Sunday, January 14, 2007
Silence in the Capital City
After the pomp and circumstance of Governor Schwarzenegger's recent inaugurals, Sacramento seems to be, at least for now, shrouded in blanket of silence.
No, there was no blanket of snow on the Capital, as predicted as a possibility by several local media outlets.
The silence is heard at Arco Arena, where fans are staying away in droves to avoid watching another defeat by their hardcourt heroes. The Kings are adding their own brand of silence, with minuscule shooting percentages resulting in the "swish" being named to the endangered sounds list.
The silence is heard on our college campuses and in our young communities, where Ipods and MP3s have replaced records, tapes, Cds, and unfortunately, venerable Sacramento retailer Tower.
Meanwhile, there is again trouble on K Street, where the city would like to redevelop, effectively extending somewhat fancier retail options from the downtown plaza down another block. One of the owners of a K Street building is now balking at a land swap he has already agreed to do. This is something to do with two K buildings that were destroyed in a recent fire. It may only end with imminent domain proceedings. The city, after over a decade of hoping for it, is now determined to rejuvenate K.
The frustration of downtown's failures is even more depressing when compared to all outer edges of the Sacramento area. The Lincolns, Elk Groves, Natomas, and El Dorado Hills of ten years ago are unrecognizable to what they have become. Even West Sacramento is seeing unprecedented growth. Construction in those areas rushes along, while central city work, while assuredly more complex, struggles along and often fails.
Time will tell if Sacramento starts humming again. It is only winter, and construction will likely pick up in the warmer months. Hopefully some of that developmental attention is focused on the heart.
No, there was no blanket of snow on the Capital, as predicted as a possibility by several local media outlets.
The silence is heard at Arco Arena, where fans are staying away in droves to avoid watching another defeat by their hardcourt heroes. The Kings are adding their own brand of silence, with minuscule shooting percentages resulting in the "swish" being named to the endangered sounds list.
The silence is heard on our college campuses and in our young communities, where Ipods and MP3s have replaced records, tapes, Cds, and unfortunately, venerable Sacramento retailer Tower.
The silence is the sound of hammers being set aside, heavy equipment sitting idle, moving vans going unused. Now to the silence of construction. The long expected resurgence of the Sacramento downtown slipped again into doubtfulness. First, John Saca stopped construction on the Sacramento Towers project, previously discussed as a possibility here in ValleyVue. That Saca himself, a grand spokesman in his own right, is primarily communicating to the media through another spokesperson, does not bode well for the future of downtown skyscraper abodes. The news from the Saca camp is that he will not be seeking more money from the city of Sacramento. We should, however, stay tuned to see if Saca can find other funding streams, or else there may be another request to the city council.
Meanwhile, there is again trouble on K Street, where the city would like to redevelop, effectively extending somewhat fancier retail options from the downtown plaza down another block. One of the owners of a K Street building is now balking at a land swap he has already agreed to do. This is something to do with two K buildings that were destroyed in a recent fire. It may only end with imminent domain proceedings. The city, after over a decade of hoping for it, is now determined to rejuvenate K.
The frustration of downtown's failures is even more depressing when compared to all outer edges of the Sacramento area. The Lincolns, Elk Groves, Natomas, and El Dorado Hills of ten years ago are unrecognizable to what they have become. Even West Sacramento is seeing unprecedented growth. Construction in those areas rushes along, while central city work, while assuredly more complex, struggles along and often fails.
Time will tell if Sacramento starts humming again. It is only winter, and construction will likely pick up in the warmer months. Hopefully some of that developmental attention is focused on the heart.
Labels: construction, development, Sacramento, Sacramento Towers
