The bus station and the area around it continue to cause problems for the evolving of downtown Sacramento, but the suggested move to Richards Boulevard would deepen the concentration of the same issues already occurring there and in the face of several developing plans to renew that area.
It would be moving and enhancing the problem, not solving or reducing it.
Out-of-favor bus station
Greyhound agrees with city: Time to move
By Todd Milbourn - Bee Staff WriterPublished 12:00 am PST Monday, December 4, 2006
Yesterday's downtown Sacramento meets tomorrow's downtown at the corner of Seventh and L streets.
On one side stands the foundation for a glitzy high-rise designed by one of the world's top architects with condos starting at $400,000. On the other side, there's the aging Greyhound bus station, a way station for the working class on the move -- and a hangout for the homeless.
Civic leaders longing for an upscale future say it's time the old made way for the new.
Greyhound has run buses out of this site for 70 years. Over the past couple decades, critics say the station has fallen into disrepair and is a haven for crime and transients.
For the past decade, the city has pondered moving the bus station because it's an obstacle to development. Now, as the push to revitalize downtown gains steam, Greyhound's plight is rising to the top of the agenda.
The current digs "don't work for the city and don't work for Greyhound," said John Dangberg, Sacramento's city manager. "Putting it in a different location ... will help solve some of the social issues in that area."
Greyhound isn't opposed to moving. The company just wants to ensure that the new site is a good one, said Anna Folmnsbee, a spokeswoman for Greyhound.
She said one spot that Greyhound likes is along Richards Boulevard, near Interstate 5. The site offers more space, easy access to the freeway and is served by city buses.
