I'm surprised to see this coming from the architect of Swan's Market in Oakland. The Co-op needs to be more ambitious. No Elk Grove repeats.

When someone pinched my new drill- I couldn't mount my spice rack. When someone takes the paintbrush from the painter, their soul is diminished. The heartening thing is to see his colleagues are pulling for him. We have a strong and close-knit community of creatives, and Steve will keep working.

Now the board needs another member of the public in attendance! Any takers? The board meets regularly on the third Thursday of every month. Go to the city's Sac Heritage page to get an agenda: http://www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd/meetings/boards-and-committees/sacramento-heritage-board/

I will always have fond memories of the summer I spent interning at CADA. Not only are they practicing the vital smart growth measures necessary for the health of a great city, but they are doing it in my hometown! The lessons I learned working closely with Paul and Jackie convinced me that emerging professionals can make a huge difference (they both created CADA as grad students) and you don't have to sell out to be successful. This Joint Powers Authority is noble tutelage. Under Paul's leadership, the Capitol Area has become a modern mixed use, mixed income community where people enjoy living, working and playing. We all wish some shining example of free enterprise would take care of our growing downtown, but Paul and his associates are not unicorns.

The best part of the Giants/Padres game last week was the announcers' comments on the adaptive reuse of the brick warehouse at Petco Park. That's how you Think BIG.

How about a Vips? We could have the first U.S. location.

The irony of this article is that these kind people were photographed in front of a very large and vacant retail space.

It appears that the Maydestone is not being marketed as luxury apartments. Those in the mid to low income range who appreciate the craftsmanship and character of the building and are interested in the cultural, social and ecological benefits of living in the urban core will be happy with their choice. The key to reducing heat transfer in a building envelope is to reduce the air gaps, however, an older building benefits from a certain degree of ability to breathe- attempting to completely seal off an older building may trap moisture where it's not wanted and have unpredictable effects. An upgraded heating and air system with added insulation to the exterior walls and sealed joints are "practical" solutions to rehabilitating an older building for energy efficiency and comfort. The compact floor area of the units means less wasted space to heat and cool. As far as sound attenuation, the Model Ts, steam trains and jazz clubs were probably just as noisy as what urban life dishes out today. Sound is an irritant, but a young professional doesn't live downtown for a bit of peace and quiet. I doubt there will be any regrets among investors or residents that the original windows were kept in place. The real question is- will there be granite countertops?

You can search for other LEED Certified projects at http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/CertifiedProjectList.aspx. Sacramento has a very impressive list including many Platinum awards, which is the highest rating available.

No complaints if they can squeeze some Ruby Skye headliners in the DJ booth.

Stating that Sacramento needs a downtown arena is like saying we need a downtown airport. It seems that the book has been closed on the "many reasons", but there remain equally as many reasons to keep a suburban arena. Proven strategies for downtown improvement rests in high-density mixed use development, quality transportation, sprawl containment, and nurturing the creative class. As long as downtown arenas remain a sketchy investment, spend my precious tax money on LRT expansion. Stop at a new Natomas arena on the way to the airport.

The atmosphere in the Crest reminded me of what I've read of the gold rush days. It was filled with the categorical characters of a burgeoning wild west city. On one side are the pioneers who have come here to make their mark, the snake oil salesmen with their get rich quick schemes, the robber barons who will take public and private money and maybe leave a legacy. The characters on the other side are the puritans who believe that our community is perfect and we should push out the evil demons, and there are natives who were blindsided by the influx of "opportunity". Stuck somewhere in the middle are the politicians and lawmakers who are losing their power day by day and watching an end to honesty and fairness. I came to see this film to better understand what makes a redeveloped downtown tick. I'm not convinced that an arena or a bunch of large corporate retailers is the answer, but it wouldn't hurt. If that stuff comes, there's plenty of homegrown talent and product to balance it out. I went away with an understanding that each city is unique with its own set of challenges and opportunities. Sacramento is in a crisis and will not benefit from hasty development and I'm not interested in living in a town with transplanted culture. If I were to put myself in a category above, I'd say I'm a native, but not planning to sit idly by while my city progresses. The people who brought this film to Sacramento want to see an active and economically vibrant downtown. They also want to become wildly successful. The best way to do that is to round up the dreamers with the movers and shakers. For that I congratulate them.

Take heed, area developers! This is market demand. Put a 99 cent store on K Street and we're good to go.

Some psychologists believe that there is a definitive link between depressive disorders and the ability to express deep, intense levels of creativity. We creatives need to care for each other and nurture the work, and hope that tragic history does not repeat itself.

Congratulations to Soil Born. Expanding the availability of fresh produce is a good priority, but imagine if mobile food vendors were permitted in the park. What a great way to support small business!

Marilyn Bryant has some great posters for these events. It's a great way to share with your friends and coworkers.

Will I need FAA clearance to park my motorcycle?

Richard Meier (Getty designer)'s office is in the Same building in New York as Gwathmey Siegel. Meier did not submit an entry in the Request For Proposals.

The American Institute of Architects were given a tour on the same day, but we were led through the first floor only. Maybe it was because we were a large group, but I'm itching to see the upper floors. I'll save my criticism for 10/10, and I hope the architecture critics do the same.

Correction: The meeting was held at the American Institute of Architects Central Valley chapter office. Find out about next month's dialogue at www.aiacv.org.