I agree that housing is key to “turning things around” – increasing the number of both high-end and affordable units for sale and rent in downtown and Midtown will be crucial in sustaining new businesses, especially clubs, restaurants, theatres and the like. For a number of reasons it’s impractical to expect suburbanites at this stage of Sacramento’s development to spend their entertainment dollars in the central city – the dearth of public transportation options, drunk-driving laws, early restaurant closing times are all factors, as well as the unfortunate (or fortunate?) truth that most people who live in the suburbs have chosen to do so and prefer their local Applebee’s to New Canton or Biba. The revitalization of the core will be up to the types of new residents who have historically transformed center cities – professionals, artists, cultural aficionados, retirees who enjoy an urban lifestyle, and certainly those essential people who work in service industries. Giving them housing options no matter what their income levels is the first step in creating a vibrant downtown scene.

One of the biggest problems with that goal is the lack of diverse employment opportunities here that’s kept people away. It’s only been in the past 20 years or so that Sacramento has moved beyond its historical role as a governmental, military and agricultural center, and the city has very few corporate headquarters and is still weak in creative industries like architecture, advertising, and publishing. For downtown and midtown to thrive their businesses need at a minimum the cash influx that successful people bring, but perhaps more importantly the intellectual ferment that those who are not necessarily well-off but are inclined to start a band, sit in a coffeehouse for hours and discuss Saussure, or create a “little magazine” will induce. Such folks are more likely to come to Sacramento (or stay here) if working for the state or in a back office aren’t their only career options.

My point, then: Theaters, restaurants, nightclubs, etc. are all wonderful, but they need regular customers to stay in business, and it’s reasonable to expect that a solid base of smart, solvent residents should make up the great majority of those regular customers. Great attractions will certainly increase the desirability of the urban core as a place to live, but a critical residential mass needs to be reached before downtown and midtown become the vibrant 24/7 cultural mecca I think we’d all like to see them become for this region.

On the K Street thing – I don’t have a problem in theory with K Street being reopened to cars, but I have to agree that the obstacles are pretty daunting (as you mention, track relocation is a big one). Again, I think the future of downtown lies in making it a more attractive place to live, and when that happens K Street’s businesses should be able to rely on the patronage of locals who won’t need storefront parking spaces. If as I’ve suggested pandering to commuters is the wrong approach, changing the mall back into a city street, while making nothing worse, improves nothing and wastes money.

By the way, you addressed one of my pet peeves – the lack of downtown news kiosks. Is it too much to ask for a decent newsstand every five or six blocks that sells at least the NYT, WashPost, and the principal European papers along with a few magazines, cigarettes, candy, etc., as you’ll find in NYC or SF? One on K Street would certainly be a good start, though I hope it would be toward the Downtown Plaza end, as the wonderful Newsbeat is already on 10th and L, as you mention.

Thanks for the interesting read!

Darren

It’s really too bad the city doesn’t want to spend the money to bring a new theater. Hell, I wish K Street had some mainstream theaters as well, those bring people out in bunches. The times I see K Street the busiest are when there is something at the CCT or people out at IMAX

Like Carl said, a MIX of things is what we need, not just restaurants or any one particular thing. I will say is that they seem to be more focused on entertainment restaurants such as a dinner theater or jazz club type places. Even then though, the others mentioned by Carl are so needed to create a diverse area.

I sent an off email to the city council and Economic Development Department yesterday, I’m waiting to see how many pre written replies I get

You’ve also nailed the problem directly. Suburbanization is exactly the catalyst that created today’s K Street, and reurbanization (is that a word?) is the primary solution.