buildings are far less successful. Historic buildings can also qualify for tax credits and other incentives that can make rehabilitation cheaper than demolition and new construction. In the right hands, the Bel-Vue could be a gorgeous, attainable new home for Sacramento’s residents for another hundred years.

In recent years, the city of Sacramento has seen many proposed projects fail to materialize. The failure of projects like John Saca’s 301 Capitol Mall towers at 3rd and Capitol resulted in ugly, gaping pits in our city’s urban fabric. Projects like the 700/800 block, bogged down by unexpected resistance and a poor economy, sit languishing, waiting for a better plan to appear. Projects that encourage the demolition of landmarks encourage speculators to allow their historic downtown properties to sit vacant, deteriorating for years or even decades, with the hope of an eventual skyscraper-shaped payoff that may never arrive. More forward-thinking developers could turn the same buildings into Sacramento's urban showpieces.

No developer or investor has been named by the city to actually build this project or pay for it, and even if a developer and/or investor does arrive, if they want to make significant changes to the plan they would need to complete a new environmental document, making this effort worthless. The sacrifice of one of Sacramento’s irreplaceable historic buildings would be for nothing. And even if the city’s long shot is successful, and a developer does build the project, we will lose a historic landmark and a quarter-block of potentially useful buildings for a six-story parking garage in a neighborhood with many underutilized parking garages.

To give public comment about this issue, contact Jennifer Hageman of the City of Sacramento’s Community Development Department at jhageman@cityofsacramento.org or (916)808-5538. Written comments should be sent to Jennifer Hageman, City of Sacramento Community Development Department, 300 Richards Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95811. Comments are due before 4:00 PM on July 27, 2009.

Finale

2008-10-25T00:14:06Z

The demolition drew quite a few sidewalk superintendents - me included, of course - who hung around for nearly an hour, waiting for the big bang and crash when the last of the place hit the ground. The company was very careful as it worked - the derelict house was less than 10 feet from an apartment house on its west side.

It Came Down

2008-10-25T00:10:51Z

From Michael Fitzegerald

Between grading papers and dreaming of Mexico, the Admiral and I try to get plenty of exercise by walking, riding our bikes and heading to the Capital Athletic Club where the Admiral and I go almost every day for swimming and to work on the machines.

(OK. I don't go on the machines at all, but I do try to get in a quarter-mile of thrashing through the water. And, no, I missed today, but...)

In my walk this afternoon (to make up for skipping my swim), I ran across a house (506 S Street) a block away that was being torn down, a 100-plus year old casa that had been taken over by some local homeless people. For California, the demolition guys were pretty casual with only a couple of sawhorses out front warning people from getting too close.

Across the street, two city building inspectors talked about what a wreck the house had been and, for a moment, wondered aloud if they had made sure the natural gas line to the place was turned off. (Uh-oh!)

When I heard that, I moved back a few feet.

The house could not be rehabilitated, they said, it's foundation was virtually none existent and dry-rot filled the beams and walls downstairs.

More on 506 S

2008-10-25T00:02:40Z

...From Steve V

Yes, it is a shame to lose an old building... but for what it's worth, I think the appearance of that block of S ST. is much improved & puts a better face on that boundary of our neighborhod. I would expect that whatever is built in it's place will still need to go through Historic Preservation review to maintain the character of the neighborhood.

Speaking of saving buildings, 1901 S St (corner of 6th & S) was approved to be demolished. It is in much better condition than 506 S was. I wonder if that should be a topic we revisit in light of these recent events?
There hasn't been recent action on 1901, but the last plans were to demolish it & build office/apartments where there is currently a house. Since a house was demolished by the city just a few yards away, I think we would be justified in revisiting that decision with the city if SPNA wanted to. Just a thought...

Taken down

2008-10-25T00:00:34Z

From Paul Trudeau

Code Enforcement & Councilmember Fong's office both just called SPNA to let us know that the City will be demolishing the historic home at 506 S Street today.

Another historic building lost. Time to focus on putting more teeth into the City's minimum maintenance ordinance in order protect those that remain. There are indications that Fong's office and maybe Code Enforcement are thinking in that direction too.