The future can’t come fast enough for Paul Petrovich. The prominent Sacramento developer has spent nine years and more than $25 million to bring the controversial Curtis Park Village project online, and he’s so close now, he must be able to taste it. So at last week’s emergency meeting of the Sierra Curtis Park Neighborhood Association, called to discuss the developer’s latest proposed changes to the project, he did something entirely out of character. He apologized for scaring the bejesus out of the neighborhood and withdrew most of his proposed changes. “No one has a bigger vested interest in making sure this project turns out the best that it can be than me,” Petrovich told the SCNA bo

Developer Paul Petrovich has abandoned a plan to increase the commercial footprint and alter the residential mix of the controversial Curtis Park Village project, according to a city councilman.  “I know many of you are deeply concerned with the Curtis Park Village project and the proposed amendments that have come forward in recent months,” District 5 City Councilman Jay Schenirer stated in an email to constituents. “Yesterday, my office was informed by Mr. Petrovich that he will not be moving forward with any of the changes initially proposed to the commercial area of the project.” The Curtis Park Village project is located between Sacramento City College on the west and the Curtis Par

Local eats such as Mighty Kong Café’s pork sliders, Dad’s Kitchen’s specialty macaroni and cheese, Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar’s oyster dish and Freeport Bakery’s cakes and cookies will fill plates while local wines and beers flow into glasses during three hours of sampling and socializing at Saturday’s Wine Tasting & Silent Auction. The Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association is hosting its 21st annual Wine Tasting & Silent Auction Saturday from 4 - 7 p.m. at the Sierra 2 Center at 2791 24th St. This year’s event will feature the addition of local microbrews and dishes from first-time participators Lucca Restaurant and Bar, The Supper Club, Enotria Restaurant and Wine Bar and Matteo’s P

At 6:30pm on the last Sunday of July and August, neighbors will gather in Curtis Park to enjoy music, picnicking and fun with friends and family.  With a blanket and a picnic basket, everyone can enjoy great music in a wonderful outdoor venue, set in the trees of historic William Curtis Park.  On July 31, feature band The Thing Itself takes the stage.  The Thing itself blends rock, blues, jazz, funk and gospel into a sound that is fresh and familiar.  Their original music weaves upbeat grooves, catchy hooks and often unexpected lyrics.  Members of The Thing Itself have been featured in some of the areas top bands over the last 20 years, including Bob's Child, Izabella, The Four Guys From

If Mr. Rogers lived in Sacramento, he might choose to live in Curtis Park. Organizers of Saturday’s Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association’s Home and Garden Tour promise it will be a beautiful day in the neighborhood. That day is quickly approaching for committee members Lori Harder and Janice Calpo. The fundraising event will take place from 10 a.m - 6 p.m. Saturday in the Curtis Park neighborhood and Sierra 2 Community Center. Seven beautifully crafted and historical Sacramento homes will be open for the public to tour. The event will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the SCNA’s Home and Garden tour along with a legacy of community and historical preservation. What began as a neig

The Sierra 2 Center for the Arts & Community invites everyone to a lively art competition that benefits the local and the global. On Friday, March 11th from 5:30 to 8:30pm the Sierra 2 Center presents the Best Friend Friday Art Contest, a competition that has solicited pieces of art from all over the Sacramento region. Artists were asked to submit a piece of art that reflected their unique interpretation of any aspect of life in Curtis Park or of the children of Belize. Curtis Park is a charming neighborhood of approximately 2500 households just south of downtown Sacramento, known for its lush canopy of trees, eclectic architecture, and sense of community. More than half of the 360,000 p

Three organizations have come together to create a new way to blend Sacramento’s thirst for innovative visual art with its desire to address the needs of the local and global community. On March 11th and March 26th, the Sierra 2 Center for the Arts and Community will join with Rise Up Belize! Advancement Through Education and the 10x10 Art Benefit Tour for three magical events. On Friday, March 11th from 5:30 - 8:30pm an Art Contest will be held during Best Friend Friday, Sierra 2 Center’s ongoing intermingling of social networking and community activism. All Sacramento area artists have been invited to submit work around two themes: “Life in Curtis Park” and “Children of Belize,” for whi

There has been an enthusiastic debate simmering in the Curtis Park neighborhood for quite some time now. The topic of discussion: heritage trees in development zones and their proposed removal. But through the passionate exchanges from local residents and the developer of the project, cooler heads express the need for civility. I learned this while speaking candidly with two citizens working hard behind the scenes on this hot-button topic over the weekend. Patrick Soluri, Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association president, gave me the CliffsNotes version of information from years of hearings, public meetings, press releases and e-mails from neighborhood advocates. In a nutshell: The Petrov

