Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "westfield downtown plaza"

Marching bands, sports cars and beauty queens featured in Sacramento's annual Santa Parade

2011-12-11T21:34:47Z

photographs by Barry Wisdom

It wasn't the glitziest parade on the block, and more ads passed by than during a Talladega Superspeedway Nascar event, but the smiles that beamed from the shoulder-to-shoulder spectators at Sacramento's 2011 Santa Parade are the stuff that Christmas dreams are made of.

Presented Dec. 9 by D&H Special Event Management, the capital city's 29th annual holiday tradition once again delighted young and old with an eclectic lineup of merry marching bands, a spate of sports cars, a bunch of Boy Scouts, a gaggle of Girl Scouts and a Santa in a pear tree. (OK – a Santa in a horse-drawn carriage.)

Horses aside, chances are if it had an internal-combustion engine, it traversed the parade route. A two-story grocery cart, sponsored by Save Mart Supermarkets, provided an impressive visual and provided a distinct counterpoint to the mini CHiPs cart that also "roared" past. Along with the novelty vehicles, there were ample examples of high-powered parade staples, including a volley of vintage Chevrolet Corvettes (many of which squired local pageant winners) and siren-blasting police cruisers.

In addition, equestrians mounted up, beauty queens charmed, the Sacramento River Cats' mascot Dinger waved, and KCRA news anchor/reporter Walt Gray donned his motocycle leathers to enliven the Saturday-morning event which launched at the corner of Ninth and I streets, and completed its rectangular route at the Westfield Downtown Plaza Ice Rink at Seventh and K streets.

KCRA and the now-defunct Weinstock's department store founded the parade in 1983, with D&H taking the reins in 1991.

Today, some 16 "presenting partners" sponsor the event, including Westfield Downtown Plaza, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Macy's and Sactown magazine.

Waterford Crystal's O'Leary returns to Sacramento for sparkling introduction

2011-11-18T14:33:07Z

As a child in Waterford, Ireland, a breezy, often cold yet verdant town where time seems to move at a slower pace, Jim O’Leary often escaped to more exciting locales via movies — especially documentaries.

“I always loved the sound of foreign places, I loved geography,” said O’Leary, design director for Waterford Crystal. “I’d even collect the (overseas) stamps that came in the mail.”

In 1960, just barely into his teens, he found another escape, however, in the form of a job at the town’s most famous employer, Waterford Crystal.

“We had this wonderful factory that gave employment to the local community,” he said. “At 14, I was good at drawing and was attracted to the company in a very special way — I loved the glamor and knew that they exported to Japan, Australia, the U.S., Europe, Singapore, Bangkok. These were magical names for a 14-year-old kid in a small town. I knew if I got involved with the company I’d be in a position to be a part of that.”

Beginning as an apprentice in 1960, he qualified to become a cutter after five years. In 1968, he earned the title of “master cutter.”

But it was his next step in raising up the company ranks that would truly open the door to exotic lands for the soft-spoken O’Leary. That came in 1983 when he decided to pursue a job in Waterford’s vaunted design studio.

“I was lucky the company afforded me that opportunity,” said O’Leary.

Joining the ranks of the design team provided O’Leary the opportunity to combine his passion for design with his long-festering wanderlust, and began traveling across the globe as a Waterford Crystal brand ambassador.

O’Leary, who was named head of design in 1988, has contributed a host of memorable pieces and series.

According to Waterford, among his most significant designs are: the Araglin, Carina and Castlemaine patterns; The Romance of Ireland collection; and the Star of Peace, which were the first Waterford Crystal panels to be placed on the famous Millenium Ball in Times Square in 1999.

A regular visitor to NBC’s “Today Show,” O’Leary travels some five months out of the year. He is currently celebrating 27 years of personal appearances with Macy’s.

His current tour of Macy’s West stores includes a signing session at 5 p.m. today, Nov. 18, at Macy’s Westfield Downtown Plaza, where he will introduce Waterford’s new “Snowflake Wishes” collection – a 10-year series of holiday ornaments, champagne flutes, barware and giftware packaged in satin-lined silver gift boxes.

“Each edition presents a theme of global inspiration,” said Noelle Malone, Waterford’s West Coast regional merchandise manager, “a ‘wish’ adorned with a colorful ribbon and collectible silver snowflake charm. This year’s premiere edition is 'Wishes for Joy.'”

O’Leary recalled his first few years of personal appearances as thrilling.

“I sat behind a beautiful desk with flowers, dressed myself up, and talked of how we romanced the crystal and Waterford’s history and culture,” he said. “And if they bought a piece, I’d sign it.”

But the novelty of those early days of international travel was soon replaced by something more substantial and meaningful to O’Leary.

“After three or four years, we realized they were coming back. They were collectors in a very serious way, and we began to do special products that you could only buy from Macy’s.”

The connection with the consumer was something O’Leary had never really known before, cloistered as he was for years within the Waterford factory.

“Here you are, doing something wonderful, something lovely and beautiful and then you get the opportunity to travel with it, and see the joy and pleasure that it brings to people,” he said. “I’ve seen men and women moved to tears. It’s a very emotional experience, buying these pieces. It’s not like buying tires for your car. It’s not a need, it’s a want. It’s such a compliment that they’d buy something of mine and give it to a family or friend. It’s very gratifying, it really is.”

During his 51 years at Waterford, O’Leary has seen a multitude of changes, including a technological revolution that integrates computer-aided design in the creative process.

And while Waterford is all about tradition, O’Leary says the advent of the computer age was met with enthusiasm.

“We embraced it from the very start,” said O’Leary. “We saw too many companies across Europe who lost their way. We’re very strong on technology. We’ve actually been at the forefront of developing our own technology so that we develop the finest crystal in the world.”

O’Leary stressed that Waterford still does “more handwork than we need to have.” While embellishment remains largely a chore left to the human touch, the process has become much more of a fusion between man and machine.

“There are things you can do better with computers and technology,” he said.

Today, O’Leary’s original sketches are scanned and input into a computer and then fed through to the manufacturing facility, “so everything’s perfect.”

Waterford’s acceptance of technology doesn’t mean there aren’t struggles within its ranks between the traditional and the new, the old guard versus the young turks.

“It’s great, there’s nothing like new blood and brashness,” laughed O’Leary. “Because we’re Irish, we love a fight. But when it comes to the good of the common goal, we go forward – we don’t dilly dally, we debate the issue and go on.”

The goal, which every one of Waterford’s employees holds to, is giving the consumer what they want.

“We’re very in tune with people’s needs,” he said. “We’re not making crystal for our own edification.”

“I’ve been very, very lucky,” O’Leary said of his career. “I’ve literally been all over the world. And I’m lucky to have a hand in a product that so many people are moved by. We have a little motto: ‘We make beautiful gifts to delight the world.’”

