April 9, 2019

TO: CADA Board of Directors SUBJECT: April 19, 2019 Board Meeting AGENDA ITEM 5 CAPITOL MALL REVITALIZATION (CAPITOL MALL, 7TH STREET – 10TH STREET)

CONTACT: Wendy S. Saunders, Executive Director

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Staff recommends that the Board adopt a resolution directing staff to incorporate a $100,000 contribution to the redesign of the Capitol Mall planning process in the proposed Fiscal Year 2019-20 CADA Budget.

BACKGROUND

City planners have long recognized that Capitol Mall is not living up to the vision of providing a grand public space and gateway to California’s Capitol. The mall’s four-lane roadways are over-sized for the volume of cars they serve, its configuration leads to inefficient traffic flow, and its wide intersections are not pedestrian friendly. Please see Attachment 1 for additional background on Capitol Mall.

The City has begun a project to transform Capitol Mall between 3rd Street and 10th Street into a vibrant public space which connects the new influx of residential units in the CADA area with employment, art, entertainment and other destinations. The City was awarded $500,000 in SACOG Community Design funds for pre-construction work for the project, and is seeking an additional $350,000 to meet matching grant and budget requirements, and to ready the project for construction. Give that the stretch of the project between 7th and 10th Streets is within the CADA boundaries, it makes sense for CADA to participate in the project. CADA’s contribution would be credited toward the required matching funds.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Capitol Mall is currently a four-lane facility with two lanes in each direction separated by a wide median (ranging from 36 to 52 feet). The total public right-of-way is a generous 140 feet in width. Out of that width, however, the useable public space includes only 8 feet of sidewalk on each side of the street.

The City has taken initial steps to develop an implementable vision for Capitol Mall. The City led a concept development and feasibility study to evaluate alignments to identify a preferred configuration that creates manageable and useful public spaces. Stakeholders in the concept-development effort generally expressed a desire to create an “18-hour” environment that supports activity beyond traditional business hours. Creation of an 18-hour environment will require enhanced lighting for night visibility, consideration of the shade and wind tunnel effects, additional shade in sunny areas, and art and aesthetic elements to draw interest. There was also interest in including features to support event uses, such as electrical outlets and designated locations for temporary dumpsters and fencing. Please see Attachments 2, 3 and 4 which provide additional visual detail.

Anticipated design elements of the project include the following:

• Reduction from four travel lanes to two and realignment of lanes to move traffic to the center; • Landscape and tree planting; • Increase in the pedestrian zone from the existing 8 feet on each side of the street to up to 50 feet on each side; • Pedestrian-scale lighting and amenities; • Public art locations; • Flexible plaza spaces for events, cafes, placemaking, farmer’s markets, and other public uses.

The pre-construction phase of the project will include the following deliverables:

• Public engagement – to create a concept which meets the goals of the community for a vibrant public space; • Stakeholder engagement – to ensure that the design accommodates the needs of the operating adjacent businesses and creates a desirable environment to attract talent and new businesses; • Environmental clearance (CEQA and NEPA); • Preliminary design (30%);

Project Timeline

Consultant Selection Summer 2019 Public Engagement Fall 2019 – Fall 2020 Concept Development/Preliminary Engineering Fall 2019 – Winter 2020 Environmental Clearance (CEQA/NEPA) Fall 2019 – Winter 2020 Funding Strategy Development Winter 2020 – Spring 2021(Pending Funding) Final Plans, Specifications, Estimates Spring 2021 – Summer 2022 Construction Late 2022/2023

STRATEGIC PLAN

Participation in the Capitol Mall Revitalization Project will address a number of the priorities in CADA’s 2016-2021 Strategic Plan. These include promoting relationships with partner organizations (in this case, particularly the City and SACOG), and improving neighborhood amenities and infrastructure.

FINANCIAL IMPACTS

CADA’s $100,000 contribution will be allocated from Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Tax Increment income received in January 2020. The attached resolution will direct the staff in include this contribution in the CADA 2019-2020 budget, to be presented to the CADA Board of Directors in June, 2019. The total City budget for the project is $850,000, of which $500,000 will come from SACOG, $250,000 from the City, and $100,000 from CADA.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

Environmental review will be a part of the proposed project.

