In a win for Mayor Kevin Johnson and his arena task force, the City Council agreed to start talks with Sacramento developer Gerry Kamilos on a plan to build a new sports and entertainment center in the downtown railyards and develop two other sites. The City Council’s approval to begin talks with the Kamilos Group was unanimous. While an agreement between the city and Kamilos was not completed Tuesday, the council moved closer to a decision to work with Kamilos. In Kamilos’ multi-layered plan, the downtown railyards would be the location of a new sports and entertainment center. The plan also calls for the creation of a new state fairgrounds at Arco Arena and nearby property. Kamilos’ t

Preliminary work is paving the way for the first mile of the Sacramento Regional Transit District's newest light rail line, which will one day run to Sacramento International Airport. A contractor's crew has begun identifying the location of utilities — water, sewer, electric and phone lines — that must be relocated before the tracks for the new "green line"are laid. The line will initially span a little more than a mile, starting downtown at the Sacramento County courthouse at Eighth and H streets and running north to a terminus at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard. The new line is now expected to open in January 2011, rather than November as initially reported, said RT spokeswoman

Sacramentans should be enjoying a sigh of relief today, and a swell of pride. After months, years, even a decade of back and forth, conflict and aimlessness, there is finally some movement forward on a sports and entertainment complex. Yes, forward. Thursday morning's decision by the Sacramento First Task Force to recommend - if just recommend - the complicated but far-reaching "land swap" proposed by Gerry Kamilos' and David Taylor's organizations, and supported by the NBA and other crucial organizations, means that we are moving forward. Finally. There will be a lot of arguing about this for some time. As an assistant to Mayor Kevin Johnson, who is to be praised for making progress on

A San Francisco development firm hopes to start work this year on a $28 million housing and commercial project at a downtown Sacramento location. The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency has struggled with the proposed project's site for years. Domus Development wants to build commercial buildings, parking and affordable housing in the space between D and E Streets bordered by 12th Street. More affordable housing would be built at the other site of the project, between the C Street Alley and D Street at 12th Street. Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency staffers are strongly supporting the project. SHRA officials note in a March 2 report that the agency and three separate d

Representatives from the building sector are fighting a proposal from the city to charge developers fees for transportation-related construction. City staffers said that Sacramento must address how the city’s transportation infrastructure will be affected by population growth. The fees would partly pay for upgrades to infrastructure, according to the plan created by city staffers and consultants. But developers voiced their opposition to the idea at a Monday meeting of the city’s Development Oversight Commission. The commission examines development in Sacramento and presents its views to the City Council. “We cannot afford this right now,” said Matt Hedges, public affairs director for t

 The fate of the controversial Curtis Park Village development project will be reviewed by the Planning Commission Thursday. The project has been billed by developer Paul Petrovich as a way to blend nearby housing styles into a new community, but neighbors disagree, arguing that it's a design stuck in the past. “We hope everyone in this city is watching as the 72-acre parcel between Land Park, Sacramento City College and Curtis Park goes to the Planning Commission for review,” said Rosanna Herber, president of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association (SCNA). “Designed the right way, the development could meet the growing need for housing and retail space near the heart of the city and

It's a big hunk of a triangular-shaped pie. West Sacramento city officials want a large piece of a planned 12-million square foot development to move ahead. City leaders decided last week to back a 386-unit housing project that will be led by Sacramento developer Mark Friedman. Friedman’s project is part of a much larger development being planned for West Sacramento. The city plans to eventually transform a 188-acre expanse into a development project that could cover 12-million square feet, according to a Feb. 17 report written by West Sacramento city staff. The 386 homes will be built at the city’s riverfront in the Bridge District, according to the report. In the past, the Bridge Dis

Sacramento architecture can and should be designed for the city's climate, architect and green builder Matthew Piner said Wednesday. With its temperate Mediterranean climate, Sacramento usually experiences hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Its location on two rivers in a valley between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Pacific Ocean contributes delta breezes to cool off most summer nights, he said at a monthly architectural design forum, Design Dialogue, sponsored by the Urban Design Alliance of Sacramento. Builders here — the same as builders throughout the world — once worked with Sacramento's natural climate to keep people comfortable when they sought shelter inside houses and

Maintenance work began Wednesday on Union Pacific railroad tracks in the Downtown Sacramento railyards, while ongoing upgrades continue at the historic Sacramento Valley Station. Union Pacific has started rail maintenance work on existing tracks. Rail cars that are part of a track replacement train known as the TRT 909 are pulling up the rail and replacing railroad ties underneath, said Aaron Hunt, public relations director for Union Pacific. "We have track improvement projects going on throughout the state currently," he said. The work is not part of the $60 million Downtown track relocation project, said Richard Rich, development director of Thomas Enterprises' Railyards project. The

From the moment Chris Lango laid eyes on it, he had to have it. The interior wasn't even built yet — just an empty shell in a rundown old building designed in 1924 to showcase motorcars. But he knew this loft on the alley would be everything he wanted in urban living -- creative, a bit rough, hidden away in the middle of the city. An exterior remodel, part of an adaptive reuse, was well underway. He was captured by the history of the building and the story of its architect. "I was blown away," said Lango, 45. "I've always liked unique living spaces. If you like city living, I guess living in an alley is the most urban. Certainly, the most gritty." Lango was living in an apartment over