The Friday, January 21st hearing at which development firm Petrovich Development planned to request a permit from the City of Sacramento to remove Heritage Trees from his Curtis Park Village site has been cancelled until a future date. The postponement is the  result of a meeting arranged between Sacramento Councilmember Jay Schenirer and members of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association (SCNA) on the evening of January 19th. Representatives of SCNA’s Neighborhood Concerns Committee who attended the meeting are encouraged about what transpired, and feel that what was agreed upon and what is still being discussed amounts to good news for trees at the future site of the development proj

Developer Paul Petrovich has requested a permit from the City of Sacramento to remove 57 Heritage Trees on the Union Pacific Railyard site where he plans to build Curtis Park Village, a development project. A hearing has been set for this Friday, January 21st, at old City Hall, where the permit will be reviewed and the issue decided. Neighbors from Curtis Park will meet immediately beforehand to discuss the issue and speak to the media. While Petrovich Development says the trees must be removed because the soil around the trees is toxic, there does not appear to be adequate documentation to support this claim. Just over one month ago the State Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC)

Everyone loves a “win-win” situation. One of those “nobody loses” scenarios is set to play out Saturday when the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association invites the public to taste some grape while supporting a trio of longtime SCNA beneficiaries at the 20th annual Curtis Park Wine Tasting and Silent Auction.  “Of the dozen or so different events we hold each year, it’s our biggest fundraiser,” said SCNA board member Melanie Smith, who is hoping that the annual community festival will bring in big bucks that will help keep the C.K. McClatchy High School cross-country and track and field teams in uniforms and equipment, send Bret Harte Elementary School sixth graders to the Sly Park Environ

On Saturday, October 2nd the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association will present its 20th Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction. From 4-7 pm the doors and patios of the historic Sierra 2 Center will open to welcome hundreds of guests. Over twenty restaurants, fifty wineries, eight breweries, three musicians, and two dozen volunteers will be greeting patrons, who will spend a delectable three hours sampling food and drink, vying for high-end auction items, listening to music, and socializing with attendees. Even better, the event benefits Brett Hart Elementary and McClatchy High School, two neighborhood organizations that are at the heart of the Curtis Park community. To purchase tickets

 Whimsical ceramic characters that wink as you walk by, domestic and exotic animals who allow you to pet them, a fairy who paints a glittering swan on your face, and musicians whose songs are brand new each time they perform. These are only some of the imaginative artists and activities that await kids and adults at the 4th Annual CurtisFest on Saturday, September 11th. Presented by the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association (SCNA), Curtis Fest will be held from 10am until 4pm in Curtis Park, an eighteen-acre parcel of ground surrounded by quaint bungalows and shaded by heritage trees. CurtisFest was established in 2007 to give local artists a venue at which to exhibit and sell their work

As children are about to return to school and the temperature is about to drop, the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association invites everyone to Curtis Park for its last Music in the Park of the summer of 2010. On Sunday, August 29th from 6 - 8:30pm the eighteen-acre parcel at the heart of the Curtis Park community will play host to rock, rhythm and blues for adults, songs and games for kids, and an assortment of innovative health and wellness ideas. This free concert is part of the season of events of one of the busiest neighborhood associations in the state of California. Making his debut performance at Music in the Park will be singer-songwriter G-Whiz, who will present his unique line-u

Join The Sacramento this Sunday for the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association's Music in the Park. Musical guests include legendary children's musician "Mr. Cooper" and headlining Sacramento-based swing/blues/rock group BLVD PARK. The SCNA has titled this edition of Music in the Park "Green-Themed" and plans on including environmentally responsible sponsors, decorations, booths, table displays and games for the kids. The generous sponsors who make this event possible include Kashi; It's All Yoga; Inspired Wellness Boot Camp; Miss Helen; Law Office of R. Andrew Murray; Worm Fancy; Meg, Michael and Melissa Heede of RE/MAX Gold; and City Council member Lauren Hammond The Sacramento Press

On Sunday, June 27th, from 6-9 pm, Sacramento’s Curtis Park will be filled with the sounds of frolicking children, laughing adults and fantastic music, as the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association opens its annual Music in the Park. This free concert is part of the 2010 season of events of one of the busiest neighborhood associations in the state of California. The event is the first in a series of three summertime concerts that provide Sacramento residents with a fun, relaxing evening of community and entertainment. This year’s season opener of Music in the Park will “go green,” as economically-conscious sponsors partner with Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association (SCNA) to help make th

An overflow crowd packed Sacramento City Hall Thursday night for a public hearing on the environmental impact report for the proposed Curtis Park Village development. With a unanimous vote, the City Council certified the report following four hours of testimony, staff reports and council discussion on the expected impact of developer Paul Petrovich's $211 million plan to construct housing and businesses on an old Western Pacific railyard near Sacramento City College. More than 400 people filled the council chamber and an upstairs overflow room. Saying they don't oppose the infill project, some nearby residents sought to postpone a decision by asking for an environmental impact report (EI

 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

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 z