Elite Contributor

William Burg

Profile Image

Gender

Male

Occupation

Historian

Neighborhood

Winn Park

Personal Tag Cloud

About Me

President, Sacramento Old City Association. Vice-President, Sacramento County Historical Society. Treasurer, Sacramento Heritage, Inc.

Most Recent Badges

Most Recent Articles

McKinley Village forum on June 8

Sacramento Press has carried several stories about the proposed McKinley Village development north of East Sacramento over the past few months. This Saturday, Sacramento Old City Association (SOCA) will hold its quarterly Preservation Roundtable, including a public forum about this event. Representatives of Riverview Capital Investments (the developer) will present the project and answer questions. Representatives of Marshall School New Era Park Neighborhood Association (MSNEPNA), East Sacramento Preservation and Friends of Sutter's Landing Park will also be present to give their perspectives on the proposal. Representatives of the City of Sacramento will also be present to answer question

continue reading

The $250 Million Challenge: Downtown Streetcar Corridor

Yesterday, Sacramento Press contributor Tony Sheppard challenged fellow readers and contributors to share what they would do with a theoretical $250 million, in a way that might bring a greater return than a basketball arena. I started writing a comment but, as often happens, it ended up being an article in itself. So here it is. Step 1: Build the Downtown/Riverfront Streetcar: $130 Million. Streetcars are often called "development-oriented transit" because they promote growth of transit-oriented neighborhoods along their right-of-way. Portland is the canonical example of a new city streetcar line spurring growth in the "Pearl" District, a mostly vacant industrial district until installa

continue reading

Arena plan puts the 'king' in parking

In order to build a downtown arena, Sacramentans will have to give up that which they hold dearest: free parking. The funding plan requires expansion of on-street metering downtown, and will increase parking rates at city lots. The arena’s presence dramatically changes the economics of private parking lots, in ways that threaten the main funding source for the arena. By releasing the term sheet at the absolute last minute, on a Saturday night, followed by a Monday city holiday and a crashed City of Sacramento website, the opportunity for public review is so limited that it is effectively nonexistent. Three days is simply not enough time for a detailed look at the term sheet, but it was su

continue reading

TDA Forum: Who is the Downtown Generation?

On Monday, March 18, Turn Downtown Around presents a Public Forum, a discussion of how downtown Sacramento reached its current state, what its situation is today, and what can be done by regular citizens to create positive change in our urban core. I was asked to talk about how we got here. If we want to turn downtown around, this implies that, at some point, downtown Sacramento was going in the right direction. How did that Sacramento differ from the one we know today, and how can we recapture some of that spirit? What lessons can we learn from the past--both the mistakes to avoid, and the useful elements that we can use today? [Note: Read the live blog of the forum as it happened here.]

continue reading

The Great Prune Bear

During the late 19th and early 20th century, American cities showed their stuff by holding elaborate fairs. They showcased the host city with specially designed fairgrounds and elaborate exhibits. First popular in the mid-19th century, they reached new heights with the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893. National in scope, these fairs featured exhibits from around the country. Trends in architecture, agriculture, transportation, entertainment, technology and urban planning were set at these fairs, and a successful fair could bring great honor, investment and migration to the host city. In 1904 and 1905, two separate but related fairs were held in St. Louis, Missouri and Portland, Oregon.

continue reading

Most Recent Comments

Conversation about: Opinion: NIMBY vs. DIMBY

Curmudgeon: There are no such streets in East Sacramento, and in Curtis Park the only place where the streets end abruptly is where the highway tore through the neighborhood--they were formerly connected. That's not the same thing as a cul-de-sac, which is a deliberately designed means to limit traffic flow and maximize buildable acreage, with the tradeoff of poorer road connectivity and longer trip times. If what you're saying is that highways screw up neighborhoods, I'll agree wholeheartedly--being right next to the highway has about as much negative effect on real estate values as being next to a busy railroad line.

read comment

Conversation about: Opinion: NIMBY vs. DIMBY

There aren't any cul-de-sac neighborhoods in East Sacramento or Curtis Park. And exactly what span of years are you talking about? Not all "sprawl" is created equal, and not all growth is "smart."

read comment

Conversation about: Opinion: NIMBY vs. DIMBY

When was Curtis Park "ugly suburban sprawl"?

read comment

Conversation about: Opinion: NIMBY vs. DIMBY

NIMBY: Not Intimidated Much By Yelling.

read comment

Conversation about: Art rejected by downtown Sacramento bar finds home with local lawyer

Maybe they need to change their name to "Counterrevolutionaries"?

read comment

Change Your Password

Change Password Progress bar

Please Log in or Sign up

Existing Members

Sign In Progress bar Forgot Password?

New Users Create an Account Here
Progress bar
Verification email has been sent. To validate your account open the link provided in the message.
There was a problem sending your verification email. Please contact support@sacramentopress.com
Progress bar Login background Tag cloud top Tag cloud background Tag cloud bottom Login manager background