Newly renovated 24 Hour Fitness downtown officially reopens

2011-10-03T23:59:06Z

The $10 million renovation of 24 Hour Fitness downtown is complete and doors opened early Monday morning for members to take advantage of 50,000 square feet of amenities including new basketball and racquetball courts and state-of-the-art cardio equipment.

“This expansion and remodel represents a reinvestment in our members and into the community,” said 24 Hour Fitness CEO Carl Liebert.

City officials, local business leaders, health club staff and club members were on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday marking the grand reopening of the facility, which – with 31,000 additional square feet of workout space – is now the largest 24 Hour Fitness location in Sacramento.

The newly renovated club, located at 1020 7th St., features an enlarged group fitness room updated with new flooring and lighting, and a dedicated spin/cycle room with new Schwinn stationary bikes.

The facility expansion project was completed in phases and took four years “from idea to reality,” Liebert said, nearly doubling the size of the health club.

The first phase focused on the first floor of the facility and the club was partially re-opened when that phase was finished in July.

The second and final phase expanded the club into the second story where members can workout with free weights or use a variety of state-of-the-art cardio equipment.

“We have been in this (downtown Sacramento) location since 1985 – that’s 17 years,” said 24 Hour Fitness Chief Development Officer Jim McPhail. “A lot has changed in the way people want to workout in those 17 years.”

McPhail said that fitness club members want “more opportunity and more variation” to their workouts.

In response to members needs, McPhail said the club now has better lighting, newer equipment – and more of it – and new cutting edge training options such as TRX Suspension Training.

“This club is a much different experience than before,” McPhail said. “It’s brighter, more open and has more room to workout now.”

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said that what sets 24 Hour Fitness apart is that it caters to a broad variety of people.

“You could be sitting on a bike working out with a CEO on one side, and the guy on the other side is looking for a job,” Johnson said. “All ages, all abilities, this place works for everyone.”

Just before the ribbon cutting to officially reopen the facility, Johnson presented a City Council resolution proclaiming Oct. 3 as “Healthy Sacramento Day,” in honor of the “many years of outstanding service that 24 Hour Fitness has provided in Sacramento.”

The remodel and expansion of the downtown location into a “flagship” club represents a $10 million investment in the downtown area, Councilwoman Anqelique Ashby said after the ceremony Monday.

“It’s one of the largest investments we’ve seen in many years,” Ashby said. “It’s a catalyst project for downtown for sure, and we’re excited to be partnered with Westfield to do more great things.”

Wendy Yellin, senior director of public relations for 24 Hour Fitness, said a flagship club is “a best in class experience, aimed at giving members every amenity they can think of.”

Yellin said even though childcare rooms are usually in more suburban facilities, project planners thought it was important to provide for the needs of downtown families who would use the facility.

“This club has it all,” Yellin said.

Liebert said the 24 Hour Fitness corporation spends approximately 70 to 80 percent of its capital investment by reinvesting in existing clubs instead of building more new facilities.

The downtown club currently has a membership of about 14,000 members, Regional Vice President Troy Croghan said – and that number is expected to grow.

“We expect to see our member base grow to somewhere near 17,000 to 18,000 members in the next couple of years,” Croghan said. “We have 50,000 square feet now, so we will still be under capacity at those numbers.”

Croghan said the club has given current club members access to the upgraded club without having to upgrade their memberships, and is offering free passes for more people to come in and try out the new facility.

Croghan said the improvements to the club will draw former members back to the club and bring new members in to see what it’s all about.

Michael Ault, president of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership said the expansion of the club is a significant addition to all that is happening for the K street area.

“This is a 50,000-square-foot-total project across the street from our ice rink and across the street from cars on K street,” Ault said. “Greyhound recently moved and 700 block is moving forward – it couldn’t be more exciting in a down economy to see a project like this happen.”

Like most businesses in the region, Westfield Downtown Plaza has suffered from economic downturn over the past few years. Westfield Plaza Senior Vice President of Development Anthony Rich said the improvements to the 24 Hour Fitness will have a “magnetic effect” for visitors and more businesses to come downtown and to Westfield Downtown Plaza.

“It really is an exciting time here,” Rich said. “The expansion (of 24 Hour Fitness) is a fantastic opportunity for people to come down here, to workout and to take advantage of all that is happening in downtown. There are great changes coming about and we’re excited every day to be a part of those changes.”

City Manager John Shirey agreed with Rich, calling the remodeled 24 Hour Fitness “another great activity center” for the downtown corridor.

“It’s a large enough facility that it will act as something of an anchor for other businesses,” Shirey said. “There will be more stores coming – that’s good for us.”

24 Hour Fitness is headquartered in San Ramon, Calif., and is the largest privately-owned fitness club chain in the United States, according to a press release Monday.

24 Hour Fitness has 420 clubs across the nation with more than 200 in California – 15 of those are in the Sacramento area.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter with The Sacramento Press.. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Downtown 24 Hour Fitness partially reopens

2011-07-20T06:41:45Z

The downtown 24 Hour Fitness location reopened Friday after a remodel that added approximately 31,000 square feet of floor space, a basketball court and new exercise machines.

“(We have) brand-new cardio (machines), strength training machines and free weights,” said downtown Club Manager Ben Ragsac.

He added that full-size basketball court and expanded kids’ club have been added, and a raquetball court is coming, which will be open by October.

The gym was closed from 8 p.m., June 17 until Friday at 6 a.m., when the second floor reopened. The full gym, including a lap pool, steam room, sauna, cycle room and other amenities will reopen around October, and more than 200 strength training and cardio machines will be available.

Ragasac said he is most excited about the increased square footage in the facility, located at 1020 Seventh St.

Samantha King, 25, works as a trainer at the club and said the equipment additions give a lot more space and opportunity to work out.

“We added a lot. (With) some of my favorite cardio equipment, we only had five (machines), and now we have 20,” she said, referring to a specific type of elliptical cardio machine.

Another addition was incline training machines, which she said are like treadmills, but mimick walking or running uphill.

“The Hoist (Fitness Systems) equipment is a big addition too,” she said. “On their Roc-It series, you’re moving your body weight and the weight you put on the machine. It’s really nice stuff.”

She added that the workout from that type of equipment is a better workout than more conventional equipment.

Response from members and staff has been positive, Ragasac said.

“Word was spread about the opening,” he said. “Existing members love it. The staff really loves it. It’s been overall pretty amazing.”

Frank Mecca, 46, said he is impressed with the expansion.

“It’s really nice,” he said. “The cardio and weight machines roughly doubled, and the facility itself is brighter and cleaner overall.”

