California Exposition and State Fairgrounds officials may get a closer look next month at the feasibility of redeveloping the fairgrounds. Consultants have spent the last two months gathering more extensive information on what it would take to redevelop the site. A team led by Andy Plescia of A. Plescia & Co. has been meeting with city and county officials, utility providers, developers and real estate brokers to determine what development might be possible, plus costs and changes needed to support that, according to an update released late Tuesday afternoon. "This is really drilling down in a deeper level of detail into the feasibility of a redevelopment project," Cal Expo Deputy Gener

The Sacramento City Council on Tuesday picked Sacramento developer David Taylor and the Colorado arena builder ICON Venue Group to lead the city's next effort to build a new arena. In a unanimous vote, the nine-member council gave the ICON-Taylor team the go-ahead to work exclusively with city staff for the next three months to determine the financial feasibility of replacing Arco Arena, the home of the Sacramento Kings. The council did not technically approve a development contract with the team. The project's developer and location will be chosen later. But the council's vote paves the way for the ICON-Taylor team to meet with the Kings' owners, the Maloofs, and other stakeholders to d

The Sacramento City Council will take a closer look Tuesday at four development teams competing for a new Sacramento Kings arena project. The teams will take turns presenting credentials, experience and plans to analyze the financial feasibility of building a new sports and entertainment center to replace the Kings' current home, Arco Arena – soon to be known as the Power Balance Pavilion. The City Council is expected to decide at its Tuesday night meeting which team will work exclusively with the city for the next three months. The council postponed that decision two weeks ago so council members could get more information about the developers. The teams are: • The ICON-Taylor team, pu

If you have lived in Sacramento for any length of time, you will know that Arco Arena (excuse me, Power Balance Pavilion) is on borrowed time. Though it is only 25 years old, the arena was built "on the cheap" - a short term solution for the Sacramento Kings while the city could figure out a long-term solution. Well, my friends... that day is here. The City Council is trying to devise a way to pay for a $600 million arena in a faltering economy. No small feat, but it's not impossible. What's Wrong With Arco Arco Arena, while acceptable for many fans - is not acceptable by modern standards. Several notable event promoters such as Beyonce and the NCAA March Madness tournament committee have

The Sacramento City Council decided Tuesday to move forward with all four teams vying to develop a new arena for the Sacramento Kings – for at least a little longer. Following a motion by City Councilman Steve Cohn, all nine members of the council voted unanimously to schedule a hearing in two weeks for the teams to provide their qualifications and financing approaches directly to the council. In doing so, they decided not to follow a recommendation made Friday by Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena task force that the city start working with just one team, led by Sacramento developer David Taylor and ICON Venue Group, a prominent Colorado sports facility developer. Several council members said

Natomas business leaders admitted Monday they’re fighting an uphill battle to avoid losing the Sacramento Kings arena. At a morning press conference, Natomas Chamber of Commerce leaders said they’re asking Mayor Kevin Johnson and the Sacramento City Council to reject a task force recommendation announced Friday. The task force, which was appointed by the mayor, recommends Sacramento developer David Taylor and a Colorado sports facility developer be chosen to explore building an arena downtown over the next three months. That team won the recommendation over three others, including one backed by the Natomas chamber. "Natomas is not giving up the fight to keep the arena in Natomas," said

Sacramento developer David Taylor and a prominent Colorado sports facility developer have been pegged as the top contenders in an effort to build the city a new downtown arena. Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena task force is recommending city officials work with Taylor and ICON Venue Group to determine if building a sports and entertainment center is feasible now and if they're the right team for the project. In an analysis released Friday, the task force encouraged the city to give the ICON-Taylor team 90 days to study the viability of such a project and to develop a proposal and financing plan. The team was handpicked by Johnson after another team, which then included Taylor, failed to produ

The new downtown railyards owner has consented to cover a $3.2 million debt owed to the city for a key parcel of land, a company spokesman said Thursday. Inland American Real Estate Trust agreed to reimburse the city for the amount taxpayers overpaid the railyards' former owner, developer Thomas Enterprises, for nearly 33 acres of land next to the historic train depot: $2.65 million plus interest, said Inland spokesman Jared Ficker of California Strategies, a public affairs company. Last spring, a court arbitrator ended more than three years of dispute between the city and Thomas by setting the value for the land at $52.35 million, significantly less than the $55 million the city paid in

What a difference a recessionary year makes. Thursday morning’s meeting of the Sacramento First Task Force, which has been looking at competing proposals for a new sports and entertainment arena, was scaled down in every way from last March’s high-profile event. Held in the much smaller Old City Hall meeting room, which was notably chilly (which task force co-chair Chris Lehane half-jokingly explained as city cost-cutting) the event drew far fewer people, nearly half of whom were on one of the four teams vying for approval. The media presence was far smaller than last year. With four proposals instead of seven, and even the task force itself smaller by two members, everything in the roo

An arena task force will use flexibility to analyze a second round of project proposals because there is such a wide range of plans now before them, a task force co-chair said Thursday. Co-chair Chris Lehane called the proposals to build Sacramento a new sports and entertainment facility "apples and oranges.” Each plan from the four teams has different levels of detail and preparation, ranging from three weeks to more than a year, he said after a public hearing at historic City Hall. Lehane and member Matt Kelly, executive secretary of the Sacramento-Sierra’s Building & Construction Trades Council, said they appreciated the work Sacramento developer Gerry Kamilos and the Convergence Team

