The Docks Master Plan

Sacramento has been struggling for many years to improve the image of its downtown region, an area historically only occupied during the day by city and state employees, leaving the central business district a ghost town after work hours ended.  At one point, downtown Sacramento held such a bad reputation that some news sources prior to the 1950s described it as one of the grittiest slums west of the Mississippi.  Since then, the city of Sacramento has been working hard to re-invent the downtown region by bringing residents and nightlife back to the core to ensure that homeless aren't the only people walking around at night. The past 10 years has brought incredible changes including a long list of great dining and nightlife options that are keeping Sacramentens coming back for more, long after standard business hours.   Sacramento City Development staff are not finished yet however and have some significant plans for future development.  They are especially focusing on the west downtown and riverfront portions of Sacramento and have identified five redevelopment areas that will literally change the face of Sacramento in the coming years.  These are the five regions:

1. Westfield Downtown Plaza
2. Docks Area Development
3. Old Sacramento
4. K Street Corridor
5. Railyards Development

Each of these are notable, though the Docks and the Railyards offer the greatest opportunity for new growth. The Railyards project seems to have received all the attention lately, but the Docks is still an important project and is on par with the scope of the Railyards redevelopment. The Docks would fill in the space between I-5 and the Embassy Suits Hotel and would redevelop the land currently used by the Sheriff Horse stables, Towe Auto Musium, and the Sacramento animal shelter among other things.  The proposal would bring mid to high-rise residential and office buildings set behind a riverfront public promenade that would feature extensive dining, retail, and nightlife options.  This development area is expected to bring an additional 2,500 residents to the downtown riverfront as well as almost 2000 new jobs. Here are some images of two possible visions for this project with the significant differences being the size and placement of the park:

Sacramento has done a fairly poor job of capitalizing on the downtown riverfront space as Old Sacramento is really the only access the water, and while Old Sacramento remains a popular destination, turning this currently under utilized land into a space accessible to the public will go a long way in making Sacramento a more tourist friendly city.  This plan really focuses on turning the waterfront into a destination by designing the space to accommodate restaurants and shops within walking distance of both the river, and Old Sacramento.  One of the features I really like are the second story restaurants that could make for a great view during dinner creating a really unique space to enjoy an evening out.  Here are some artist renderings of what the riverfront space could look like:

As you can see from the above photo, the planners are really trying be creative in maximizing the functionality of the space. To make this land level, the developers will have to fill in the land nearly two stories higher so it is even with the levee.  Rather than simply filling this space in with dirt, one of the ideas is to create underground parking in that two story space leaving more room for parks and green-space above ground. 

  

Some drawings of the master plan show the development extending south beyond the I-5 overpass and it’s likely that at least some development will extend under I-5 although it’s not clear what the southern section of this development will end up looking like.

Major project highlights according to the city of Sacramento:

This development project will help to:

• Bolster the economic viability of downtown and Old Sacramento businesses with the addition of 2,550 residents, the creation of 1,825 new jobs, and include more than 40,000 square feet of retail

• Generate an annual Transit Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenue of $750,000; $9.7 million in annual property tax; and $164,000 in annual sales tax

• Attract more than 500,000 visitors annually, yielding additional sales tax and TOT revenue

• Improve property values and generate tax increment revenue for future redevelopment and infill projects in the downtown Sacramento area

I will try to go into more detail about what type of development is actually proposed for this development and as I hear news about this project, I will post that info as well.  This project really has the potential to transform Sacramento’s riverfront space giving both residents as well as tourists a more vibrant and exiting waterfront to visit.

I will try to post some pictures and information about the similar project that West Sacramento is working on for the West side of the Sacramento River called the Bridge District – also a really exciting project that will help to bring more attention to the downtown waterfront.

If you have questions or comments - fire away!!