One of Sacramento’s favorite food trucks is expanding to a brick-and-mortar restaurant in the River District north of downtown. Krush Burger – formerly the MiniBurger truck – is expected to open in the new California Lottery Headquarters at 700 North 10th St. sometime in December, owner Davin Vculek said. “It’s going to be our first restaurant,” he said. “That’s why we started this company: to build a quick-service restaurant.” The menu will be similar in content and pricing to that of the Krush Burger truck, but it will be expanded to include more as-yet-unnamed burgers, entrée salads and breakfast. The Krush Burger truck serves about 1,000 burgers per day, including the Ninja, which

The Green Line light rail segment's slow start with relatively low ridership, is part of the plan, officials say. Regional Transit’s newest light rail segment has only seen about 150 riders a day, Tony Bizjak reported in Friday’s Sacramento Bee – a low number for a $44 million project that opened with great pomp and circumstance in June. However, Regional Transit Executive Director Michael Wiley disputes those numbers, saying the Green Line has actually been averaging closer to 300 riders per day – and it’s a number he said he’s comfortable with. “Our expectation wasn’t that we were going to achieve really high ridership numbers right off the bat,” Wiley said. “Our plan all along was to

An early evening snapshot of Sacramento's newest light rail station on Richards Blvd. Please see photos and story from its opening today - CLICK HERE>>>.

Nearly 200 people lined the tracks of the newest light rail station Friday as the inaugural car of the Green Line arrived for a grand opening celebration. The Green Line is a 12.8-mile-long project that will eventually connect downtown Sacramento to South and North Natomas and the Sacramento International Airport. This first phase, which opensed Friday, is a 1.1-mile segment that extends from downtown at the H and Eighth streets station to the the Township 9 station at Seventh Street and Richards Boulevard in the River District. Here is a map of what the proposed route will look like when the Green Line is completed. The Township 9 station station is built on a site that was once the lo

As vehicles whiz past, a pedestrian meanders on the sidewalk. Above him is a gentle pulsing cerulean light. The glow shifts in hue, from a deep blue, to teal, to an intense purple. It falls gently on a series of protruding waves, jutting out from the cement wall they rest upon. The otherworldly glow now welcomes travelers passing underneath I-5 on Richards Boulevard. The glow, which breathes and moves along a 112 foot long section of molded concrete, is part of the installation piece 'Confluence' by City of Sacramento Senior Architect Gregory B. Taylor. Included in the Richards to Railyards street and sidewalk improvements, the piece bathes the I-5 underpass in blue and purple tones. The

With nearly $450 million invested in development projects so far, the River District is moving ever closer to realizing its potential for being a valuable transit, business and community hub for the Sacramento region. Business leaders, City Council members and members of the River District association gathered Thursday to hear the latest progress report on development efforts for 750 acres along a 2.5-mile stretch of riverfront that is currently residence to industrial, retail and office uses and about 400 homes. The event, hosted by the River District board of directors and attended by more than 80 people, was an opportunity to learn about recently completed development projects and get

In an industry still dominated by men, Otto Construction’s female employees have no problem calling the shots. Many construction workers may not be used to women working on construction sites. Some guys are afraid they'll say or do something wrong in front of a woman. A lot of men are overly polite and even go out of their way not to swear. Most of the time, though, the vibe isn't negative, women at the company said. Some men simply don't know what to expect. Many, especially those from small companies or subcontractors, have never worked with women on a building project.  "I think we have to overcome that question mark the way men don't," said Caralyn Hethcock, a 28-year-old project en

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has earmarked $1.5 million to help fund sustainable planning for the Sacramento region, HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims said Friday. The money is being awarded to the Sacramento Area Council of Governments and its planning partners through HUD's new Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program. A day earlier, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced Sacramento was among 45 regions to win a portion of nearly $100 million in grants created under President Barack Obama's Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The grant program is designed to boost regional economies through coordinated planning for housing, transportation, the env