Ruben Lopez, 24, said he is happy there is a basketball court on-site now, since it is more convenient to play at the gym than at a park in West Sacramento where he previously played.

“It’s brand-new, and it’s one of my best workouts,” he said. “There’s more space (at the gym), and now you can come anytime. Before, I used to have to wait until like 7 (p.m.) if I wanted to be able to work out, but now there’s space for everyone.”

The club expanded from an existing location and includes part of what used to be Hard Rock Café.

The intersection has seen a lot of activity lately, as the City Council approved plans by D & S Development, Inc., t o redevelop the 700 block of K Street into mixed-use housing and entertainment.

A new coffee bar and cafe scheduled to open next month on the corner of Seventh and K streets fronting Saint Rose of Lima Park will benefit from the opening of the club, according to its owners.

“With the (24 Hour Fitness) club open, we’re going to see a lot of people in the area,” Plaza Cafe Lounge co-owner Zack Alemi told The Sacramento Press last week.

The fitness club’s expansion was a benefit to the Westfield Downtown Plaza space, which has been plagued by lackluster tenancy and repeated talks of selling over the past few years.

“We at Westfield Downtown Plaza along with local health and fitness buffs look forward to the opening of the brand new expanded 24 Hour Fitness featuring state-of-the art facilities and amenities,” Downtown Plaza Marketing Director Raelene Trumm said in a prepared statement.

24 Hour Fitness officials declined to comment on the cost of the expansion, but Ragasac said he is happy to see it.

“I was born and raised in Sacramento,” he said. “I take a lot of pride in the city of Sacramento. I’m glad I’m part of an organization that during these times is able to invest in downtown Sacramento.”

The club is open 24 Hours per day, seven days per week. A free visitor pass can be downloaded from the company website.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Future of Westfield Downtown Plaza in doubt

2011-04-29T00:06:15Z

Will Westfield Downtown Plaza be put up for sale?

According to the Wall Street Journal, Westfield is testing the market for a buyer for the mall, which has been plagued by empty storefronts.

In August, when the mall underwent a remodel, General Manager Russell Dougherty said it was only 65 percent occupied.

Westfield officials did not return phone calls for comment on their plans for the mall this week.

“The Mayor remains committed to working with Westfield and finding ways to make the plaza a viable entity in Sacramento,” said Joaquin McPeek, press secretary for Mayor Kevin Johnson. “At the end of the day, this is such a critical piece of downtown and we’ve all got to work together to see it reach its full potential.”

Johnson has previously said the city is “extremely committed” to reviving the mall.

“I don’t think we’re overly surprised with the announcement,” said Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. “We knew for a long time it wasn’t an asset that was paying off.”

Ault said the mall in the heart of downtown – straddling K Street from Third Street to Seventh Street – is an asset that is too big to let deteriorate, and if it does end up being sold, he said he hopes any potential new owner will be able to revitalize it.

“Westfield is one of the largest mall operators in the world,” he said. “If they didn’t make it work, maybe somebody needs to re-look at what it is.”

That could be an opportunity, to reconfigure it from a shopping mall to more of a mixed-use space including both retail and office space, he said.

But don’t look for it on Craigslist yet.

“At this point, they’ve just hired somebody to see if anybody is interested,” Ault said. “We’re not sure that anybody wants to buy it. We clearly don’t want to see it continue to deteriorate to the point that it starts to impact some of the new development.”

The downtown core has seen some successful recent development, with more on the way.

The trio of nightlife venues a few blocks down K Street, another nearby restaurant opening and the endorsing of the downtown railyards as the site for a new courthouse are spread around the mall.

Another player in the area is Macy’s, which owns its buildings in Downtown Plaza. The two separate downtown Macy’s stores on the plaza compose one of the biggest Macy’s stores in the state, Ault said.

“Macy’s represents a large part of why people continue to shop at Westfield,” Ault said. “No matter what happens at Westfield, we want to make sure we support Macy’s as well.”

Macy’s officials were not available for comment this week.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @brandon_darnell.

Downtown is focus for urban design experts

2011-02-17T02:04:29Z

Sacramento needs to build a better image for its downtown, and Downtown Plaza should be “ground zero” for change, urban design experts said Wednesday.

City and business leaders often refer to the heart of downtown as the J-K-L Corridor, named for the major streets the area is built on.

But referring to downtown that way promotes the idea that it's just an area to move through on the way to somewhere else. The city needs to focus on creating a downtown district that becomes the center of the city, said Betsy Jackson, president of The Urban Agenda Inc. of Ann Arbor, Mich.

"Stop thinking and speaking of this as a corridor," Jackson said at City Hall during a presentation by a team of urban design and city planning experts.

Mayor Kevin Johnson invited the six-person team to visit the city through a National Endowment for the Arts leadership initiative called the Mayors' Institute on City Design. The program is offered in partnership with the American Architectural Foundation and the United States Conference of Mayors.

The institute holds six to eight such workshops throughout the country each year. The team was brought to Sacramento to help support ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown.

The team spent two and a half days touring Sacramento, learning from local stakeholders and developing guiding principles and recommendations. Those stakeholders – city staff, labor officials, artists and business owners – attended the presentation.

Echoing the concerns of all local stakeholders, the team identified major change at Westfield Downtown Plaza as downtown's top redevelopment priority.

The 1970s-era shopping mall is a visual and physical barrier that helps disconnect downtown from the central city's grid and doesn't contribute as much as it could to downtown's economy. The city should consider replacing the internally focused plaza with externally focused mixed uses such as retail, office and residences, said Graham Stroh, a program manager with the American Architectural Foundation.

"That is probably ground zero for Sacramentans," he said.

The team offered plenty of other ideas. They include:

• Improve downtown's connections to its near neighborhoods;
• Invest in quality for streetscape, landscaping, parks, trash pickup, maintenance and graffiti prevention/removal;
• Activate public spaces year-round with events and recreation that draw different demographic groups and make use of undeveloped lots;
• Promote informal, spontaneous uses of public spaces and different activities for different sites;
• Enhance major streets with more landscaping and a green infrastructure of open space and natural areas, starting with 10th and J streets, then expanding to I Street and beyond;
• Educate property owners and residents about the economic benefits of preserving and adapting historic properties, such as Sacramento's original street level hidden away in basements and hollow sidewalks;
• Reform permitting and regulations to make development less confusing, less expensive and less time-consuming;
• Build safety by adding downtown guides at night;
• Review efficiency of one-way streets;
• Improve on the almost-nonexistent access to Sacramento and American rivers;
• Build downtown's identity through mid-rise buildings that stand out from the low-rise residential buildings of surrounding neighborhoods.

The city should develop a "customer service approach" to building downtown and its image, Jackson said.

"The idea is you need to sweat these details," she said.

