Downtown Sacramento
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Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento Planning Methods I: Final Project November 27, 2006 Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler DOWNTOWN SACRAMENTO Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler 1 November 27, 2006 Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to provide a qualitative and quantitative analysis of Downtown Sacramento, compare it to Downtown Denver, and draw useful conclusions. This paper will be divided into the following sections: Downtown Definition and Characteristics, Population, Development, Retail, Parking, Policies and Politics, and Comparison to Downtown Denver. The Downtown Definition and Characteristics section will orient and draw boundaries for Downtown Sacramento. Additionally, it will describe the physical characteristics and existing zoning. The Population section will describe general demographics and population trends. Following that section is a discussion of existing development, including a specific section on retail. Then the paper will move to describing policies and politics which have shaped the development and growth of Downtown Sacramento. Finally, comparisons and contrasts will be drawn to Downtown Denver. Research was compiled from numerous sources, including Census data, magazine articles, internet research sources, and interviews. Data collected includes both qualitative and quantitative information, which has been analyzed and important conclusions have been drawn throughout the paper. Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler 2 November 27, 2006 Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento DOWNTOWN DEFINITION AND CHARACTERISTICS Location Sacramento, the Capitol, is located in Northern California. Sacramento is approximately 85 miles northeast of San Francisco, 60 miles east of the Napa Valley, 115 miles west of Lake Tahoe, and 90 miles south of Chico. The map below shows the state of California and the city of Sacramento’s location. (infoplease) Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler 3 November 27, 2006 Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento Downtown Sacramento (City of Sacramento) In the northwest portion of the city is the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers. In the southwest portion of the city is the intersection of Highway 50 and Interstate 5. The city boundaries are approximately 15 miles by 7 miles. The downtown area is centered north and south and on the westerly boundary of the city. The westerly boundary is Interstate 5. Directly west of Sacramento is the historic area called Old Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler 4 November 27, 2006 Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento Town, which is not part of Sacramento’s downtown. The map on the previous page shows basic boundaries of the City and the location of the downtown area. The general location of the downtown district to the city of Sacramento is centered north to south of the city boundary. In relation to downtown, the north and south boundary is approximately 7 miles; the east boundary is 5 mile from downtown. Downtown sits on the west boundary of the city. West of Sacramento’s downtown is Interstate 5, and the Sacramento River. H Street 3 16 r d Street th Street L Street N Street Downtown District (Downtown Sacramento) Boundaries Above is a map of the downtown district. The district is bound by H Street to the north, 16th Street to the east, N Street to the south, and Interstate 5 to the west. The district’s 66 blocks lay within the central business district C-3 zoning area. To the northwest of downtown is the train station. To the west is Old Town and Interstate 5. To the southeast is the State Capital. Sacramento has over 125 Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler 5 November 27, 2006 Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento different neighborhoods. The official boundaries of the downtown district are in the downtown neighborhood – a natural boundary for the district. The total area of the downtown district is approximately 242 acres. Characteristics “Peacefully located in a leafy valley of scenic rivers and canopies of trees, today’s Sacramento is a cosmopolitan convergence of tall, gleaming buildings, hearty Victorians, splendid restaurants and shops, a vibrant arts scene, and a virtual cornucopia of state of the art meeting facilities. Sacramento has been called a snapshot of Wild West history in a modern, world-class city. With a plethora of first-class hotel rooms and attractions Sacramento offers an affordable and exciting vacation and meeting destination” (Sacramento Discover Gold). The distinct areas within the downtown are China Town, Westfield Downtown Plaza, the City-County Administrative Offices, Convention Center, and the K Street Mall. Other major activity centers and landmarks are the Amtrak Train Depot, the City Library, Wells Fargo Museum – housed in the ground level of the tallest buildings in Sacramento, Crest, Century and IMAX theaters, Cesar E Chavez Plaza, Memorial Auditorium, the Cathedral, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and the Memorial Auditorium. Chinatown is extended along I Street, between Third Street and Sixth. The buildings tend to be two-story wooden buildings. The buildings have brightly colored, second- story balconies, as was the custom in China. Shops and restaurants fill the first floors along I Street, with most people living directly above their shops. The Westfield Downtown Plaza is between 4th and 5th Street, bifurcated by the K Street Mall, similar to the 16th Street Mall in Denver. The Westfield Downtown Plaza is a three level mall, similar in size and location to the Denver Pavilions Mall. There are several buildings in the downtown area that are over 200ft tall. One of the more interesting buildings is the Elks Club Building – designed by Leon Starks, built in 1928 at over 226 ft and 18 floors. The building was recently purchase and the new owner is planning to invest more than 3 million dollars in renovations. Unlike Denver, Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler 6 November 27, 2006 Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento most of the buildings were built after 1990. Only two of the ten tallest buildings were constructed prior to 1990. The ten tallest buildings that distinguish Downtown Sacramento are: Building Name Bldg. Height Floors Year Built Wells Fargo 423 30 1992 US Bank Plaza 380 26 1991 Renaissance Tower 372 28 1989 Cal/EPA 372 25 2000 Capitol Square 351 25 1992 US Courthouse/Fed Bldg 350 18 1999 Sheraton Grand Sacramento 318 28 2001 1201K Tower 238 18 1992 Department of Justice Bldg 227 18 1995 Elks Club Building 226 18 1928 (emporis) Technically not located in the downtown district, the State Capital Building is worth noting. The building and associated activities has a direct influence on downtown. There are several new buildings planned for Sacramento’s downtown area. As in Denver, Daniel Libieskind has designed a structure, billed as a “sculpture that changes with the light and the seasons…” (Waters). The sleek building will be a 38 story condo tower. The residential component is much needed in the downtown area. Obviously, this building will bring a level of cache and affluence to downtown Sacramento. The building will be located at 601 Capitol Mall with condos starting at 750 sq. ft. and prices beginning at $480,000. Only 50 of the 265 condos are still on the market. Another building, on K Street in the 800 block, offers at least two options: 300 residential units with 150,000 square feet of office space and 600 residential units with no office space (Walters). The final plans for the building may change, as the pre-sale numbers are not as great as the developers have hoped. Each of the buildings hopes to aid in rejuvenating Sacramento’s downtown. At 621 Capitol Mall, a new building is under construction that will have 25 above-grade floors with 366,291 rentable square feet. Offices will be on floors eight through 25. There will be one level of parking underground and six levels above. Plans for the ground floor Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler 7 November 27, 2006 Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento include a white tablecloth restaurant and about 23,000 square feet of retail space (Walters). Located at 926 J Street is a 14 floor building built in 1924 that has been purchased by a boutique hotel and will undergo major renovations. This will be Joie de Vivre’s 31st boutique hotel. It is a $55 million project, with the city providing $9.8 million of assistance in the form of a $3.3 million grant for historic preservation elements, $600,000 in off-site improvements, and a $5.9 million loan for the hotel. There will be 197 rooms, 11,000 square feet of small meeting spaces, the penthouse, of course, and a ground-floor restaurant (Walters). One area of real challenge to downtown Sacramento is the incorporation of an inter- model transit hub. Located downtown, the local bus stop has outgrown its home. A possible location for the new bus stop is the historic train station that is in the northwest corner of downtown. This location is under consideration for a large mixed use development that would include a transit hub, residences, retail, and commercial uses Zoning (City of Sacramento) Above is Sacramento’s city map showing the two downtown zone districts highlighted by the yellow border. Almost all of the downtown is zoned Central Business District (C-3). Nick Forss, Michelle Pyle, Richard Wheeler 8 November 27, 2006 Planning Methods I Fall 2006 Final Project 2006 – Downtown Sacramento In the northwest corner of the district are two small areas zoned Manufacturing – Industrial Park (MIP). Purpose and Intent of the CBD: “The central business district (CBD or C-3 zone) applies to an approximately seventy (70) block portion of the central city.