“Seventh & H" SRO - 7th & H Street, $47.4 million project. Expected completion date, Spring 2013 626 I Street Rehabilitation Project - $19.4 million. Expected completion date, Sept. 2012 La Valentina Station - 12th Street between D and E streets, $27 million project. Expected completion date, summer 2012. Sutter Medical Center - L & 29th Street, $600 million project. Expected completion date, late 2012. Read more at: http://livinginurbansac.blogspot.com/  

Sacramento residents can impress their loved ones this holiday season with unique gifts from Dragatomi. Dragatomi, a toy store located at 2317 J St., showcases limited-edition vinyl toys, and even commissioned custom toys upon request to artists who were featured in the store. "Our products are anywhere from the cute to the dark," co-owner Joanne Suavillo, 33, said. "I feel that we have something for everybody in here – some are custom, and some are production items." Suavillo described the toys in the store as "made for the older child." "We have customers who start collecting at 7 years old and grannies who buy for themselves," Suavillo said. "Even though it's a small store, it's

Sutter Medical Center L & 29th Street, $600 million project. Expected completion date, late 2012. La Valentina Station 12th Street between D and E streets. $27 million project. Expected completion date, summer 2012. Maydestone Apartments Corner of J & 15th Street. $7.2 million renovation. Expected completion date, February 1, 2012. “Seventh & H" SRO 7th & H Street. $47.4 million project. Expected completion date, Spring 2013. DMV Headquarters Upgrade 2415 1st Avenue $127 million renovation, 13-year renovation so far. Expected completion date, who knows??? 626 I Street Rehabilitation Project $19.4 million. Expected completion date, Sept. 2012

The city of Sacramento is looking for a few good designers, urban planners, architects and artists to submit their ideas to revamp Capitol Mall, between Tower Bridge and Ninth Street. The juried competition is expected to draw international attention. “Since the state turned Capitol Mall over to the city five years ago, there’s a growing impetus to do something with that space and get it activated,” said Chris Barkley of the American Institute of Architects Central Valley Chapter, the competition adviser to the city. Stakeholders in the area have been meeting over the past five years and decided to put out a call for ideas to make Capitol Mall the significant street it once was, accordin

Francis House held a benefit concert from 7 - 10 p.m. Friday night at The Guild Theatre. The concert featured Victoria Vox and The Boulder Acoustic Society. The concert was held in memory of Greg Bunker, former executive director of Francis House, who passed away unexpectedly days after Christmas last year. About 100 people attended. The music was an old-fashioned folksy blend of eclectic sound. The Boulder Acoustic Society opened with keyboards, drums, upright bass and banjo. The keyboardist switched to accordion and the drummer to a marching band bass drum. Victoria Vox, 32, lives in Baltimore, Md. She sings and plays ukulele. She said she finally quit her day job in 2003 to tour and

Seeing a lack of regular jazz shows in the central city, Grady O’Bryant sought to fill that void with a weekly series called Jazz on J at Shenanigans bar on J Street. Jazz on J features a local jazz band every Thursday. The first Jazz on J show was on Feb. 17. Grady worked with saxophonist Ava Lemert to create Jazz on J, which had its fourth show Thursday. Lemeret performs every week before the featured band. “Grady and I met up at Shenanigan’s to talk about putting something together,” Lemert said. “He and I are the creators of the series. Grady had the idea that he wanted to put something together. Maybe have something every week.” Every Thursday, from 6 - 7 p.m., local jazz artist A

The Vibe Foundation held Cake Craze Saturday night. The Vibe Foundation hosted their Cake Craze fundraising event Saturday night, pitting nine local bakeries against each other in a cake-decorating contest themed “Generation Y” at 1725 K St. The event was fundraising for the organization’s opening this summer. Julia Hidalgo,18, another Christian Brothers senior, is the chair of Vibe’s youth board. “The fundraiser is really just to get our doors open,” Hidalgo said. Hidalgo expressed her vision of Vibe as molding to the needs of the youth community that leads it. “It’s all about what kids want,” Hidalgo said. “If kids want free SAT classes, maybe we’ll do that,” Hidalgo said. “We’re ho

Access Sacramento is putting together a network of news bureaus in the South Sacramento area. The goal is to get youth to report for their communities, producing news stories about South Sacramento. The effort is based around a website that access Sacramento has set up called accesslocal.tv. Ron Cooper, executive director of Access Sacramento, said that besides being known for negative news, South Sacramento seems to be absent from the news altogether. He wants to help revitalize the area through empowering the youth to become news reporters and serve them by developing their journalism skills. “South Sacramento is big area with lots of people and lots of ethnic diversity,” Cooper said.

Ladybug Ladybug opened its second location at 2512 J St. last November, where they sell greeting cards and gifts. “It’s kind of your one-stop gift shop,” said Sheila Istvanick, 40, Ladybug Ladybug’s owner. Istvanick opened her first gift card store in San Francisco’s Noe Valley at 24th and Sanchez in 2002. Since opening the store, Istvanick has had three daughters. She recently moved to Sacramento to be closer to her extended family. Istvanick worked at Papyrus before partnering with a friend to open the first Ladybug Ladybug. She said she really values small business and locally sourced products. From cards to gifts, Istvanick tries to find and promote local items. “I hope to carry m

This Friday the second annual Sacramento Beer Week is bringing local brewers and beer enthusiasts together for over 300 events in Sacramento from Feb. 25 through March 6. Dan Scott, 38, founded Sacramento’s Beer Week in 2010. Scott is currently a grad student working on a Masters in public policy and administration from Sacramento State. “We’ve got an incredible beer culture in Sacramento,” said Scott. He said he loves beer and has traveled to more than 500 breweries tasting and sampling brews from around the world. “I’m a beer connoisseur, not a beer brewer,” said Scott. “I’d rather drink a lot of different beers from different people than a lot of my own.” “There’s opportunities for