The other people on the team were Brad Cownover, a regional landscape architect with the U.S. Forest Service in Portland; Mark Dawson of Sasaki Associates in Boston; and Keith Lichten with the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board.

The team will present a final plan to the city within two weeks. The plan will be posted on the city's website and then used to continue a conversation about changing downtown, said Kunal Merchant, Johnson's chief of staff.

Z Gallerie closes at Downtown Plaza

2011-01-28T03:04:02Z

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 "proudly" served Sacramento's downtown for 17 years.

A women’s clothing store called Citywear closed about a month ago across from the plaza’s children’s play area.

The Z Gallerie company, owned by siblings Mike Zeiden, Joe Zeiden and Carole Malfatti, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in April 2009.

Andahl couldn't comment on whether the company would open a store in the 800 block of K Street when the block is redeveloped in the next few years.

In March 2010, Z Gallerie President and CEO Joe Zeiden told the Sacramento City Council that he planned to move his store out of the plaza and onto K Street Mall in an effort to help revitalize the troubled section of K Street. Zeiden was a member of the development team, led by Sacramento developer David Taylor, that won the opportunity to develop the 800 block.

The Z Gallerie in Roseville will remain open as one of 55 Z Gallerie stores operating throughout the country, Andahl said.

Last August, the company closed a store in Long Beach – Andahl's home town. He could not provide information on how many other Z Gallerie stores have closed in the last year. However, the company is opening a store in Hollandale, Fla., next week and re-opening a store in Redmond, Wash., he said.

Westfield Group bought Downtown Plaza in 1998 – six years after an I. Magnin department store closed there. City officials have been pressing Westfield to invest in the plaza ever since.

Westfield had proposed a $120 million plaza overhaul in 2006. But the company stalled on those plans. In May 2009, Westfield postponed the plans for at least the rest of the year, yet completed a $120 million reinvestment at Westfield Santa Anita in Southern California's Arcadia.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and others have been searching for someone to buy the plaza since at least December 2009, after the mayor persuaded Westfield to sell the plaza if a buyer could be found.

In the meantime, Westfield has begun a series of projects to remodel the plaza. Fountains were removed, while a new children's play area, tiled planter boxes, plants, faux turf and new lighting have been added.

Z Gallerie's departure follows other major closures in recent years.

Two quality clothing stores, Ann Taylor and Banana Republic, left in January 2009. The Hard Rock Cafe closed in March 2010 after 13 years at the plaza's main entrance at Seventh and K streets – taking its landmark 36-foot neon guitar with it.

However, Downtown Plaza's 24 Hour Fitness club has plans to nearly double in size. The 30,000-square-foot club expects to begin an expansion to 50,000 square feet in April, with an expected completion next fall.

Representatives of Westfield Downtown Plaza could not be reached for comment.

Z Gallerie’s closure is “disappointing” and indicates that the Downtown Plaza has continuing challenges, Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault said.

“It continues to make clear that something needs to be done quickly to strengthen that center,” he said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Car Dealership in Westfield Downtown Plaza

2010-11-25T00:16:55Z

Black Friday may find some shoppers at the Westfield Downtown Plaza surprised when they see cars parked in a store on the main level. It's truly a unique site - Sacramento is apparently the first, and only, city in North America with a car dealership within the walls of a mall. Monday, Nov. 22, the Hyundai Store officially opened for business in the Westfield Downtown Plaza. It's located on the J Street side under the Food Court. I had to see it myself. As far as I could tell, access is the same as for the other mall stores. SacPress Photo | Kati Garner

For more details, please see:http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/41123/A_One_of_a_Kind_in_Sacramento

Downtown Plaza loses tree, lighting

2010-11-24T04:40:56Z

Sacramento’s holiday lights will shine a little less brightly this season when Westfield Downtown Plaza goes without a giant Christmas tree for the first time in 30 years.

Without a tree, the annual day-after-Thanksgiving tree lighting ceremony at the mall's Seventh and K streets entrance also won't be held. However, the plaza is likely to be the only place in Sacramento with a little snow this winter after artificial snow-making machines are set up in a children's play area.

Sacramentans can enjoy two other Christmas tree lightings. Old Sacramento will light up its huge tree at 6 p.m. Wednesday at K and Front streets, followed by a light show and more to set the historic district sparkling. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will host a tree lighting ceremony at the state Capitol at 5 p.m. Dec. 7.

The plaza has had a tree averaging about 50 feet tall for the last 29 years, Plaza Marketing Director Raelene Trumm said.

"We're not doing the tree this year," Trumm said. "There's a tree lighting at Old Sacramento and one at the Capitol, so it seemed to get lost in the middle."

Westfield Downtown Plaza is the title sponsor of the ice-skating rink, which lies in St. Rose of Lima Park across the street from the Seventh and K streets entrance. Management decided to decorate the entire plaza with about 16 smaller Christmas trees, Christmas lights and window decorations rather than focus on one end. On Tuesday, crews began installing trees, Trumm said.

"We just wanted to add more Christmas atmosphere throughout the mall," said Trumm, adding that the economy and work at the Seventh and K entrance also contributed to the decision. She couldn't say whether there would be a tree at the plaza next year.

Macy’s Christmas store has temporarily set up shop in the second-floor space vacated by Banana Republic, near the K and Seventh streets entrance.

In Old Sacramento, a crew of four used an 80-foot boom to decorate the 5,000-pound, 50-foot blue spruce trucked in from Carlton Christmas Trees, a farm near Mt. Shasta. The crew strung up more than 4,000 lights: traditional colored Christmas tree lights, icicle lights, twinkle and flicker lights, and strobes. Ornaments range from plastic candy, bells and balls to handmade ornaments celebrating the 1857 poem, "The Night Before Christmas."

At least eight people helped decorate buildings and install lighting and sound equipment, said Old Sacramento Business Association Executive Director Melissa Martinez.

The district is adding holiday scenes and expanding the Theatre of Lights, a light and sound show begun last year. The 20-minute show will operate at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays, throughout the season. On certain nights, Old Sacramento will also host Santa and other street performers, TV personalities and vendors selling cocoa and spiced nuts.

"This is the best year yet," Martinez said. "We've really concentrated on bringing it up to a different level and increasing the wow factor."

Photos of Christmas tree installations at the state Capitol and in Old Sacramento by Katie Garner. Other photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

24 Hour Fitness to expand at Downtown Plaza

2010-07-16T23:39:45Z

The 24 Hour Fitness club in Downtown Plaza will soon be expanding to incorporate a full-size basketball court, racquetball court and other amenities.

The 30,000-square-foot-club will grow to 50,000 square feet by the fall of 2011 and also include an indoor lap pool and new group exercise and cardio areas, said Danny Cowan, spokesman for 24 Hour Fitness.

