K Street has been the boulevard of broken dreams for many years, ever since public leadership ‘fixed it', changing it from the bustling main street it was ever since Sacramento was born, and turning it into the mall, which has floundered on its own inertia, with bright spots here and there, ever since.
Editorial notebook: A small K Street restaurant goes under, leaving a void and a bitter owner
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, September 9, 2007
Before McCormick & Schmick's, the upscale Portland seafood chain, opened its new eatery in the elegant Elks building on J Street in downtown Sacramento, it received $1.8 million from the city of Sacramento to help with remodeling. Half came in the form of a grant; half was a loan.
In sharp and depressing contrast, Griselda Barajas, former owner of the now closed Texas Mexican Restaurant, received $60,000 in moving expenses from the city's redevelopment agency -- and the bum's rush.
Tex Mex closed one year ago last month. At the time, I lamented in these columns its departure from the downtown dining scene -- a family restaurant that served good food at reasonable prices, popular with everyone, sacrificed to downtown redevelopment.
The city of Sacramento's redevelopment agency informed Tex Mex owners they would have to leave or face legal action. Worried she would lose the $60,000 in moving funds that the city offered, owner Griselda Barajas took the money and closed. One of the few bright lights on the most blighted blocks downtown went out.
