Sacramento To Decide Fate Of Downtown Railyards

"After years of dreaming, the downtown railyard development faces its first key vote tonight when the Planning Commission decides whether to recommend approval of the project – perhaps the most significant civic rebuilding effort in the city's history.

Commissioners spent the past few days wading through reams of documents, released by the city last week, containing the ingredients for the 240-acre railyard project. They spell out details large and small, from how much room store displays should occupy on the sidewalks to how tall the high-rise buildings can thrust into the sky.

It's the commissioners' responsibility to decide whether the ingredients sprinkled throughout this pile of paper will combine to produce the winning recipe for five vibrant new neighborhoods that would double the size of Sacramento's downtown.

If the city gets it right, Sacramento could reinvent its urban core into a place pulsing with life with thousands of new residents and visitors to the railyard's museums, stores, restaurants and cultural attractions.

If the city gets it wrong, the development could feel fake and soulless, fail to attract residents and visitors, and be dominated by cars rather than pedestrians."