“It’s a great situation for the K Street Mall and the city of Sacramento,” said Club Manager Joel Bouchereau.

“We are looking forward to offering the Sacramento community an expanded state-of-the art club with the latest amenities and features to help them reach their fitness goals,” said Jim McPhail, 24 Hour Fitness chief development officer.

The gym will remain open during the expansion, Cowan said.

Other changes included in the expansion are locker room and pool area renovations. New exercise equipment will be brought in, and a dedicated spin room will be added for exercise cycles.

The new basketball court will share space with some of the other additions on an all-new second floor, Bouchereau said.

The project is good news for Westfield Downtown Plaza, which recently saw the closure of the Hard Rock Café. Mayor Kevin Johnson has also discussed selling the mall.

“Westfield Downtown Plaza is very excited to have 24 Hour Fitness committed to expanding their facility,” said General Manager Russell Dougherty. “We’re really excited to get construction under way. That will likely happen in October.”

Officials from 24 Hour Fitness could not confirm a specific date for the start of the construction, or go into detail on the cost, describing the expansion only as a “multi-million-dollar” project.

Bouchereau compared waiting for this fall’s construction to waiting for Christmas.

The first phase of the expansion will focus on the upstairs portion of the club, after which work will move to different sections in the current space.

“I’m excited and happy to be a part of this upgrade,” Bouchereau said.

He added that he is not aware of any rate changes, and current members’ rates will not be affected.

Dougherty said the project fits in with Downtown Plaza’s current construction projects to improve the shopping mall and showcase its unique architecture.

“I think it’s a good opportunity for them,” said gym member Jones Lee. “This is the closest gym for me, and it will be nice when it’s bigger.”

Lee said he is looking forward to playing basketball on the full-size court.

Gym member Richard Huizar said the extra two thirds of space will be a nice change to what can often be a crowded gym.

“More space means it will be easier to navigate,” Huizar said. “During peak times, like after work, it’s really crowded.”

Lost guitar blues

2010-05-13T02:45:31Z

Sacramento residents might be wondering what's become of the Hard Rock Cafe's giant guitar.

The loss of the 36-foot red and orange six string — taken down when the restaurant closed in late March — has left a big hole at Westfield Downtown Plaza's main entrance. But like Neil Young said, "This old guitar ain't mine to keep. It's only mine for awhile."

The neon-lit Gibson Les Paul replica had become a local landmark after being installed at the shopping mall's Seventh Street entrance in 1997.

Sacramento was one of the few Hard Rock establishments to get a giant guitar. Out of 163 locations worldwide, only about 20 have exterior guitars that are 30 feet or longer. Las Vegas has two: a 45-foot guitar and a 90-foot one. All three would stand in the shadow of the world's largest, the 112-footer that withstood Hurricane Katrina at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi.

Locals can't be blamed for wondering if the iconic guitar moved to Seattle, where a cafe opened in February, or to Los Angeles' Hollywood Boulevard, where another cafe is set to open this summer.

A Hard Rock Cafe spokesperson was able to shed more light on the guitar's fate.

Turns out, Sacramento's guitar didn't end up at the new Seattle cafe. That location sports a replica of a 15-foot Fender Jag-Stang designed by late Nirvana guitarist Kurt Cobain.

When a Hard Rock Cafe closes, all of its memorabilia is shipped back to headquarters for refurbishing and redistribution, said the spokesperson, who asked not to be identified.

For now, the guitar is sitting in a dark corner of some palm-tree shaded warehouse at the corporation's Orlando headquarters.

"It's there and waiting for another location," she said.

Still my guitar gently weeps....

Photos by Suzanne Hurt.

K Street Mall ready for bicyclists

2010-04-15T04:40:47Z

From now on, Doug Koleada will be a law-abiding citizen when he rides his bicycle on the K Street Mall.

The city of Sacramento has installed new signs on K Street that list rules for bike riding. Cycling can now commence legally on the Mall from Seventh to 13th Streets and in the tunnel between Second and Fourth Streets.

Koleada was riding his bike near the Westfield Downtown Plaza Wednesday afternoon. He readily admitted to biking on K Street in the evenings; his nighttime rides will now be perfectly legal.

The Pyramid Alehouse Brewery employee said he knew about the city’s former ban on bicycling on K Street Mall, so he didn’t bike there when police officers were in sight.

Koleada also didn’t bike when children were walking on the Mall. “If some idiot’s speeding on their bike, it could lead to an ugly accident (with a child),” he said.

The new signs were ready for the public Wednesday, according to Linda Tucker, spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Transportation.

Tucker noted that cyclists will still need to walk their bikes through the Westfield Downtown Plaza.

The City Council unanimously voted on Nov. 24 to let bicyclists ride on K Street Mall. Installing the signage was the last step in the city's process of legalizing bikes on the Mall.

The speed limit for bicyclists on the K Street Mall is 10 miles per hour.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Task force questions prospective arena developers

2010-02-18T06:59:14Z

Prospective developers for a new sports and entertainment complex were questioned by Mayor Kevin Johnson’s volunteer task force Wednesday night.

The 12-member task force, which includes real estate, finance and communications executives, asked numerous follow-up questions after listening to presentations by Matt Haines, Doug Tatara and Ali Mackani.

Haines, who owns Bistro 33 in Midtown, told the task force about his proposal to build the complex in downtown’s Docks Area. “This would be a direct front-door” to Old Sacramento, he said.

Old Sacramento is north of the proposed area.

Task force project coordinator Matt Massari wrote earlier that Haines’ Docks Area project would be “adjacent to the central business district defined on the north by Capitol Mall, on the east by the I-5 freeway, on the south by Broadway and on the west by the Sacramento River.”

Haines proposed to finance the project by selling seats at the complex.

Task force member Mark Harris called Haines’ ideas "great," but said Haines had not figured out every detail on how to finance his proposed project.

Tatara took the floor after Haines. He pitched a project that would include an arena, theme park and monorail at Cal Expo.

He suggested that the theme park would finance the project. “This visitor-generation goal is important for the purpose of attracting corporate equity marketing sponsors who will finance the project.”

Task force member Tom Friery asked Tatara if he had discussed his proposal with the state, which owns Cal Expo.

“I have not,” Tatara said. “Again, you have to understand that I’ve been working behind the scenes on this for 18 months because Cal Expo wouldn’t talk to me.”

Mackani made the final presentation. He proposed building the entertainment and sports center in the Westfield Downtown Plaza. “We have a line item in our budget -- to buy Westfield,” Mackani said.

He said the project's budget would be $500 million: debt financing would be $200 million; equity partners would provide $100 million; private placement would be $100 million; and the city would invest $100 million.