A team handpicked by Mayor Kevin Johnson and led by Sacramento developer David Taylor and national sports facility builders has emerged as one of the frontrunners to develop a new arena. Taylor quietly ended his partnership with developer Gerry Kamilos after their first proposal, a complicated land swap, didn't produce a viable proposal by its October deadline. Taylor is now partnering with the historic railyards' new owner, Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, and others. On Thursday, his group submitted a letter of interest to Johnson's arena task force briefly outlining a proposed process for developing a sports and entertainment center. Another three teams submitted new or modified

Development in Sacramento suffered some significant setbacks in 2010. But there were modest moves forward as well, making for a mixed picture heading into 2011. The focus was on five major projects, which included: 1. The Railyards A suburban Chicago real estate investment firm, the Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, took ownership of most of Sacramento's historic downtown railyards in a courthouse foreclosure auction held in October. Inland foreclosed on the 203-acre Railyards site after then-owner Thomas Enterprises defaulted on nearly $194 million in loans in June. The two sides had been negotiating on a loan extension for several months but failed to agree on terms. Since October

Natomas business leaders have a critical meeting Thursday in their fight to keep the arena from moving downtown. Natomas Chamber of Commerce President Ed Koop and N Magazine Publisher Emeritus Marni Leger, who chairs the chamber's Keep Arena committee, are set to meet at City Hall with City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby. They'll discuss the advantages they see in a revised proposal to build a new sports and entertainment complex on 100 acres of city-owned land adjacent to Arco Arena. The original proposal, created by Natomas Entertainment Sports Center Partners, was one of seven submitted to the city late last year to construct a new arena in Sacramento. They'll also ask Ashby to help ke

Ali Mackani has made a career out of developing potential. As a computer science engineer at Intel, people came to him with ideas and asked how to make them work. Mackani usually found a way. In 2002, the Folsom resident and partners brought Sacramento a bit of high-tech fame by creating the first large-scale outdoor wireless fidelity or "wi-fi" network. He created a buzz on Capitol Mall, where he opened his first restaurant, 55 Degrees. He then opened a bar, Lounge on 20, that anchors one of the trendiest corners in Midtown, 20th and K streets. Now a team led by this ambitious 40-year-old entrepreneur is a top contender to develop a new arena in Sacramento. That possibility has left s

Mayor Kevin Johnson's arena task force resumed its work to get a new facility built in Sacramento Thursday – minus two members who've now thrown their expertise behind a runner-up proposal. At the same time, the task force is opening the process to more developers after its top choice – a complicated three-way land swap submitted by developers Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor – didn't pan out. The task force is accepting new proposals as well as updated versions from the first round of proposals submitted last December. The public is expected to get its first look at the contenders in early January, the group said Thursday in a press release. In a surprise move, two task force members dec

Mayor Kevin Johnson is reassembling his arena task force next week to consider next steps in the effort to get a new arena built in Sacramento. Mayoral Special Assistant R.E. Graswich and other staff from the mayor's office expect to meet Nov. 18 with at least 10 members of the original Sacramento First Task Force. Details for the private meeting at City Hall were still being finalized Wednesday. Graswich will update the task force on the status of a proposal from their chosen developer, Sacramento Convergence Holding LLC, led by Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor. The developers’ exclusive negotiating period with the city ended late last month after they were unable to produce a viable plan

Arena plans submitted to the city last December will get a second chance after developers behind a complicated land swap didn't produce a viable proposal on schedule, a city official said Friday. At least one of the teams behind the other six proposals is still interested. The exclusive negotiating period granted to the Sacramento Convergence Team, led by developers Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor, ends Monday. At Tuesday's City Council meeting, city staff will propose spending the next few months determining whether any of the other proposals seem possible. "It's now time to regroup and touch base with our stakeholders – the NBA, for the most part, and Maloof Sports and Entertainment –

If you missed the last screening of The Next American Dream, you'll have another chance to see the film this weekend.  This documentary and dialogue-driver about revitalizing America's urban cores will be showing for free in front of the MARRS building on Saturday evening. When:  Saturday Oct. 2, 6:30-8.  Screening will begin at 7pm Where:  In front of MARRS, 1050 20th Street Cost:  Free Sacramento stands poised for a 21st century transformation.  Come and join the discussion about shaping our city's future!

The developers behind a proposed downtown arena will get another month to present an alternative plan after state fair officials pulled out of the deal, the Sacramento City Council decided Tuesday. Cal Expo board members on Friday voted against being part of a three-way land swap to move the state fairgrounds to Natomas and allow private developers to sell the fair's current site in a deal to build an arena downtown. The Sacramento Convergence team, led by Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor, is now scheduled to present a new proposal at the Oct. 26 council meeting — a day after an already-extended exclusive negotiating period between the team and the city technically ends. "The only way we

California Exposition and State Fair officials said no Friday to being part of an arena land swap deal. At the end of a four-hour meeting, the board voted 7-2 against further study of a proposal by developer Gerry Kamilos and the Sacramento Convergence team to relocate the state fairgrounds to Arco Arena in Natomas and to develop the 350-acre Cal Expo site to help finance a new arena downtown. Board members said they want proceeds from Cal Expo's development to benefit the state fairgrounds and the state, rather than a private company and an arena. The Cal Expo board has already spent too much time studying ideas to modernize the fairgrounds by helping to get an arena built, they said.