District 8 City Councilwoman Bonnie Pannell hosted a bus tour Thursday highlighting recent redevelopment efforts and future growth opportunities throughout the district with a group of developers, real estate brokers and city employees – along with a few district residents and neighborhood association representatives. “This is going to be a tour of opportunities,” said City Manager John Shirey at the start of the tour. “We’ve got a good future for this district.” The Meadowview and south city areas have seen the second-greatest rate of growth in all of Sacramento, second only to North Natomas in District 1, Pannell said. “We have had a lot of growth (in District 8),” Pannell said, “and

A recommendation to renew Stockton Boulevard property and business improvement district was initiated Tuesday at the Sacramento City Council meeting. The renewal, if approved, means the district will be able to exist and continue the work they are doing. According to a city staff report approval of this resolution will allow for time and place for the public hearing on the renewal of the district, proposed assessment and notices to be mailed to all property owners in that district. Originally, the renewal had been scheduled for every five years, and now it is being requested for a 10-year term instead so they can continue to do more, Terrence Johnson, executive director of Stockton Boul

The City of Sacramento along with the Greater Sacramento Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce and Stockton Boulevard Partnership hosted a business walk Thursday. The walk focused on businesses located in the “Little Saigon” area of South Stockton, which runs from Florin Road to Fruitridge Road. The city’s Economic Development Business Visit Program serves to check on the needs of businesses and to connect them with the proper resources so they can flourish. Terrence Johnson, the executive director of the Stockton Boulevard Partnership said the focus is to address the issues affecting businesses. The Little Saigon district is home to many small businesses, particularly Southeast Asia

A city commission composed mostly of members of the construction sector is disbanding Dec. 31. However, a report by city staff said the Development Oversight Commission, which made recommendations to the City Council on the city’s work with the building industry, may morph into a group that explores economic development goals. The Development Oversight Commission (DOC) will dissolve because the ordinance that formed it gave it a Dec. 31 expiration date, according to the city report. The City Council decided to set up the commission in 2000. Darryl Chinn, a DOC member and local architect, said the current DOC members may participate in a future economic development commission. Top city s

Kevin Surace, Inc. Magazine’s 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year and CEO of Serious Materials, has been selected to give the keynote address at the Roseville Chamber of Commerce’s annual business event, Roseville 2010. A noted speaker and writer on climate change and the built environment, Surace’s innovative and dynamic management style has help to turn around more than one crippled company. He will share his vision on what it takes to build a great company at Roseville 2010, Thursday, May 13 at Hewlett-Packard in Roseville. The event, which will run from 11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., will also feature a Regional CEO Panel, breakout sessions, a bus tour of South Placer County’s key developments, th

An initial economic analysis of building a new entertainment and sports complex in Sacramento confirms the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s long-standing belief: A properly located arena will create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic benefits for the entire region. “The Metro Chamber has long-held that a new entertainment and sports facility will be a huge job generator for our region,” said Matt Mahood, Metro Chamber president & CEO. “The Sacramento First Task Force’s “Threshold” report shows how—at a time when unemployment is so high—building and running the complex will create 4,095 new jobs. I say let’s get it started!” The report was released Jan. 7. Residents in simila

On November 21, 2009, the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities collaborative hosted two events in Oak Park and South Sacramento, designed to educate communities on the 10-year Building Healthy Communities (BHC) process. Earlier this year, the California Endowment awarded funding to 14 communities over ten years as part of their Building Healthy Communities program. This effort was designed to infuse at least $10 million into each community to bring about systemic change. The efforts are to be driven by four goals: • Health systems are family-centered and prioritize prevention. • Schools anchor communities, promote healthy behaviors and are a gateway for resources and services. • Human

City plans to demolish the Bel-Vue and adjacent buildings were mentioned in my Sacramento Press article on July 3 ( http://sacramentopress.com/headline/10159/City_To_Demolish_Landmark_BelVue_Building ) but at the time the developer and financing organization behind the project were not identified. Since then, both have appeared, along with an additional partner. The financier, Consus Asset Management, is a new player in Sacramento. The developer, Bob Leach, just completed another Sacramento project, the Le Rivage Hotel. The other player in this project is a well-known name in K Street real estate, Mohammed “Mo” Mohanna. All three are asking the city for $18.6 million in free real estate an

Art connoisseurs are already reveling in the expanded offerings that will deck out Crocker Art Museum's new wing. But art lovers won't be the only ones to benefit. The capital's economic vitality is expected to get a big boost when the 125,000-square-foot expansion triples the museum's size upon opening next year. "I think it's going to really elevate Sacramento's visibility as a cultural destination," said Michelle Alexander, executive director of the Arts & Business Council of Sacramento. "Cultural tourism is a big, key factor in economic health." In the next few weeks, construction crews will begin building the connection from the contemporary new wing to the future education studio

Several months ago I had the opportunity to discuss with Vice Mayor Lauren Hammond the concept of an opportunity site study for re-use ideas on the Stockton Blvd. commercial corridor.  She verbalized a concept targeting a large amount of vacant land centrally located on Stockton Blvd within the city limits.  Subsequent conversations with representatives of SHRA, city council and the Stockton Blvd Partnership resulted in outreach to the Urban Land Institute for a collaborative study of the opportunity site.  A panel of distinguished representatives of The National Urban Land Institute (ULI) arrived and was welcomed to Sacramento Sunday evening. The ULI panel was commissioned to provide th

SACRAMENTO, Cal. - FEBRUARY 9, 2009 - A local group of bicycle advocates launch the 1st Annual Bikeramento Week from Feb. 9-14, culminating on Valentine’s Day with a race day watch party at 18th and L on the patio of the Buckhorn Grill during the Amgen Tour of California, the largest bicycle race in the United States. Each day this week, the team offers a different bicycle-friendly event to highlight Sacramento’s potential as a bikeable community to both visitors and locals alike. By attending events, participants can win a pair of tickets to the Bikeramento Patio during the Amgen prologue on Saturday. The group wishes to raise awareness of bicycles as a transportation norm. “This is a g