Someone could have saved 19 minutes and 30 seconds by letting the train cross...then open for the Hornblower...but then, UP's signal controls are a national system.

Bill is 100% correct about the rendering source (and the Q&R location).

Looks SUPER!

A request to the worldly...put aside your well earned cynisym for a paragraph or two...don your imaginations...and visualise me this... Sacramento's Cultural Arts Riverfront, a necklace of arts and culture stretched like pearls along the living artery of our river - the Crocker, an ode to the visual arts; a brand-new state-of-the art perfoming arts center; a large event center; museums; restaurants...all along a walkable riverfront promenade. A living riverfront. That's the proverbial bid-assed, hairy, audacious goal...but my worldy friends, one that is already in process. The Crocker is up and has reset expectations and impressions about Sacto's high-end art scene. The City is pushing through parts of the river promenade. The haute-restaurant scene has already reached Old Sac. The event center (my name for the long-winded Sports and Entertainment Center) is finally in the eye of a furious civic debate, which suggests it is finally real enough to sweat over. Ironically, the event center may also hold the keys to a new perfroming arts center on the river. If AEG is truly interested in operating a 20,000 seat event center where they may book, say, 200 shows a year...is it possible they would be even more interested if there were also 2,000 seat venue that could book another 400 shows a year, adding another stop for their touring acts? Other generations have left their marks on this city...rail, a raised grid, ag canning, the Citizen, Elks and Memorial Auditorium...the list is long. But for all those accomplishments, no one has opened the riverfront. Perhaps we can do that...and frankly, given the realities of economic development, we need the gravity of an event center to see that happen in this lifetime. I'm for it. The details of the deal, the place and the surroundings matter... a lot. But to say "no" closes many doors, while saying "yes" gives us the chance to do great things.

This can work, and frankly it HAS worked. Four years ago, the City combined the Design, Preservation and Planning Commissions to review the Railyards project. The process was wildly successful as the focus and energy of the public, and the commissioners, lasered in on issues of joint concern. Duplicative comments were reduced, the developer (ahem...) could not play hide-the-ball between commissions and the synergies of bright minds in a room together lifted the level of dialogue. To Lisa's comment re "ugly" projects, the Design commission of course in not an aesthetics commission, but reviews project's conformation with existing guidelines...something City staff does already, and frankly, with the quality of the remaining staff, does very well. My only concern, expressed by Michael Notestine, is the logjam looming when the economy resumes. The seperate commissions worked well to stagger project reviews...when development resumes, staff staff (and certain activists) may wish they had another round or two of hearings to slow things down. Personally, I think it's a smart move.

Hoo-ray and it's about time. Kudos to the City for seeing throught the fog of public opinions and making a meaninful investment in K Street. Next step...open K to the river. I'm sure that sounds impossible (and it might be) but the benefits of stronger links between downtown, Old Sac and the river are pretty fundamental to rivercity.

Refreshingly, brazenly, artistically unique. It was a joy to listen to, and watch, such a human at work.

Sacramento doesn't take a backseat to anyone in the airport business...it's beautiful, efficient, accessable and with a spanking new terminal B, we'll have an embarrasment of riches. Everyone involved with this job deserves a big regional party. Now, if we can get light rail to it...

Part of the quality of life of a city is the quality of its civic amenities. Not the only part, but a big part. Our current event center is substandard. Sacramento is not. We deserve amenities of the calibre of our people.

But for the issue of complexity, the closer these two projects are tied, the better. They are synergistic, aspirational and definingly urban . Beyond fostering regional co-operation (with it's many benefits) it opens the door to national attention and investment in the region. Let's be sure the calibre of the product matches the calibre of the participants.

Glad to see this edgy art urban company coming to midtown!

The study is wormwood for those incline to sink arguments for and against in to. The real benefit of a regional effort to bring an event center downtown...is the regional effort. Denver had regional cooperation and was able to leverage it into a first tier city people are proud of.

Great place for my favorite MLK quote! "If a person is called to be a street sweeper, they should remove litter as Beethoven composed music, or Shakespear wrote poetry or Michelangelo painted. They should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, HERE lives a great street sweeper!" ---Martin Luther King Jr. Ray has probably THE MOST IMPORTANT job in midtown...no sh-t.

I'd second all that. Fran's a bridge builder and a finance specialist. Perfect choice.

Discount the Railyards. Midtown is happening, Township 9 is happening, Discovery Science Center is happening, R Street is happening, K Street is happening, Setzer is happening, there's a hurricane of an event center process happening, Downtown Plaza will be happening someday soon, the new courthouse is happening, Sutter is happening, midtown-adjacent is happening. Beyond that, there are dozens of projects on the boards ready to happen, the AIA is about to launch a Sacramento aesthetic project. Collectively these will define this age in Sacramento and if what I've seen is true, we are headed into a very liveable future. As to your comment about are great cities really already done...good point.

You're right on the money with respect to the unsustainabile nature of suburban development Rodney but harsh on this project in my opinion. It looks like their residential density is well north of 100 units per acre. Most of the grid is rejoicing at this project as a great step in the right direction. Later, if projects like this can create the buz we need to attract significant urban populations, we can go higher.

Not only "live"...live proud. Other cities we talk about emulating have already, largely, happened and while we get to experience their mojo, it's vicarious. Sac is in the making it happen phase...which is more exhilerating, more terrifying, more frustrating and more fulfilling in my opinion than living somewhere already done.

This effort is so important. Forging regional cooperation would be the single most powerful economic tool for the Sacramento Valley since the refrigerated boxcar. If this group is able to break through the parochial thinking of "mine, mine, mine" and establish a regional framework, an event center is just the beginning. The framework could be used to push regional transit to Roseville, Davis and Elk Grove, alleviating our highway issues; engender the co-operative growth planning that SACOG, Valley Vision and every forward thinking organization has been urging for years; empower regional marketing efforts to attract the businesses, workforce and tourists we need to "grow the pie" so we're not eating each others businesses; fund the cultural amenities program we need to elevate our game to national standards. Great leaders have always said, "united we stand, divided we fall" and it's never been more true for us, here, than now.

Can't wait for the penthouse experience. Right on my way home too...

There's a great win for Natomas in moving the event center downtown PW, and that is clearing a perfectly sized and located parcel for a regional mall. The City wins from greater sales tax revenue and Natomas wins because much as it "loves" the arena, it'd "love" a new mall even better.