SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Along the Old Sacramento Waterfront Thursday evening, Mayor Darrell Steinberg announced the exciting new attractions that are planned along the river there.
“150 years ago, the waterfront was a space for new ideas, like the Pony Express and the Transcontinental Railroad,” Steinberg said. “But we must also acknowledge honestly — and it’s not a criticism — that it’s also a tired part of town.”
Old Sac underperforms compared to other historic districts around the state and other major shopping area throughout the city, the mayor said.
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“Our waterfront should be more than just a time capsule of those bygone days,” Steinberg said. “For decades, we have talked and talked and talked about our waterfront.”
He said Old Sacramento needs more than just one major attraction – the California State Railroad Museum.
“Instead of having people just come to the Railroad Museum, grab an ice cream and leave, we’re going to create a string a new attractions that will pull them deep into Old Sacramento,” he said.
Surrounding the mayor on stage were displays depicting the types of attractions he plans on bringing to the Old Sacramento Waterfront.
The four major developments are a park, floating terrace, history museum event deck and a beach front.
Within those four areas are more specific features, such as a new, two-story freight depot.
“On the bottom floor, you can have art exhibits, you can have small performances, you can have all kinds of public gatherings,” Steinberg explained. “On the top floor, you could have restaurants, wine bars, places for people to come on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday night.”
Another addition is a festival lawn, which “could have a stage and an amphitheater,” the mayor said.
The park would include play structures for kids as well as an interactive water fountain.
“How about letting kids and adults run through the water during the summer here in Sacramento?” Steinberg said, to applause on the hot and sunny Thursday evening.
The history museum event deck would offer “iconic views of the river and West Sacramento,” Steinberg said.
The floating terrace would allow people to access the river.
“And then, the state of California, with its part of the land, promises to build an actual beachfront!” Steinberg said.
The whole project could cost between $35 million and $45 million and bring an economic boon to the area.
“The tax revenues from Old Sacramento…could jump from $700,000 a year to $4.2 million a year, annually, if we make the kinds of improvements that you see behind me and if we attract more private development,” Steinberg said, citing a study the city commissioned.
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Steinberg will ask his colleagues to create the Destination Sacramento Fund and transfer as much as $45 million to begin working on the Old Sacramento Waterfront redevelopment project.
“Some people ask, ‘Why should we spend this money on roof decks, on pools and fountains, on all these great destination amenities for Sacramentans and for tourists instead of paying for more police officers or building more homeless shelters?’” Steinberg said. “Because the money for our waterfront improvements comes from taxes on hotel bills in our downtown, and the law requires that it be spent specifically on places people will visit and where they can gather.”
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