Sacramento Proposal/Approval/Construction Thread - III

[wburg]

Capitol Towers isn't in Midtown, and in that part of downtown, almost all the housing is 2-3 story apartment buildings--EXCEPT for the Capitol Towers superblock, which has 3 mid-rise towers (two are on adjacent lots) complemented by the low-rise building. It's the most densely populated part of the city, and people are complaining that it isn't high-density enough, perhaps because bad/amateur urban designers that neighborhoods have to look dense to count as high-density, as opposed to urban neighborhoods that have a high population but still look like pleasant residential streets because they were well-designed by people who understood how cities work.

As to the reviews, they seem to be pretty mixed (many of the negatives complain about the staff) and most of the property issues are maintenance stuff that can be fixed pretty easily without demolition. Considering that the current owner wants to demolish most of the complex, I can't imagine they want to spend anything more than the absolute bare minimum maintaining the units, so maybe we are already seeing the slumlord effect we've witnessed downtown for the past few decades by wannabe investors waiting for the Skyscraper Fairy to arrive.

[ozone]

@wburg

Did you just say that Justin Wood and the SacMod folks are trying to prevent another Biltmore from happening at Capitol Towers? Wow! You must think we are a bunch of idiots. I'm sorry but none of your arguments have been very convincing. It is infill if they are going to add more units.

[snfenoc]

Originally Posted by ozone

@wburg

Did you just say that Justin Wood and the SacMod folks are trying to prevent another Biltmore from happening at Capitol Towers? Wow! You must think we are a bunch of idiots. I'm sorry but none of your arguments have been very convincing. It is infill if they are going to add more units.

True, but it's the opposite infill if they allow the garden units to go unoccupied and let them decay for 20 years. I think wburg's main concern is that there really aren't solid plans for the site and that it will end up like the other holes in the ground. Preservation is just a vehicle with which he can oppose these "plans".

Having said that, I think busy body progressives create these sorts of problems with their insistence on directing development, picking winners and loser and awarding public funds to their well-connected political cronies. If the incentive of free money were removed from the equation, we might see a change. Of course, there is no perfect solution to anything.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by ozone

@wburg

Did you just say that Justin Wood and the SacMod folks are trying to prevent another Biltmore from happening at Capitol Towers? Wow! You must think we are a bunch of idiots. I'm sorry but none of your arguments have been very convincing. It is infill if they are going to add more units.

Nah, I only think a few posters here are idiots. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not you're one of them.

Urban infill generally refers to that which goes on vacant lots, or properties that are seriously decayed or abandoned. Not every new project counts as urban infill, and I'd say that a project that demolishes an occupied, economically viable apartment complex, even if the end result is higher population density, doesn't count as infill--it's just a replay of 1950s style redevelopment, which was generally a disaster unless you were a developer getting paid to demolish existing neighborhoods and build new ones. Infill fills in the blank spaces, the parking lots or vacant sites, it doesn't wipe out the most visually prominent and densely populated neighborhood in downtown Sacramento.

Now, if the owners of Capitol Towers proposed building new midrise or highrise units on their own surface parking lots, and/or in place of their parking structure, providing a net increase to the total quantity of housing on the superblock. Capitol Towers leases out parking spaces to commuters even though they have a high vacancy rate, suggesting that they're currently overparked, and they do have really, really good transit access.

Another possibility might be partnering with CADA, who control the block directly across the street, which only has one building on it, the Heilbron Mansion. Building residential towers on that corner, with the Heilbron as the focus of a small park/greenspace area next to light rail, would be very welcome. A recent Business Journal article about CADA discussed their interest in converting more of their lots to housing, which we have seen in mid-rise form along 16th Street, and historic rehab/new construction on R Street. Maybe KW would be willing to build across the street instead, if CADA can provide the land?

[sacamenna kid]

Originally Posted by wburg

Nah, I only think a few posters here are idiots. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not you're one of them.

Urban infill generally refers to that which goes on vacant lots, or properties that are seriously decayed or abandoned. Not every new project counts as urban infill, and I'd say that a project that demolishes an occupied, economically viable apartment complex, even if the end result is higher population density, doesn't count as infill--it's just a replay of 1950s style redevelopment, which was generally a disaster unless you were a developer getting paid to demolish existing neighborhoods and build new ones. Infill fills in the blank spaces, the parking lots or vacant sites, it doesn't wipe out the most visually prominent and densely populated neighborhood in downtown Sacramento.

Now, if the owners of Capitol Towers proposed building new midrise or highrise units on their own surface parking lots, and/or in place of their parking structure, providing a net increase to the total quantity of housing on the superblock. Capitol Towers leases out parking spaces to commuters even though they have a high vacancy rate, suggesting that they're currently overparked, and they do have really, really good transit access.

Another possibility might be partnering with CADA, who control the block directly across the street, which only has one building on it, the Heilbron Mansion. Building residential towers on that corner, with the Heilbron as the focus of a small park/greenspace area next to light rail, would be very welcome. A recent Business Journal article about CADA discussed their interest in converting more of their lots to housing, which we have seen in mid-rise form along 16th Street, and historic rehab/new construction on R Street. Maybe KW would be willing to build across the street instead, if CADA can provide the land?