Township 9, a mixed-use project planned for the River District, is eligible for up to $1.35 million in Proposition 1C state bond funds after being recognized for its sustainable design plans, a state agency official said Thursday. The 65-acre development, which will be built between the American River and Richards Boulevard east of Fifth Street, was named a Catalyst Project in the California Sustainable Strategies Pilot Program. The program was created to promote the goals of Senate Bill 375 promoting sustainable building strategies and less dependency on cars, according to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, which awards the funding. More than 10 state agenci

Councilman Ray Tretheway’s key goals for 2010 are in response to problems caused by the poor economy. He said he plans to concentrate on public safety, jobs and foreclosure. Tretheway’s priorities are listed here as part of a series of stories on council members’ top three goals for 2010. Links to the stories are at the end of this article. The Sacramento Press made repeated requests to interview Councilman Rob Fong, but he was unavailable. Tretheway represents District 1, which includes North and South Natomas and Alkali Flat. He is running for re-election in June against Efren Guttierrez, a real estate broker, and Angelique Ashby, a partner in a consulting firm that contracts with gov

Officials broke ground Monday on the city's newest light-rail line. The first segment of Sacramento Regional Transit District's "green line" will run just more than a mile, from downtown north to the River District. Eventually, the line will carry public transit riders to Sacramento International Airport. "It's the first great step to a complete transportation system. This is going to connect everything together," said U.S. Rep. Doris Matsui, standing at the future site of the line's initial terminus, 7th Street and Richards Boulevard. "We have an investment in an expanded airport. We're going to have to have another way to get there — and that's going to be light rail." The line will s

A new face is expected to pop up on a controversial Midtown party block in the next few months. An Asian-fusion restaurant named Red Lotus Kitchen & Bar is in the works to take over 2718 J St., where G.V. Hurley's closed its doors last Sunday. Buu "Billy" Ngo and Peter Kwong — the owners of the successful Japanese restaurant Kru just a few blocks down J Street — plan to serve "a little of everything" in a contemporary Asian restaurant whose culinary base will be Chinese food. "It's my interpretation of Chinese, which incorporates everything," Ngo said. Ngo and Kwong have bought the business and will lease the space from G.V. Hurley's owners, a trio of Sacramento developers who own the

Mayor Kevin Johnson is worried that the state’s plans to take local revenues could lead to more layoffs of city workers and slow major development projects. County government officials are also alarmed about the state’s plan, which could be approved by the Legislature on Thursday. Legislative officials and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are planning to use local funds to help balance the state’s $26.3 billion budget gap. The Legislature may take $1 billion in gas tax funds and $1.7 billion in redevelopment funds from local governments throughout the state. The state plan also includes borrowing $2 billion in revenues from local property taxes. Earlier this month, the city laid off 135 worker

With 773 Gross Acres 675 Land Acres, the River District has a lot of room to develop it own identity becoming a mixed-use urban environment featuring residential, office and commercial services. Currently both Township 9 and the California Lottery Headquarters are breaking ground in an effort to revitalize the area. These major projects and others will serve as catalysts bring development, jobs, public transit and cultural amenities to District and paving the way from a primarily light-industrial commercial district to a distinctive, mixed-use neighborhood that will connect Sacramento to its rivers. Process & Timeline April – August 2009 Community Outreach Chapter Writing for Specific Pla

The city of Sacramento has won $55.8 million in Proposition 1C funds for infill redevelopment, the city announced late Tuesday. On Monday, the California Department of Housing and Community Development approved money to help fund infrastructure for four projects: the Railyards, Township 9, Curtis Park Village and Capitol Lofts. Proposition 1C was approved by voters in November 2006. The $6 billion Railyards project will get about $30 million, said city spokesperson Wendy Klock-Johnson. The new funding brings the project's total public bond funding to at least $115 million. “This is a step in the right direction for our city in terms of economic development and creation of employment op