Friery noted that the task force was told not to consider city funding. But task force co-chairman Chris Lehane indicated that Mackani’s idea for city funding might not violate the panel's principles because it was not related to a “broad-based tax.”

The task force is researching seven private-sector proposals and two other plans: remodeling Arco Arena and building an arena at Cal Expo.

Task force members will meet again Thursday to hear from the remaining prospective developers. The public meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the Natomas Holiday Inn on Advantage Way.

The panel's recommendations will be delivered to the City Council.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Retailers hope for best this holiday

2009-12-10T04:28:29Z

Sacramento retailers are still feeling the bitter sting of the recession this holiday season.

Local merchants selling everything from kids' snowshoes to William Shatner's first album are mostly reporting decreased sales — although some say 2009 holiday sales haven't been as dire as predicted.

"I think the holiday season will be a disappointment to most merchants," said Ed Castro, who owns Ed's Threads at 1125 21st St. "I'm not shooting for the moon, so I'm not going to be disappointed."

With the country's economy in its third year of recession, retailers operating downtown and throughout the central city are struggling the same as retailers elsewhere.

Industry-wide, holiday retail sales are forecast to decrease by one percent to $437 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. While that's an improvement over last year's 3.4-percent decrease in holiday sales during the months of November and December, that number lags behind a 10-year average of 3.39 percent holiday growth.

Many local merchants say they'd be happy just to make the same amount of profit as last year. After all, customers are feeling the sting too, business owners said.

"We're hearing from people now that sales are better than they expected, but as good as they want? Probably not," said Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership. "I think we're really seeing people just holding their own."

Susan Larson, who's operated a gift store called Mixed Bag in Midtown for 29 years, said she's "cautiously optimistic" after sales have been a little ahead this holiday. The store, located at 2405 K St., stocked with items Larson described as hard to find online, won't show a profit and go into the black until mid-December, she said.

"I don't expect it to be like it was two or three years ago. But still, I'm looking for the slide to stop," she said. "I'm happy if we show a little progress or just are even."

The hottest item in her store has been a "feel-good, silly item" called a ROFFLE, a plush beast that rolls on the floor laughing. All 24 sold the first day they were in the store.

"What that tells me is people are depressed and they're looking for something that makes them feel good," she said.

While November sales were down four percent for Fleet Feet at 2311 J St., the entire year has brought at least a seven percent increase in sales, said Pat Sweeney, who owns the store and national franchise with wife Jan Sweeney.

Trailmix.net, which started as a local outdoor blog and then online store, had its best online sales ever on Cyber Monday, just after Thanksgiving — which owners Mike and Sara Barlow say was because they opened a brick-and-mortar store selling kids' outdoor gear and educational toys focused on nature just six months ago in Old Sacramento.

The store is stocked with things like wooden toboggons, kids' snowshoes and backpacks, Yosemite scavenger hunt maps and astronomical charts. In-store sales over Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber Monday were the best so far, even better than Gold Rush Days, Mike Barlow said. Still, sales are not going as well as they'd like.

"People have been conservative and we can't blame them for that," he said.

Some business owners declined to discuss sales figures. While a few retailers have had bright spots, others are experiencing sizeable decreases.

"What you read about the economy being down 30 to 40 percent is accurate," said Dal Basi, a manager at R5 Records & Video, which Tower Records founder Russ Solomon opened in his former Tower Records store at 16th Street and Broadway. "Sales are not spectacular, and from talking to other people around town, everybody else is in the same boat."

Macy's, Inc., which operates the flagship store in Westfield Downtown Plaza, reported a 6.3 percent decrease in total sales for November, down from $2.324 billion to $2.177 billion. The company expects December sales to be stronger at more than 850 Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores.

On the other end of the retail spectrum, sales at American Popcorn Company's popcorn wagon in Downtown Plaza are down 10 percent from last year, which was already down 15 percent from the year before, said owner Darlene Myers, who began the business with her late husband 25 years ago.

November and December are normally her two best months, but right now, with all the vacant stores in the plaza and K Street Mall, she said she's just trying to hang on to her business. Myers said she's optimistic sales will still pick up.

"Sometimes that last week right beore Christmas, people say, 'What the heck,' " she said. "Everybody caves in and says, 'We're having Christmas no matter what.' "

People buy more cheese popcorn, buttered popcorn and especially carmel corn during the cold winter months, she added.

"It smells like Christmas," Myers said. "If I have the bodies in the mall, I can sell them. All I need is the foot traffic."

To attract more customers in this tough market, retailers are offering sales, discounts and promotional items. They're also spending more time and money on product displays and lighting, Ault said.

"It's causing retailers to be more creative to get people in the door," he said.

Trent Harger, who opened Artworks 21 in Midtown in 2000, recently put up a huge, heart-shaped arched doorway over a gate to draw people to his store, which sells Mexican folk art, his original photos, books and other colorful, eclectic goods at 1812 J St. People have been getting their photos taken under it. Harger believes they may be posing for Christmas cards.

Fleet Feet drew people on Black Friday with a rare sale on electronics, books and sunglasses — items the store doesn't usually put on sale. Mixed Bag is giving away stuffed Christmas bears and snowmen with purchases at a certain amount.

Trailmix.Net is offering guest lecturers and activities for kids. Children and their parents can sit down in the store's workshop and paint reindeer ornaments or make picture frames using twigs and other natural items, Barlow said.

The store is also offering prizes to anyone — kids or adults — who completes a free Old Sacramento scavenger hunt. Most of the prizes are plastic dinosaurs and wooden chips good for a sarsaparilla at River City Saloon. But a ski lift ticket to Sugar Bowl is also buried inside the treasure chest with the other prizes.

At Ed's Threads, Castro draws people in by providing "very personalized" service when people come to shop at the only store in Sacramento dedicated to men's vintage clothing. While business has been a little down from last year, it's been consistent over the long haul, Castro said.

"I can't really complain when people all around me are failing," he said.

A self-described "clothes horse," Castro spends time working with men who come to buy for themselves and women or men who come to buy gifts — which are sweaters and jackets during the holidays. That service has drawn customers through word-of-mouth for 29 years.

"It's a labor of love," he said. "You don't do this for the money. You do it because you enjoy what you're doing."

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Downtown Sac welcomes the holidays

2009-11-20T21:06:53Z

A worker uses a plumb line to make sure Westfield Downtown Plaza's Christmas tree stands straight. It was delivered by crane early this morning.

The tall tree was lowered into a hole in the concrete in front of the plaza.

Huge planks of wood are used as shims to straighten the trunk.

This worker walked the circumference of the tree, using his plumb line from all angles, to ensure the tree stands upright.

This year will be a brighter holiday for Sacramento. The first-ever Carnival of Lights will delight visitors with a dazzling display of lights throughout the Central City from the waterfront through Midtown starting the week of Thanksgiving through January 3.