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 Hou

 The idea is non-controversial among members of the City Council: They all support the concept of a makeover for Capitol Mall. And, they all like the idea of the city hosting a design competition for a remodel of the Mall from the riverfront to 9th Street. The City Council gave its unanimous support to the fledgling plan, which was presented by Beth Tincher of the Economic Development Department Tuesday night. The details of the design competition would be crafted by city staff, the American Institute of Architects and stakeholders, according to a Nov. 10 city staff report. Councilman Steve Cohn said he and council colleague Ray Tretheway have been working on the plan for a future revam

Built Environment/Green Space Presentation November 10, 2009 5:30pm-7:30pm Sacramento Food Bank 3333 3rd Avenue, Sacramento, CA AGENDA Moderator: Charles L. Mason, Jr., Ubuntu Green Confirmed Panelists: Anya Lawler, Consultant, California State Assembly Committee on Housing Graham Brownstein, ECOS Davida Douglas, Alchemist CDC Brandon Kitagawa, Regional Asthma Management and Prevention, Statewide Coordinator of Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA) Constance Slider, Coalition on Regional Equity Invited Panelists: Paul Zykofsky, Director of Land Use and Transportation, Local Government Commission Randy Rosalex, Green Sacramento Builders Darnell Robinson, Clearinghouse CDFI

 Three young women navigated the west sidewalk of 18th Street last Friday evening. The one in front says to her friends behind her, "Last time we were down here, I was thinking I might like to live here." The Friday night scene was crackling, with loud music filling the air and cars filling the streets. "Yeah," says her friend, "but you'd need a place with a driveway. There's actually a lot more of them than I thought." The third woman says, "You wouldn't have much of a back yard." The trio crossed 18th Street at Capitol and stopped to reclaim their car from the valet. The street parking or East End Parking Garage may have been closer to whichever business they were coming from, but the

In a lively neighborhood-wide gathering rivaled only by the annual flea market, Curtis Park residents on Oct. 6 encouraged and criticized plans to develop Curtis Park Village in the adjacent, long-contaminated Union Pacific Railyard. Local developer Paul Petrovich, president of the Petrovich Development Company, hosted the community meeting at his Stone Pointe complex on Freeport and Sutterville to explain plans for the development and let residents voice concerns. The atmosphere grew tense as attendees questioned him about everything from toxic-cleanup safety regulations to his taste in public art. Petrovich's proposal is to create a sustainable community with residential and retail

The proposed Docks project nested between Interstate 5 and the Sacramento River, will be heard by the City Planning Commission on the 8th for a motion to pass the rezoning for future urban development consistent with the 2030 General Plan. City Staff will also recommend that Option B to be chosen in how the 29 acres are developed which including 1,000 residential units, 200,000 square feet of office space, and 43,300 square feet of retail space. A formal recommendation for Option B will be made the City Planning Commission next month and then the City Council for approval in December. Option B was determined to be the most cost effective plan to retain Pioneer Reservoir and build the park

Thursday afternoon, about 50 seniors, homeless and other community members participated in the Sacramento Housing Alliance Affordable Housing Bus Tour. The tour surveyed 10 different housing options and stopped to provide in-depth tours of three housing complexes. Guided by Shamus Roller, director of the SHA, Ken Cross, CEO of Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and Paul Ainger, Mercy Housing project developer, the four-hour tour began and ended at the SHA office in Midtown. "It's important to know what affordable housing means," Ainger said. According to the federal government, housing is considered "affordable" when a person renting or buying it spends no more than 30 percent of his or her

Last night the Sacramento City Council discussed the future of the proposed 23 story hotel and parking garage at 8th & K/L St. by developer Bob Leach/USA Hospitality. The last time Mr. Leach was to appear before the Council two weeks ago he asked for a delay because his proposal was going to be slammed over the financing for the proposal. This time they came back to the council offering 40% of cash flow instead of 10% over 10 years and asking for 50% of the Transient Occupancy Tax rebate over 14 years instead of 100% over 10 years. USA Hospitality’s now asking for $31.5 million subsidy from the city in an effort to make this project feasible. After a few council members made their opinions

The City of Sacramento departments of Transportation and Economic Development invite residents to complete a Web-based survey to provide feedback on the K Street Vehicle Traffic Study. The survey results will be used by city staff and the project team to understand public sentiments about the idea and what features would be most important if the City went forward with a trial conversion.   To complete the survey, visit the project Web site at www.cityofsacramento.org/KStreetVehicleTraffic. The non-scientific survey will remain active until Saturday, August 22 at 12 noon.   Residents and interested parties are also invited to attend a community meeting on Wednesday, August 26, from 5:3

The City of West Sacramento announces that they have installed new public artwork in Riverpoint Marketplace, the retail center off Ikea Court and Reed Avenue. "Synergy" is a 26-foot tall stainless steel and bronze sculpture created by Alber De Matteis, a noted sculptor with works in California, Europe, and South America. In addition to having a bold presence in daytime hours, the sculpture is illuminated by colored lights in the evening.