Sacramento Proposal/Approval/Construction Thread - III

creamcityleo79 · #10 Posted **Mar 28, 2014, 9:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by snfenoc

Did NIMBYs really have a lot of sway 10 years ago? Many big projects were approved under Mayor Fargo. Granted, few were built; but that had more to do with economic factors than NIMBY influence.

I will agree that Mayor Johnson is a better cheerleader for the city than Mayor Fargo was.

I'm not going to defend NIMBYs, as I strongly believe in the right of property owners to do as they please. However, it's silly to blame a tiny group of gadflies and self-interested residents for Sacramento's perceived failure to develop.

I have to say, the size of the Sacramento Commons project makes me a little incredulous. 1000+ housing units! That's a lot, more than the Towers on Crapitol Mall, and we all know what became of that grand scheme. Still, the developer has owned the properties for a number of years, and I can only assume that's a good amount of time for due diligence, right?

The article mentions removing the two-story apartments in phases. Does that mean the developer plans to build in phases too? I hope so. We wouldn't want everything to be demolished at once and the site left to rot when the bubble inevitably bursts again. I'd rather have something than nothing; Sacramento doesn't need another hole in the ground. Also, if I were a resident of Bridgeway towers, I wouldn't be pleased about having my view changed from "bucolic" to wasteland for a decade.

Good points! BUT, it's not like there doesn't need to be any new housing units built. The area is growing (regardless of the economy) and will continue to need new housing. Many people want to live downtown and this will give those people that option. ALSO, remember it was the lack of will by the city and the developer that brought down the Towers NOT lack of interest. IIRC, they had deposits on 50% of the units before one pile was even driven. The demand is there. The time is right. Sacramento missed out on the first part of the last economic/housing boom! This time has to be different...and it appears to be shaping up that way!