The Carnival of Lights will kick off in Old Sacramento the night before Thanksgiving with the annual Old Sacramento Tree Lighting and the Theatre of Lights, produced by the Old Sacramento Business Association.

The Theatre of Lights will bring history to life through a narrated show of lights, sounds and visual effects. The light show will take visitors back to a time when the beloved poem The Night Before Christmas was first introduced in Sacramento in 1857.

The first Tree Lighting of the season and Theatre of Lights inaugural night will take place on November 25 at 6 pm in Old Sacramento at Front and K streets. Two 10-minute light shows will run every Thursday through Sunday at 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm through January 3.

For more information, visit www.oldsactheatreoflights.com.

The Carnival at St. Rose is a 5-week holiday event that will transform 7th and K streets into a festive winter carnival. The event will take place in lieu of the ice rink this holiday season due to conflicts in construction schedules with the K Street Streetscape project and renovation of St. Rose of Lima Park.

Open daily November 27 through January 3 from noon until 8:00 pm, the Carnival at St. Rose will feature a ferris wheel, classic carnival and arcade games, and food vendors.

First 100 in line get in free November 27th.

In the spirit of the season, the carnival will also incorporate live entertainment, a gingerbread house chef challenge, a craft fair, and charity events. Admission to the event for a two-hour session is $6 for children and seniors and $7 for adults. Private parties and group discounts are available with advance reservations.

The Carnival at St. Rose is produced by the DSP and is expected to draw visitors from all over the region. The event is presented by the Westfield Downtown Plaza and sponsored by the University of San Francisco – Sacramento Campus, UC Davis Children’s Hospital, KCRA 3, My58, Johnny Rockets and the Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza.

For more information, visit www.downtownsac.org/carnival.

SacPress photos | Kati Garner

Railyards lawsuits defeated

2009-11-17T04:56:56Z

Westfield Downtown Plaza and a citizens' group lost legal challenges against the Railyards development, developer Thomas Enterprises and the city announced Monday.

The lawsuits against the city of Sacramento, the city's Redevelopment Agency and developer Thomas Enterprises argued that the poject's two environmental impact reports (EIRs) were inadequate and did not comply with the California Environmental Quality Act known as CEQA. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Lloyd Connelly ruled in favor of the city and developer on all points raised by the Downtown Plaza and three people represented by attorney Bill Kopper.

Those individuals — Robert Castro Jr., Linda Powers and Chris Rich — filed one lawsuit as the group Sacramento Citizens Concerned About the Railyards, whose acronym is SCCARY. Two are members of labor unions, Kopper said.

"This is good news," Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a statement issued by the city and developer. "We can now focus on the task of creating jobs and developing an area that will play a vital role in making Sacramento a world-class city."

The plaintiffs are not satisfied with the ruling because 10 to 15 issues they raised were not addressed, Kopper said.

"There were many important issues in the case that we feel got short shrift by the court," he said. "I think it was a very cavalier attitude as to what the adverse impacts of the project will be because there is such a desire to advance the success of the Railyards."

For example, questions raised by the California Office of Historic Preservation and the State Water Resources Control Board in draft EIRs weren't answered in the final EIRs, he said. With an EIR stating that 192,000 vehicle trips eventually will be generated by the Railyards daily, the California Department of Transportation requested that the project's impact on the freeways circling the central city be considered, but that was "brushed aside," Kopper said.

The judge also ruled the city does not need to analyze downtown intersections one by one to determine if there should be widening or other improvements to prevent the gridlock predicted by a traffic study, he said.

The city approved the Railyards Specific Plan in December 2007 for the 244-acre site north of downtown between the Sacramento River and the Alkali Flat neighborhood.

The $6-billion project is expected to add more than 12,000 residential units, 2.3 million square feet of office space, 1.4 million square feet of retail, nearly 500,000 square feet of mixed-use space and 46 acres of parks and other open space, all centered around the city's future regional transportation center and a cultural hub in the historic Southern Pacific railroad shops.

Suheil Totah, vice president for Thomas Enterprises, called the decision "another important milestone" for the project.

"We're very pleased the judge found that everything was done in accordance with the law," Totah said by phone. "He found both EIRs did what they were supposed to do."

The Westfield Group could not be reached for comment.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor changes tune on Westfield Group, praises its work this week

2009-10-21T22:12:51Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson has changed his tune on the Westfield Group’s handling of its downtown plaza. After voicing harsh criticism of the company in recent weeks, Johnson told reporters that Westfield worked with the city on Monday.

At his press conference on Tuesday, Johnson noted that the company flew four of its representatives from Los Angeles to spend the entire day in Sacramento. During their visit to Sacramento, the company’s representatives attended a community meeting on revamping the Westfield Downtown Plaza and the K Street Mall, Johnson pointed out.

The representatives expressed the message that the company is “more committed and focused on Sacramento” than ever before, Johnson said.

Johnson has voiced frustration with the Westfield Group in recent weeks while urging it to upgrade the Westfield Downtown Plaza.

“I think we’re doing everything that we can to engage them as real significant partners on this,” Johnson said.

Photo by Anthony Bento.

Staff Reporter Suzanne Hurt contributed to this report. Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Plaza change key to downtown's future

2009-10-14T03:49:55Z

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, perhaps the world's largest shopping mall owner with more than $47 billion in investments in 119 shopping centers. In 2006, Westfield proposed a $120 million overhaul of Downtown Plaza. In May, the company postponed those plans for at least the rest of the year, while completing its $120 million reinvestment at Westfield Santa Anita in Southern California's Arcadia.

The mayor has been pressing Westfield for investment since at least August, when the company also backed out of a planned $200 million renovation of North County Mall in Escondido.

In a meeting at Cosmopolitan Cabaret Monday, Johnson said he and other city leaders are currently engaged in meetings with Westfield Group to determine whether they can make the current partnership work, or whether Westfield should sell the mall to the city or developers from Sacramento or beyond.

The mayor delivered the ultimatum during the first of two community meetings dubbed "Unlocking the Grid" that he's holding as the city works on a new strategy for K Street Mall and the downtown core. More than 100 business and property owners and others took part in the first meeting. Next Monday, Johnson plans to meet with people who live, work or visit downtown at 5:30 p.m. at the cabaret, 10th and K streets.

At the meeting's start, Johnson took a look back at decisions made in the last 50 years that cut off key streets and areas like Old Sacramento and the Sacramento River: the widening of Capitol Mall in the 1950s, the construction of I-5 and removing cars from K Street in the 1960s, construction of the suburban-style Downtown Plaza and Sacramento Convention Center in the 1970s, light rail construction in the 1980s, and tripling the size of the convention center in the 1990s.