CONTRACT AWARD CONSIDERATIONS

The proposed action is not subject to the provisions of the CADA Contract Policy.

Attachments:

1. Capitol Mall Background 2. Capitol Mall Project Overview 3. Capitol Mall Project Connectivity Map 4. Capitol Mall Draft Concept Plan

Capitol Mall Revitalization – Capitol Mall History and Background Attachment 1

BACKGROUND For as long as Sacramento has held its position as California’s capital city, there has been a vision for a grand entrance into the city and to the State Capitol building. As the primary connection into the city from the west, its importance to the region has long been felt. In 1913, German city planning expert Dr. Werner Hegemann stated the corridor had the potential to be “one of the most beautiful streets anywhere” and “much of the city’s destiny would be linked to a stately and magnificent mall”. Originally established on the grid as M Street, the stretch between the Sacramento River and the Capitol was referred to as the “West End”. The West End was home to the city’s most diverse and vibrant community, including famous jazz clubs and Japantown – one of the most significant Japanese communities in the United States. In the 1950’s, a spirit of revitalization swept the country, in which historic urban cores were demolished in the name of civic improvements. In Sacramento, this resulted in the complete redevelopment of neighborhoods within the West End, which included the area that is now Capitol Mall and the downsized vision of creating a “grand gateway” into the City. Today, visitors arriving from the west crossing the iconic Tower Bridge are greeted with unobstructed views of the Capitol Building, framed by government resource and private office buildings. As the City core flourishes with new development, access points all along the north and south sides of the Capitol Mall corridor have multiplied and now with the completion of the Golden 1 Center and Downtown Commons sparking a regional pull into downtown, it is common to experience an influx of residents and visitors spilling out any given evening to all the surrounding streets and onto Capitol Mall. Sacramento is just beginning to see the trend for housing in this part of its downtown. Mixed with growth in entertainment and retail uses, it is finally on the verge of becoming the vibrant afterwork activity center and on weekends. The creation of quality public spaces and walkable linkages are integral to this success. Despite the ambitious visions of early architects and planners, from the beginning as the redevelopment project moved to implementation, compromise led to commonplace. The City’s planning director in 1956 called the grassy median a “ridiculous ribbon” and said, “too much emphasis has been placed on the traffic features of the mall and not enough on making it a thing of beauty”. Leonard Stark, the architect of the Elks Tower, McClatchy High School, and the Alhambra Theater, said it was “prostituting the architectural profession to call this ridiculous shoestring a mall”. True to these words, despite its beautiful views, Capitol Mall has never lived up to its potential as a vibrant public space and amenity to not only the residents of Sacramento, but to the citizens of California. Four lanes of roadway are allocated to cars on a corridor with low traffic volumes. The grassy medians and wide roadways create very long pedestrian crossings at intersections, which acts as a barrier for what should be a pedestrian corridor. During Sacramento’s summer and fall months, the medians are an uninviting burnt color, due to the State Executive Order restricting irrigation of ornamental turf, which only increases the heat island effect within the corridor. And for most of the year, outside of official events in which the roadway is closed to traffic, these unpleasant medians are underutilized and inaccessible to the public. As the capital city for the fifth largest economy in the world, the current condition of the mall does not reflect the state’s honorable influence on the nation and world. The revived Capitol Mall will be a state of the art corridor that represents California’s stance on resiliency, water conservation, and the clout of placemaking.

CAPITOL MALL REVITALIZATION Exhibit A - Capitol Mall Project Overview EXISTING MALL Attachment 2 Four-lane roadway with wide inaccessible medians and long intersections 3rd Street 3rd 4th Street 5th Street 6th Street 7th Street 8th Street 9th Street

EXISTING CORRIDOR ISSUES PROPOSED CORRIDOR: "THE PROMENADE" Capitol Mall was envisioned to be a grand public space and a gateway to the Capitol, but has not realized its potential: Two-lane roadway with compact intersections and ample usable public space • Four-lane roadways are oversized for the volume of cars • Conguration leads to ine cient tra c ow • Wide intersections are not pedestrian friendly • Event activities create di culties for business operations • Capitol Mall has become a sterile expanse separating Downtown’s destinations

