How positive is this? A Sacramento City Council uniformly impressed by a proposal to build a privately financed entertainment and sports complex, linked with the city’s new intermodal transit center downtown. The energy created by merging the two projects could be unique in city history. Each year, millions of citizens would move between the intermodal and events center, creating an economic engine of unprecedented potential in California’s capital.
Sacramento City Councilman Rob Fong said it straight out:
“I absolutely understand the Madison Square Garden and Boston examples. I think it’s the right vision.”
He continued, “It certainly makes it a regional amenity at that point.”
Fong was referring to other cities that have famously and successfully blended public transit and events centers. Similar examples can be found across Europe and Asia.
The potential of blending the intermodal and entertainment and sports complex was highlighted by Sacramento First, the citizen task force created by Mayor Kevin Johnson to study ways to replace Arco Arena while protecting the taxpayers.
Sacramento First liked the “convergence” plan, which involves selling Cal Expo and moving the State Fair to Natomas property already envisioned as an events center.
The plan converges at the downtown railyards, with a new entertainment complex.
The task force sought to improve upon the “convergence” idea by integrating it with the intermodal transit facility.
That’s what Councilman Fong was talking about.
The synergy and energy created by merging the facilities is crucial, the task force said.
Another point made by the task force: the “convergence” and other proposals aren’t feasible today. Many hurdles must be overcome.
City officials have said developers must meet deadlines and milestones to make any project workable. Mayor Johnson has said the taxpayers must come first, and the city must negotiate on even terms.
But the first steps have been taken. All journeys start somewhere.
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