Johnson encouraged participants to consider all of the city's assets while coming up with big-picture ideas to improve downtown and reconnect all its parts. Every decision impacts what the city will become, he said.

"We have to create an environment where all boats are rising," he said. "I don't want us to fall into doing the easiest thing to do."

Problems with safety and cleanliness were at the forefront for many. K Street Mall is plagued with "bums, lunatics, thugs and drug dealers," and the city should have a "visible police presence" on K Street until 2 a.m., said Gene Barton, who owns Marilyn's nightclub, 908 K St.

"No one's patrolling alleys. No one's down there after dark," he said.

Hannah Brantingham, the 27-year-old operations manager for 24 Hour Fitness on Seventh Street, said she didn't feel safe walking three blocks down K Street Mall to the afternoon meeting. She's concerned about the safety of employees who walk from a dirty yet expensive parking garage and about cars being stolen or burglarized there.

Another participant asked whether the city would relocate "SRO" hotels, cheap hotels providing single room occupancy on and around the mall.

The SROs have been a problem for "too long," said Johnson, who added, without going into specifics, that he's committed to not having SROs be an impediment to Westfield or other business owners.

The city should focus first on building a mass transit system to carry more people downtown, which would encourage development, said developer David Taylor.

Light rail to Davis could make it easier for UC Davis's 30,000 students to party, shop or eat downtown, said Steve Ayers, a developer and local steel company executive.

Plenty of talk revolved around how to bring more business, housing and spenders downtown. Some people suggested downtown — via retailers and restaurants — must stay open later to increase safety and make the area a more desirable place to be.

Sean Kohmescher said he keeps his Temple coffee and teahouse at 1014 10th St. open until 11 p.m., even though he loses money doing so, because that supports the kind of city he wants to live in. He suggested more business owners "take it upon themselves to create that."

While some were focused on bringing more "high-end" boutiques, restaurants and housing downtown, Kohmescher and others said the key is to have businesses that students and residents with middle-class or fixed incomes will use regularly.

Midtown works better than downtown because it has "mid-level" options, said Brook Taylor, a young professional who works in the Governor's Office of Planning and Research.

The city should focus on serving the needs of "folks in the middle" who provide a steady stream of business to the city, he said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor to host K St. meetings

2009-10-07T04:38:40Z

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 community meetings held by Johnson.

Last spring, the city's Economic Development Department and Downtown Sacramento Partnership hired a Washington, D.C. firm to evaluate K Street Mall's existing retail environment and propose an immediate action plan, after taking into account new realities in the retail industry and the current state of the capital market, said DSP Executive Director Michael Ault.

Midge McCauley and other retail consultants from the firm Downtown Works will present their recommendations to the DSP board next month. Their work cost $80,000, said Johnson's spokesman Joaquin McPeek.

On Oct. 12, the mayor plans to meet with business and property owners, as well as the former owners of defunct businesses. The meeting will give stakeholders from J, K and L streets between Third and 16th streets a chance to share past challenges and current concerns, and give input on possible answers to the area's problems.

"The mayor believes that success cannot be attained unless the entire corridor is involved in the solution," McPeek said.

Johnson said he also wants to make sure they're appreciated.

"I want to thank them for staying and not bailing out on us," he said at the press conference.

At both meetings, the mayor will share his ideas for the area's future. He has engaged in talks with the Downtown Plaza's owner, Westfield Group, the world's largest retail property group, to find out by year's end if the company will invest more or sell its part of the shopping mall.

"I think it's clear the mayor is very focused on wanting to get some resolution on the future of Downtown Plaza," Ault said.

The plaza could face significant change, which could include reopening that section of K Street — as suggested last week during a panel discussion hosted by the Urban Design Alliance of Sacramento.

"I don't think it's surprising to anyone that that mall is in need of a pretty significant renovation or redevelopment," Ault said. "The current situation and status quo is not an option."

However, as the plaza's owner, Westfield Group has to be involved in moving forward, he added.

"This has got to be a team effort for all of us," Ault said.

The mayor will hold a public meeting on Oct. 19 for residents, visitors and people who work in the city. Location and time will be announced later, McPeek said.

"It's open to anyone who wants to come who has great ideas," he said.

Staff reporter Kathleen Haley contributed to this report. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Lion dancers, Bunraku, Taiko and more at Pacific Rim Street Festival

2009-05-19T03:34:15Z

The above photo is of another dance team, the Eastern Ways Lion Dance Team

It had reached 100 degrees by 4:30 Sunday afternoon, and seven-year-old Caleb Mai disappeared beneath a massive red and black lion headdress the size of his body.

Moments later the drums began, and a line of lion dancers appeared on the stage, leaping and shaking beneath their bright costumes. They then each hopped onto the ground and scattered into the audience, standing on chairs and bobbing their oversized lion headdresses up and down. One lady laughed uncontrollably as a dancer shook its grinning masked face in front of her's. Every now and again Mai could be seen as he held the weight of the lion head high above his own and shook it wildly.

The drums stopped, and the dancers clamored back onto the stage. Mai's family stood from the front row to help him as he reemerged from beneath his costume.

This was the Diêu Quang lion dance team's first performance at the 17th annual Pacific Rim Street Festival in Sacramento, and Mai was one of several young dancers on the team. The festival's entertainment, stretched from the morning into the late afternoon, was divided among four stages set up in between Old Sacramento and Westfield Downtown Plaza.Along with Diêu Quang, it consisted of several performances exhibiting youth talent.

Chris Iwata, one of the performance coordinators and working board members of the event, explained that younger performers are common at the festival and their families enjoy coming each year to support them.

Aside from Diêu Quang, other new acts to the festival included the Hawaiian reggae group Koa Young and Friends, as well as Fijian Sanatan Youth Group.

Also new to the festival was the Green Valley Puppet Theater, which performed Bunraku, a Japanese form of puppet theater. The puppeteers, clothed in black from head-to-toe, unconventionally manipulated their puppets at waist-level on a table top, cleverly using a teapot, chopsticks, and white handcrafted figurines as characters in the story.

Sacramento Taiko Dan, a 20-year-old local drumming group and longtime festival participant, engaged the audience with a lively performance of coordinated Japanese taiko drumming.

The festival hosted a variety of other diverse performances, including dancing and music reflective of Filipino, Polynesian, and Hmong cultures.

By the late afternoon the crowd began to dwindle, and the lion dancers took to the streets for a final dance.

*AUTHOR'S NOTE: Accompanying photo borrowed from photo essay by Kati Garner*

To view more photos from event, see her photo essay at the following link:

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/7748/Paciific_Rim_Festival_fotos

To see a preview article written about the event, see the following link:

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/7597/Annual_Pacific_Rim_Street_Festival_on_Sunday