My guess is that if KG wants it, the sale will happen, and Wburg may end up being right. I know those apartments well, and they are no great shakes, but the general landscaping concept was the work of Lawrence Halprin, and is (I think) his only Sacramento project. I would hope that whatever the new design , some of the Halprin landscaping footprint (that long promenade) could be maintained.

[ltsmotorsport]

Originally Posted by wburg

It's probably too late for the Biltmore, and while I was hoping that the Plaza and RCA Buildings next to it are ripe for a 700 K type residential/retail conversion, they have been vacant and decaying for just as long, and I assume they will be the next buildings to have an "accidental" fire blamed on homeless people trying to keep warm in August. Capitol Towers, on the other hand, is still viable and occupied, densely populated, and is a slap in the face to people who claim nobody lives downtown.

This is just so true. I can't only hold out the faintest of hopes that the Plaza and RCA buildings will get the respect and much needed love they deserve. They could be save and turned into some amazing condos or apartments, neo art deco even, with some great high ceilings and amazing views of Cesar Chavez Plaza.

The Biltmore and the two other properties just east could easitly host a development the scale of the Metropolitan proposal and the block could then keep some of the good architectural bones. One thing that is lost with much of the new development is the fine grained architecture on each block. A full block of the same building almost becomes monotonous to the person walking by and is out of scale for the pedestrian. Take the 900 block of J Street as an example; maybe not the prettiest block at first glance, but the articulation of the buildings lends a certain authenticity to the urban sense of place. The interior space is also something that won't and really can't be replicated in new construction.

Either way, it would be nice to see some of the more substantial and quality buildings stay at the Metropolitan site. At this point though, the property owner needs to be shown the potential on-site that would only contribute to the current proposal's aspirations.

[LandofFrost]

More good news for 16th Street.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/new...e21297699.html


Crystal Ice Plant plans.

[Folks3000]

The ground floor retail is open under Power 16. I noticed a lot more demolition going on at 700 K behind the facades. The senior housing at the Curtis Park redevelopment is going up and I noticed the first wood frames rising at the 5th street/Broadway redevelopment area.

[Web]

Originally Posted by Folks3000

The ground floor retail is open under Power 16. I noticed a lot more demolition going on at 700 K behind the facades. The senior housing at the Curtis Park redevelopment is going up and I noticed the first wood frames rising at the 5th street/Broadway redevelopment area.

The fronts are rehabs and backs are all new taller construction on the alley

[Wmlegr]

They're also working on the first foundations at the creamery project in Alkili Flat

[creamcityleo79]

He's back: Kolokotronis proposes new mixed-use in midtown Sacramento

A new mixed-use project proposed in midtown Sacramento also could mark a comeback of sorts for a prominent developer.
Last week, city of Sacramento planners received an application for a four-story building at 19th and Q streets with 72 residential units and just under 2,000 square feet of retail space. The address off the applicant is 1121 18th St., or the office of SKK Developments, the firm founded by Sotiris Kolokotronis.

It's unclear where exactly the project would be built and if the company proposes rental or for-sale housing. The full application was not available Friday and Kolokotronis could not immediately be reached. But in development circles, word has circulated for weeks that he plans to build many residential units in that part of midtown.

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacrament...ed-use-in.html

[Majin]

These projects are coming too slow.

[wburg]

Four stories and 72 units would cover the vacant quarter-block at 19th and Q quite nicely--the houses on that block were moved off years ago, even after the WP tracks were removed in the 1980s. The zoning overlay calls for up to about 110 units/acre, the .625 acre lot works out to about 115 dua. Close to transit, grocery stores, and more Midtown bars than you can shake a PBR tall boy at.

[Bubb90]

http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/...e23043207.html

[ltsmotorsport]

Nice to see a few more specifics about Kolokotronis' plans, as well as more potential residential units. Hope they can move as fast as possible.

[creamcityleo79]

Very exciting. Kolokotronis is a great corporate citizen! I can't wait to see the plans for this!

[sacamenna kid]

Any news on the new Kimpton hotel near the arena? The live cam pics still show an empty hole in the ground. And also, what about the Powerhouse Science Museum?

[snfenoc]

Originally Posted by sacamenna kid

Any news on the new Kimpton hotel near the arena? The live cam pics still show an empty hole in the ground. And also, what about the Powerhouse Science Museum?

Arena construction moves into most intense phase
Jun 4, 2015, 7:25am PDT
Ben van der Meer
Sacramento Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/sacrament...nse-phase.html

There was no update on work beginning yet for the mixed-use hotel tower at the north of the project site. Kings team officials have said they still believe that tower can be built in time to open alongside the arena in fall 2016.

Hmmmm....

[Pistola916]

Originally Posted by sacamenna kid

Any news on the new Kimpton hotel near the arena? The live cam pics still show an empty hole in the ground. And also, what about the Powerhouse Science Museum?

No way the hotel opens on time unless construction starts now. I'm predicting a Spring 2017 opening.

[jbradway]

I do know that some of the tenants like River City Brewing are closing by the end of this month. So more demo work on the west end of the plaza is coming soon. More of a remodel than complete tear down.

Part of the hotel construction is the other portion of the open plaza in front of the arena. I would think they want it to be far enough along that just the inside of hotel needs finish work. They can do that if the start pile drilling late this month or early next.