This $47 million projects planned for the northwest corner of 7th & H Street has now received all needed entitlements and necessary financing to move forward with construction anticipated for March 2011. The project will be funded with $25 million in 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits, $8,200,000 loan funded by Home Investment Partnership Program, a $6,859,695 capitol grant and $3,750,000 operating grant funded by Downtown Low Moderate Tax Increment Funds, and a land grant for the acquisition, construction and permanent financing of the 7th & H Project. Developer and owner Mercy Housing California is a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing quality affordable housing with

Sick of the Radio (SOTR) is a Sacramento-based website that covers indie art and music from Sacramento and around the world. The website has artist interviews, photography, art, music videos and even free MP3s. Started last February by 28-year-old Andy Johnson and his wife, Melissa, SOTR aims to share a love of the arts and offer daily inspiration for artists, musicians and art lovers. “We strive to expose all types of art to the masses,” Johnson said. “I am an artist and musician, and love the idea of an online collective of various artists.” Johnson has had the idea for the site for a few years. The birth of his son motivated him to make it a reality. “I’ve had the idea for the websi

Major changes are in store for the city’s River District, as the Sacramento City Council approved a set of future development plans Tuesday night. The planning documents set a path for development of the area over the next 25 years, according to a report from city staff. The city’s plans for the River District, a 773-acre swath between the Sacramento Railyards and the American River, focus on ramping up residential, commercial, office and hotel development and moving away from industrial development. Council members approved the plans in a 8-0 vote. Mayor Kevin Johnson did not attend the City Council meeting because he was out of town, said Johnson spokesman Joaquin McPeek. The city wan

The Sacramento Food Bank was filled with about 50 people Thursday night as Mayor Kevin Johnson spoke at the Oak Park Neighborhood Association meeting. Johnson spoke about the green economy, downtown development, the state of Sacramento’s schools, volunteering in the city and homelessness. He emphasized the need for a strong and vibrant downtown and a growing green economy. “You kill two birds with one stone,” he said. “No. 1, you improve the environment, and No. 2, you can create jobs.” Johnson said he is a proponent for building the sports arena downtown. “Our community deserves a world-class facility, and I’d like to see that downtown because it creates jobs, and all the other busin

The Sacramento Preservation Commission took an important step toward protecting the River District's history Wednesday by recommending creation of a new historic district and designation of other properties as landmarks. The commission's six present members voted unanimously to recommend the Sacramento City Council create the North 16th Street Historic District and add nine properties found elsewhere in the River District to the Sacramento Register of Historic & Cultural Resources. At the same time, the commission postponed a decision on whether to start the historic landmark nomination process for the state printing plant at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard. The building was design

On Thursday, October 21st, the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) and California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) will unveil a new self-guided walking tour of Central Oak Park. The brochure highlights the community’s architectural and historical significance. The evening will include an address by the brochure’s author, Dr. Robin Datel, a professor in CSUS’ Geography Department. The lecture will be held at the historic Guild Theater in Oak Park (2828 35th Street at Broadway); doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The 32-page walking tour brochure includes historic photographs of nearly forty selected locations with

April 16 marked the arrival of TEDx in Sacramento, bringing a “TED-like experience” to our area. What is TED? TED stands for “Technology, Education, Design.” It is a small nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” Started in 1984, its purpose has spread to include an annual U.S. conference in Long Beach as well as a TEDGlobal conference in the United Kingdom, a TEDTalks online video site, an annual TED Prize, a nationwide local program called TEDx and more. Per TEDx Sacramento, “The TEDx Conference provided a license and general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.” Brandon Weber, TEDx Sacramento curator, said the local team want

This Tuesday the City Council will recommend the preservation and restoration of the Fred Mayes Jewelers' Street Clock at the corner of 10th and J Street. With the efforts of both Greig Best (an interested citizen), the City's Historic Places Grant Program, Council Member Tretheway's office, and the Redevelopment Agency, designated funds will be used to restore this City designated Landmark. Its ownership will also be formally transferred to the City through the Department of Transportation since the street clock is located within the public right-of-way. The clock will be restored to the style as modified while at its' original K Street location by Tom Monk (the neon ring addition) befor

Master Barber Shop was established in 1958 and was acquired by Earlie D. and Mary Brown in December of 1974. During that time, the shop was located on Stockton Blvd. and 7th Ave. Since those early days, Master Barber & Beauty Shop, has had several locations. Each location being better than the last. In 1989, sons Rodney and Marichal, joined the family business. The late owner and master barber, Earlie D. Brown, established business in the hair industry in the mid 1940's with Brown's Barber Shop (two locations, San Francisco and Marin City). What started out as nothing more than a dream and a dime and a nail in his pocket has turned into a family business. He died in February 1998. Mary Br

A 3-day designer grand slam is coming up, Pecha Kucha Night, brought to you by Ottolini & Associates, Architects. Come see and hear, dozens of the regions best designers, artists, architects and photographers talking about their work. Co-sponsored by Capital Creative Collective and Urban Hive. Music by Alex Trujillo. Thursday, Nov. 5th, The Level Up Lounge - Outdoor Plaza, 8:20-10pm Friday, Nov. 6th, The Urban Hive - 8:20-10pm Saturday, Nov. 7th, MARRS Building - 8:20-10pm What is Pecha Kucha Night? "Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest lev