Let's Demolish the Renaissance Tower (Los Angeles, Sacramento: how much, taxis, live)

[wburg]

So, how do we bring in more "private sector"? Any particular sector of the private sector?

[Curmudgeon]

Originally Posted by webdev

...but I must agree the arena alone is not going to revitalize downtown.

And therein lies my concern about the placement of an arena smack-dab in the middle of downtown. I still believe that if there had to be one close-in the rail yard would have been the most appropriate site for it. Parking would have been better and if the team was eventually moved and/or the building was deemed outdated in a decade or so, at least it wouldn't become a pimple on the face of the Capitol city to the extent it would/will eventually be in the plaza site.

As for the Darth Vader building, I do seem to recall there was a fair restaurant and pretty lively, "neighborhood" bar on the ground floor at one time but they succumbed to the increasing downtown malaise in the late 90s. Nearby lunchtime "hot spots" slowly but inexorably began to disappear one by one and fast food like Taco Bell and McDonalds - the popular morning coffee spot for the homeless and SRO denizens to lazy, infirm or nursing a hangover to make it to freebies spots like Loaves and Fishes - also gave up. Renaissance Tower thereby stood pretty much alone, increasingly isolated and obviously wasn't ever a popular placement for office operations.

Just a few impressions overall going back about two and a half decades in all.

[wburg]

The Railyards location was actually worse, with really poor traffic access and it didn't have a separate parking lot either. It also would have dramatically interfered with the intermodal depot, because the site the city chose was in between the passenger depot and the tracks!

I have seen ads for a restaurant on the ground floor of the Renaissance Tower, but it doesn't justify such an enormously long period of vacancy. Just around the corner, Temple Coffee started its first location and has grown to a local chain with regional roasting distribution. Blackbird, despite some management problems, has become one of the hottest and most talked about (in part due to the management problems) restaurants in the city, it's just around the corner. A block away, the much-maligned "mermaid bar" is an active nightlife block, with restaurants that stay busy during the day.

Taco Bell and McDonald's gave up the ghost late in the 1990s, but their spots aren't vacant--both are occupied by local restaurants that seem to be doing okay. Part of what may have affected the chain restaurants' business is the drop in SRO resident population since the mid-1990s--there were about 1000-1200 SRO residents in the early 90s, now there are about 500. But I suspect the drop in shoppers, as retail stores on the mall slowly closed up, was a bigger factor. The 1993 Downtown Plaza mall also introduced a new, enclosed food court that drew the remaining shoppers in that direction, and also captured visitors seeking fast food from Old Sacramento.

Another thing to consider about the Renaissance Tower: It was built within about a year of the current Arco Arena.

[cityx]

Isn't that where Barry Minkow had one of his fake offices?

[wburg]

Only if it was his address while the building was under construction, which, given the guy's bio, I wouldn't rule out.

[webdev]

Originally Posted by wburg

So, how do we bring in more "private sector"? Any particular sector of the private sector?

Incentives, easing barriers for development, lowering taxes etc. A lot of what the incorporated surrounding cities are doing. Granted its easier said then done.

[stevied916]

Originally Posted by webdev

Incentives, easing barriers for development, lowering taxes etc. A lot of what the incorporated surrounding cities are doing. Granted its easier said then done.

The opposite of what the city is known for?

[wburg]

It seems like other cities with a lot of "private sector" like San Francisco have higher taxes, higher barriers to development, and are less likely to give out incentives. What makes the private sector want to locate there despite those apparent obstacles?

And, again, what does "the private sector" mean in this context? What sorts of industries should relocate to Sacramento--and what do we have to offer them?

[webdev]

Originally Posted by wburg

It seems like other cities with a lot of "private sector" like San Francisco have higher taxes, higher barriers to development, and are less likely to give out incentives. What makes the private sector want to locate there despite those apparent obstacles?

And, again, what does "the private sector" mean in this context? What sorts of industries should relocate to Sacramento--and what do we have to offer them?

I'm sure they pursue companies to come to Sacramento. Maybe some cities are just better at drawing companies than others. Companies that can transform a city. For example Folsom bringing in Intel completely transformed that town. How can Sacramento city make itself more attractive for new business. Not just small business but big employers. Im just throwing this out there as an exaggerated example, but imagine Sacramento attracting Google as a low cost start up town for its fibre service with its main offices downtown?. Rancho Cordova has actually been really good at attracting new business. Insurance, VSP, a new extension college campus etc. Rancho Cordova does it by aggressively lowering the cost for entry, taxes etc. How come they have VSP and not downtown etc?

[wburg]

uh, VSP does have an office downtown.

VSP think tank setting up shop in old car showroom - Sacramento Business Journal

Rancho Cordova is in Sacramento County, so technically, they're considered a Sacramento company (just as Google isn't a San Francisco company, but people associate San Francisco with Google.) They moved to the area back in 1968, when they were relatively small.

See, it's a lot easier to encourage small companies to come to Sacramento and then have them grow into big companies than to try to transplant big companies. It just takes longer. Small business is more important to encourage in the long run.

Our local business association (the Metro Chamber) prefers a "regional" approach--they prefer to put businesses out in the suburban region rather than putting all their eggs in downtown. But VSP considered downtown important enough to put their innovation center downtown, in an old car dealership. New ideas need old buildings...