CAPITOL MALL VISION • To “right-size” the street and implement a more e cient roadway conguration • To create a public space that attracts pedestrians, bicyclists, residents, workers and visitors • To support events while better maintaining access to buildings for businesses • To implement art and amenities to draw people down the corridor and connect destinations

PROJECT BENEFITS • Desirable corridor for current employees and to attract new talent • Activated corridor will draw residents and visitors Existing Existing NEW PEDESTRIAN SPACE Bike Westbound Eastbound Bike NEW PEDESTRIAN SPACE Existing Existing Existing Private Plaza Space Sidewalk Planter Allée of Trees Lane Travel Way Travel Way Lane Allée of Trees Planter Sidewalk Existing Private Plaza Space • Increased visibility for restaurants and retail, with exibility to include valet 71’ - 0” 8’ - 0” 8’ - 0” 36’ - 0” 6’ - 0” 11’ - 0” 11’ - 0” 6’ - 0” 34’ - 0” 8’ - 0” 8’ - 0” 65’ - 0” or loading zones 2’ - 0” Buer 2’ - 0” Buer PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY

CA State Treasurer’s O ce 2 Morton’s Bank of America Steakhouse 301 Capitol Mall House Kitchen G1C 3rd Street 3rd 4th Street 5th Street 6th Street 7th Street 8th Street 9th Street My Sister’s Cafe Old Soul Co. Department of Rehabilitation Sutter Club Pedestrian Connection R/W to Old Sacramento 4 5 8 8 8 8 To Tower Bridge & 5 7 9 Old Sacramento 3 7 Bus Lane 8 To the 2 2 3 Future Street Car Alignment Capitol 6 6 9 8 7 8 4 4 R/W Pedestrian Connection Il Fornaio Specialty’s Cafe to Crocker Art Museum

To Crocker To Art Museum California Bank & Trust Wells Fargo Bank 2 CA Employment Development Department Bank of the West Department of Homeland Security CA State Library & Court

1 Gateway Sculpture/ Public Art 4 Standard Square Pavers 7 Retractable Shade Structure Note: Concepts are preliminary and are PLAN LEGEND intended to convey potential improvements 2 Low planting within Street Median 5 Integral Colored Concrete Pavement 8 Vaults for Event Electrical and Data Support consistent with the City’s vision for the corridor. 3 Bio Retention/ Filtration Area 6 Square Concrete Bench/ Bollard 9 Allée of Trees * The Central City Specific Plan identified housing opportunity Exhibit B sites which may be able to accommodate housing. The CCSP Attachment 3 evaluated cultural resources, utility infrastructure needs and Capitol Mall Revitalization hazardous materials at the Housing Opportunity Sites, which will allow for streamlined review processes for developments. Corridor Connectivity & Land Use

700 Block Redevelopment

Golden 1 Center/Downtown Commons L Street

Housing Opportunity Future Future

Site Street 301 601 th

(CCSP)* Street Capitol Mall Capitol Mall 7

th Morton’s (Future) 6

Future Streetcar My Sister’s House Old Soul Steakhouse - Way(Funded) Two Conversion Future Cafe Sutter Club Cafe Kitchen 2018) (installed Protected Bikeway Protected Protected Bikeway Protected

Tower Bridge, Old Sacramento CAPITOL MALL Capitol Gardens & West Sacramento and Building

State buildings planned for future replacement, Il Fornaio with potential for ground floor retail Housing Specialty’s Opportunity Cafe Project will create an activated pedestrian and bike corridor Site connecting Sacramento and (CCSP)* West Sacramento’s destinations

N Street

Future Crocker

Event Center and Art Park Street Street Street Future th th rd 4

5 Sacramento Commons 3 Street Street th th 9 8

Light Rail O Street Future DGS Office, Retail and Crocker Art Museum Commercial

CAPITOL MALL DRAFT CONCEPT PLAN - PROMENADE Attachment 4

7 Promenade Concept Design inspiration taken from city grid and sound abstraction Grid pattern used to organize space Sidewalk Cafe Overhead cable and sail structures offer shade during hot summer days and provide visual interest. Wayfinding signage and technology to highlight Sacramento’s attractions and cultural history.

