The development planning has changed, adding more housing, but the project is moving forward.
Railyard proposal takes new shapes
Arena and canal are out as developer adds 1-acre parks and 2,000 housing units.
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, June 2, 2007
The developer of the downtown railyard this week unveiled a new version of its plan for the 240-acre site -- one that better connects the proposed development to the city's existing streets, and replaces a planned canal with a string of 1-acre parks.
Curving boulevards and long blocks have given way to a grid that mirrors Sacramento. City officials and community activists say the shorter blocks would be more hospitable to pedestrians.
"Before, it was much more of a suburban type subdivision with wide boulevards and cul-de-sacs," said Assistant City Manager Marty Hanneman.
The canal idea was scrapped because of concern about people falling in, and also the potential difficulty of keeping the water clean, he said.
Another 2,000 housing units were added to the plan -- bringing the total to 12,000.
