Uneasy Rhetoric

Back in July, I wrote about some fledgling proposals for converting the old PG&E generating plant on Jibboom Street, as well as the land around it, to something more useful. I said at the time:

This is one place where I think a high rise is a bad idea. Keep the buildings low to maintain the integrity of Old Sac and to maintain at least some semblance of river line. Build the high rises east of the freeway.

Unfortunately, as the Business Journal reported recently, that appears to be the proposal currently favored by the city council. The proposal calls for a 15 story condominium tower–certainly not big by our current condominium tower standards, but it would still dominate the area and break up what I think could be a strong link between Old Sacramento and Discovery Park, an area that could become a tourist hub and an entertainment center. Personally, I’d love to see the last bit of the bike trail into Old Sacramento improved and have Old Sac be a kind of “grand entree” to the American River’s grand bikeway.

Hey, a boy can dream, can’t he?

The plan still calls for turning the power plant itself into some kind of public building, perhaps a museum. I’m still holding our for an entertainment venue of some sort because I agree with Councilman Tretheway who said:

“I wouldn’t want to see something in there that was only open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” Tretheway said, adding that if it was turned into a museum, there is potential it would close for the evenings. “I would hate to see it go dark (at night).”

I like that the plan calls for an amphitheater, a small park, and river access, as well as architectural references to the generating plan and the space-age insect, er, pumping station on the river.

I’m not hot on what I see on the Bee’s article. The building really would dominate the scene and open the door for large scale development right on the river (I’d rather see the riverbanks be for public use).

Still, I can’t tell much from the drawing. And I wouldn’t exactly object to living right on the bike trail.