Struggling Westfield Downtown Plaza lost another key tenant Wednesday when Z Gallerie closed its furniture and home accessories store after nearly 20 years of business. On Thursday, the store at 545 L St. was empty of everything except wooden shelving units, the sales counter and light fixtures as District Manager Mike Jaeger and staff took care of remaining details. The Southern California-based company decided to close the store when its lease ended because the store wasn't making enough money at that location, Z Gallerie Public Relations Manager Gordon Andahl said. "The decline in sales no longer supported the cost of operating the store," Andahl said, adding that Z Gallerie had "pro

Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday he will start searching for buyers for Downtown Plaza within weeks, after Westfield Group announced its willingness to sell the struggling plaza. After the holidays, Johnson will start talking to "big developers" and investment groups who understand the plaza's role in revitalizing downtown. Potential buyers could include people interested in developing a new downtown arena at that site, he said. "Westfield has agreed to step aside, and, if necessary, sell its interests in Downtown Plaza," Johnson said during his weekly press conference Tuesday morning. "That could be very monumental for the downtown corridor. The big news is Westfield is no longer willin

Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday he will start searching for buyers for Downtown Plaza within weeks, after Westfield Group announced its willingness to sell the struggling plaza. After the holidays, Johnson will start talking to "big developers" and investment groups who understand the plaza's role in revitalizing downtown. Potential buyers could include people interested in developing a new downtown arena at that site, he said. "Westfield has agreed to step aside, and, if necessary, sell its interests in Downtown Plaza," Johnson said during his weekly press conference Tuesday morning. "That could be very monumental for the downtown corridor. The big news is Westfield is no longer willin

Westfield Group has agreed to sell Downtown Plaza, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday morning. The city has been pressing Westfield to invest in the plaza for nearly 12 years. Since August, Johnson has been pushing the shopping mall owner to make good on its promise to invest at least $120 million in the under-performing plaza. The alternative, he said at the time, was for Westfield to sell the plaza. Unwilling to invest that much, Westfield decided to sell, Johnson said. But the mayor and city staff must now find a buyer who can agree on a price with Westfield. "Westfield has agreed to step aside, and, if necessary, sell its interests in Downtown Plaza," Johnson said during his week

Mayor Kevin Johnson has put it to the owners of the troubled Westfield Downtown Plaza: Either you're in or you're out. The company, Westfield Group, has only another month or so to tell the city whether it will invest in its downtown Sacramento mall the way it's investing in Westfield Galleria at Roseville, Johnson told Westfield representatives and downtown business owners Monday. "If not, we need you to not hold our city hostage anymore. We need you to sell and let the city move forward," he said. "In November or so, we need you to realize if you're in, you're in. If you're not, you're not." For at least 11 years, the city has been negotiating over Downtown Plaza with Westfield, perha

Mayor Kevin Johnson on Tuesday announced two community meetings to exchange ideas on reviving K Street Mall and Westfield Downtown Plaza, shortly before an independent analysis comes out. The mayor will meet with business and property owners next Monday, and then with the rest of the public on Oct. 19, as a way to involve the community in the ongoing effort to develop a new strategy for K Street and the rest of the J-K-L corridor, the core of downtown. "We want to create a new vision," Johnson said in his weekly press conference inside city hall. “We need to re-imagine what downtown looks like.” The issue has vexed other mayors and city councils. The meetings will be the first such comm