SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento’s mayor and city leaders announced a plan Thursday to revitalize Old Sacramento and build a new downtown hotel.
The Old Sacramento Waterfront brings in about 5 million visitors a year, and they say the plan is the type of move that’ll keep them coming from out of town.
"Well, I've always wanted to stay at the Delta King because it's an old steamboat and you can stay on it and it just is so charming. So, we're very happy that we finally get to come here,” said Scott and Anna Winn, who are visiting from San Diego.
The Winns were thrilled to hear it will soon get a much-needed facelift and Mayor Darrell Steinberg announced a $46 million plan to – in his own words – modernize the waterfront.
"From reusing or rebuilding the public market buildings, to upgrading our food and restaurant opportunities, to replacing the old boardwalk, to repairing the Old Sacramento docks, to offering the private sector a public match to propose their best ideas,” Steinberg said.
Another part of the plan involves increasing access to the river, as well as construction of a convention center hotel in downtown Sacramento.
"One of the comments we heard was that we want to host major events like an NCAA All-Star Game but those don't happen with more hotel rooms and so we're starting to chip away at that. So, it's exciting,” said Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault.
Funding for the project will come mostly from Measure N, which voters approved in 2022. It’s known as the transient occupancy tax. The tax is paid by a person staying less than 31 consecutive days at hotels, motels, inns, short-term rentals and similar establishments.
Steinberg says state leadership is also providing some financial assistance.
"We will also ask the city council to allocate $2 million from our hotel tax to Visit Sacramento to continue our momentum to make this city a city of festivals, especially music festivals,” Steinberg said.
Tourists say the investment is what’ll keep them coming to Sacramento to create memories.
"It's good once you get to know somewhere and you can rely on coming back and that that area is keeping it up,” said Anna and Scott Winn.
Steinberg says he’ll present a term sheet to the city council on Tuesday, Nov. 19, which will hopefully lead to the finalization of the plans and allow construction to begin.
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