With a Valentine’s Day launch and the motto “show some love,” the Warehouse Artist Lofts project broke ground Thursday with plans to bring 116 new and renovated apartments to the R Street corridor between 11th and 12th Streets. Citing the goal of creating live-work spaces for artists, the start-up is highly anticipated after 15 years of planning, financial challenges and site clean up. State, county and city dignitaries gathered to herald the persistence and passion invested in the effort to revamp the century-old warehouse at 1108 R Street into affordable and market-rate apartments. Plans include 13,000 square-feet of ground-floor retail space along R Street and construction of 66 new a

With mottos such as “we came for the vanity and stayed for the sanity,” Overeaters Anonymous convenes in Sacramento today through Sunday for a regional conference expected to draw hundreds from California and surrounding states. Participants in Overeaters Anonymous learn a lot about themselves and healthy living and find a support network to help bring sanity to life and food, according to Judy, the chair of the convention. OA has a policy not to identify members beyond their first name. Or, as Judy said, it’s about “principles not personalities.” OA uses the term “compulsive eating,” which Judy defines as behavior such as lying about what you’ve eaten, eating beyond being full, driving

Skinner Howard Contemporary Art downtown has been at the heart of Sacramento’s gallery culture for the last seven years, but this month’s show will be its last. The gallery announced Tuesday the closing of its 5,000-square-foot space at 723 S Street at the end of June. There will be a final show previewing tonight and running through June 30, featuring functional art by Cody Lane and new works on panel by Michael Shemchuk. Skinner Howard has shown the works of roughly 200 artists in the "industrial chic" warehouse gallery since 2006. Owners Pamela Skinner and Gwenna Howard combine creative forces to present mostly Northern California artists producing functional and two-dimensional works

McDonald’s USA on Monday appealed Sacramento Planning Commission’s decision to deny a drive-through restaurant on the corner of Stockton Boulevard and 2nd Avenue in the city’s Oak Park neighborhood. The action sends the issue to City Council for a final vote and extends a nearly two-year debate about the project and its placement in an urban corridor adjacent to medical offices, hospitals and an obesity clinic on Stockton Boulevard and single-family homes on 2nd Avenue. Senior Planner Lindsey Alagozian said city staff is reviewing the appeal, which presents McDonald’s arguments against the city’s decision. McDonald’s representatives did not respond to questions about the appeal. The Pla

Health, safety and urban livability weighed against economic and employment issues Thursday night as city planning commissioners voted six to one to oppose a drive-through McDonald’s on the corner of Stockton Boulevard and 2nd Avenue in Oak Park. Attorney Michael Di Geronimo said McDonald’s will consider appealing the decision, which would send the project to City Council for a final vote. While the commission was clear on its authority to vote only on the special permit required for the drive-through, a wide range of speakers expressed the difficulty of looking at just one aspect without addressing the whole issue. During a nearly two-hour debate, residents, community activists, doctor