CA State Tresurer’s Office 2

Bank of America 11 Morton’s Steakhouse 301 Capitol Mall House Kitchen Department of Rehabilitation My Sister’s Cafe Old Soul Co. Pedestrian Connection Sutter Club to Old Sacramento 3rd Street 3rd R/W 4th Street 5th Street 6th Street 7th Street 8th Street

5 9th Street 8 8 8 8 14 5 7 9 3 14 Bus Lane 14 12 8 Future Street Car Alignment 3 2 2 Capitol Mall 6 14 13 6 14 9 7 8 8

R/W Pedestrian Connection to Crocker Art Museum Il Fornaio Specialty’s Cafe

California Bank & Trust

10 CA Employment Development Department

Wells Fargo Bank 2 Bank of the West Department of Homeland Security CA State Library & Court 40'20'0' 80'

1 6 5 3 14 Gateway sculptures to feature local artists and direct visitors to the Crocker Art Museum. Square benches provide seating and double as “bollards” for pedestrian protection Decorative lights under the bench Contrasting grid paving pattern Integral colored concrete Utilize bioretention areas and benches to separate vehicular and pedestrian spaces. Valet/Pedestrian drop-off Combine uses for street light poles, shade structures Bike Share Stations Branded site furniture with sawcut scoring and other utility functions.

PLAN LEGEND Bank of America 1 Gateway Sculpture/ Public Art 9 Allée of Trees 301 Capitol Mall

My Sister’s Cafe 2 Low planting within Street Median 10 Allée of Trees continues to connect Old Pedestrian Connection to Old Sacramento Sacramento and Crocker Art Museum Street 3rd R/W 4th Street 5th Street 3 Bio Retention/ Filtration Area

8 11 6th Street Mixed Modal Space to 6 9 4 Standard Square Pavers connect to DOCO Future Street Car Alignment 12 2 5 3 Integral Colored Concrete Pavement 12 Future Street Car Station Stop 8

9 9 9 5 6 Square Concrete Bench/ Bollard 13 Primary Stage Space for Concerts/ 8

Events 7 7 Retractable Shade Structure R/W Pedestrian Connection Il Fornaio Specialty’s Cafe 14 Valet/Pedestrian drop off/delivery to Crocker Art Museum 8 Vaults for Event Electrical and Data pull outs Support 3 6 10 Wells Fargo Bank

40'20'0' 80'

DRAFT CONCEPT PLAN - PROMENADE CONCEPT PREFERRED ALIGNMENT SECTION 2 - PROMENADE CONCEPT

LAND USE ANALYSIS

APPENDIX

CAPITOL MALL REVITALIZATION March 30, 2018 Sacramento, California RESOLUTION NO. 19 -____

Adopted by the Capitol Area Development Authority

April 19, 2019

RESOLUTION DIRECTING STAFF TO INCORPORATE A $100,000 CONTRIBUTION TO THE REDESIGN OF THE CAPITOL MALL PLANNING PROCESS IN THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2019-20 CADA BUDGET

WHEREAS, Capitol Mall between 7th and 10th Streets is within the CADA geographic boundary; and

WHEREAS, Capitol Mall’s configuration is inefficient, its minimal sidewalks do not support pedestrian activity and it is not optimally configured to support public enjoyment; and

WHEREAS, the City of Sacramento is commencing a planning process that will result in the redesign of Capitol Mall in order to enhance connections between the CADA residential area and employment, art and entertainment, and to support public events and pedestrian activity; and

WHEREAS, the redesign of Capitol Mall for the benefit of CADA residents and the downtown neighborhood is consistent with CADA’s strategic plan.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Directors that

The CADA staff is hereby directed to include $100,000 in the proposed CADA 2019-2020 budget for contribution to the Capitol Mall Redesign Planning Process.

______Ann Bailey, Chair

ATTEST:

______Rachel Mercurio Secretary to the Board of Directors