http://eyeonsacramento.com/2013/03/an-eye-on-sacramento-report-on-the-arena-proposal/
Watchdog report on the proposed SAC arena deal, for whoever's interested.
thanks
It seems that report doesn't know about the general fund protection either. Somewhere, I think I found an update on that and the 600k figure in there. It may have just been more talk about the TOT hotel fund.
sacramentan stuffThey also see K street mall as the area to renovate and the public assistance programs there being a roadblock. I would rather they note wipe out the public assistance systems there, but I also understand that the Lightrail system has a stop there and it's sort of a damning image to get off the train to a collection of 'dirty poors'. I also wouldn't be surprised if the regrowth starts to succeed that it won't instead move towards the waterfront than continuing in the direction of K Street. The current location of the downtown plaza that is to be reformed into an arena is right between Old Sacramento and the Capitol Building, with the K street mall area connecting the space between the Capitol Building and the Plaza. So it's between the two biggest tourist attractions/traps in a city with not a lot of tourism. However, the riverfront area is directly north of Old Sacramento and doesn't have the 'dirty poors' issue.
The one thing I feel is left out is that they compare the cost of creating smaller urban renewal jobs and the permanent jobs formed from that to the jobs created via construction and the jobs associated with the arena. We don't know how many people the new ownership will employ and the staff size of the new arena compared to the old one. We also don't know that any businesses that prop up from any smaller urban renewal will last. Retaining tenants has been a problem in the downtown area, while a pro team on a 35 year lease is a more assured employment at a much higher cost of creation.
So the plan could be better. It is impacted by the rush to assemble it, but it was also done once before so it's not as rushed as it would seem according to the Seattle move timeline. It still could be improved upon and I am wondering if things like letting private companies work the parking garages will end up happening before the arena is built.
I don't see it as something done to force an arena deal past critical eyes. The Maloofs simply were out to kill the team in the city. They already had their rushed arena deal and backed out over unreasonable, last-minute demands. They had a tax funded arena deal shot down by their own public stand against it days before it went to vote. They kept asking the locals to build them an arena or they'd move, then kill the arena deal when it started to progress.
Malek, yes people who use the general area will be paying towards the arena. Some visitors will be paying towards the arena via hotel taxes. So it's not related to use of the arena, but use of the area. It's also not falling on the locals in that way. The aim is also for the general area to have growth. I still don't see your aim though and I don't think anyone cares.