Downtown Plaza - Santana Row? (San Francisco, Fresno: for sale, real estate market, condo)

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by vdy1985

lmao.

Sac is so hardcore city that they can't keep their one pro sports franchise. Give me a break, Majin. Suburbs? North Natomas anyone?

Yup, I went there.

San Jose has a larger percentage of housing stock built after 1950 then sacramento does. And considering your city is nearly one million people , yet does not even offer the sports attractions of cleveland or milwaukee or pittsburg, its not like you have anything to brag about.

And if you don't think San Jose has tract homes (not sure how you can miss them) you need to get on the 101 and head south as if going to morgan hill.

[vdy1985]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

San Jose has a larger percentage of housing stock built after 1950 then sacramento does. And considering your city is nearly one million people , yet does not even offer the sports attractions of cleveland or milwaukee or pittsburg, its not like you have anything to brag about.

And if you don't think San Jose has tract homes (not sure how you can miss them) you need to get on the 101 and head south as if going to morgan hill.

BTW, I like Sac. I'm just being annoying because Majin is angry. And despite what you said, Sac is still losing the Kings. Yep, SJ is newer and exploded after the 1950's. There is a reason why. Milwaukee (I live here), Cleveland, etc, all hit there peak populations and popularity in 1950... so yeah they have more teams because they were historically bigger markets. Don't forget the rumblings of having the 49ers and A's move to the South Bay. There is a reason for that.

[wburg]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

Seriously, who hell would want a santa row in down town sac. Just go to Roseville and shop there.

Coming from a city like Chicago, I can say that Santa Row has a very bland and generic feel. No thanks to that.
I'd rather the city do its own thing brick by brick, rather then look like anywhere yuppie suburbia. Thats what suburbs are for.

That's why I like the current K Street plan--one block is a row of buildings whose vintage varies from Victorian 1880s brick to a 1970s Tower Records mural, basically they're just fixing up what is there and adding a 156 unit apartment building to the back. The other half starts with a demolished quarter-block and a city landmark designed by one of our city's best known architects, and turns it into a neighborhood like the ones that used to be downtown, with several stories of residential apartments above it. Kind of like this:



San Jose had a big influx of money due to the original Silicon Valley tech boom--and a lot of that had to do with the presence of schools like Stanford, and a handful of postwar companies like HP and Xerox. They went from being a pokey little agricultural town to being a high-tech center, albeit a still fairly horizontal one. Sacramento was a 19th century high-tech production center (back when "high-tech" meant steam locomotives) and factory city in its day. In the postwar era the canneries and the railroads were in decline, and we hitched our wagon to our military bases and state government, which was a pretty bustling business for decades, with the Cold War on and the state's population exploding.

[Ludachris]

I would hope Sacramento would take some pointers from Santana Row, but not duplicate Santana Row, as it does have a very artificial feel to it. I always saw it as a cross between Beverly Hills and your run of the mill suburban mall. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool place to hang out but it oozes with materialism, but then again, that was the goal. It's filled with ritzy boutique stores, pricey dining options, and some bar/lounge nightlife. It's a model that is growing popular out here in the Denver metro area, without much of the ultra ritzy factor and bar/lounge nightlife that attracts the singles.

I would think downtown Sacramento would be better served with reinventing itself with its own flavor. Attract some boutique shops and elegant dining, coffee shops, book stores, and surround that with apartments, some classy bars/lounges, and some good family destinations as well. Connect it all with some good public transportation and keep it all clean, inviting, and walkable. Use the existing buildings to preserve the character as much as possible. The more organic feel it has the better.

[durf]

It goes to show you that San jose has the best of both world: Santana Row and a real downtown. San Jose is one successful city that other cities can try to emulate. It's artsy downtown is an entertainment hub with nice decorated streets, and Santana Row is a retail and restaurant mecca which are high end. What a nice city! Good luck building a city like that. San Jose is better than Chicago and New York. Not even kidding since I've been there.

[Majin]

Originally Posted by durf

It goes to show you that San jose has the best of both world: Santana Row and a real downtown. San Jose is one successful city that other cities can try to emulate. It's artsy downtown is an entertainment hub with nice decorated streets, and Santana Row is a retail and restaurant mecca which are high end. What a nice city! Good luck building a city like that. San Jose is better than Chicago and New York. Not even kidding since I've been there.

rofl

[wburg]

Originally Posted by Ludachris

I would think downtown Sacramento would be better served with reinventing itself with its own flavor. Attract some boutique shops and elegant dining, coffee shops, book stores, and surround that with apartments, some classy bars/lounges, and some good family destinations as well. Connect it all with some good public transportation and keep it all clean, inviting, and walkable. Use the existing buildings to preserve the character as much as possible. The more organic feel it has the better.

In other words, Midtown. Don't worry, that is pretty much the plan.

I think a lot of folks assume that K Street is the beginning and end of downtown Sacramento, rather than one part of it that gets a lot of attention. I suppose you could call it the heart of the city, and as such worthy of a lot of attention, but there are other parts of the central city that are working pretty well, even in these troubled times.

Durf: Um, no.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by vdy1985

BTW, I like Sac. I'm just being annoying because Majin is angry. And despite what you said, Sac is still losing the Kings. Yep, SJ is newer and exploded after the 1950's. There is a reason why. Milwaukee (I live here), Cleveland, etc, all hit there peak populations and popularity in 1950... so yeah they have more teams because they were historically bigger markets. Don't forget the rumblings of having the 49ers and A's move to the South Bay. There is a reason for that.

Whats with all the bay area people ragging sac and then back tracking and saying "I like sac". I've counted two san jose homers and an Oakland homer who do this. Its so silly. We don't care if you like us, and quite frankly we dont care if you are upset that we dont like your city.

And if the 9ers and A's were moving to the south bay, why are they not there? People have been talking about the A's moving since the 90's and the 9ers for nearly as long. 10 years the 9ers will be right at the stick and the a's in oakland.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by wburg

That's why I like the current K Street plan--one block is a row of buildings whose vintage varies from Victorian 1880s brick to a 1970s Tower Records mural, basically they're just fixing up what is there and adding a 156 unit apartment building to the back. The other half starts with a demolished quarter-block and a city landmark designed by one of our city's best known architects, and turns it into a neighborhood like the ones that used to be downtown, with several stories of residential apartments above it. Kind of like this:



San Jose had a big influx of money due to the original Silicon Valley tech boom--and a lot of that had to do with the presence of schools like Stanford, and a handful of postwar companies like HP and Xerox. They went from being a pokey little agricultural town to being a high-tech center, albeit a still fairly horizontal one. Sacramento was a 19th century high-tech production center (back when "high-tech" meant steam locomotives) and factory city in its day. In the postwar era the canneries and the railroads were in decline, and we hitched our wagon to our military bases and state government, which was a pretty bustling business for decades, with the Cold War on and the state's population exploding.

Good post, Sac has much more historic housing per capita, and we have a lot more character then san jose as a result. Demographics are definately based on the history of the local economies. As for the K street plan, I am a big fan.

[the city]

Could building a high-end hotel happen? Many small and large cities have been doing that and it's been working great. Are their any lofts or high-rise apartments? Not the lower-end ones, but nice ones. This would help bring college educated shoppers into downtown and bring in revenue to that neigborhood.