An absolutely wonderful opening vision for the leadership beginning the process of imagining a new Cal Expo, embracing the Parkway, a new arena, housing and business; an excellent start to the public discussion.
Editorial: Take this opportunity to reimagine Cal Expo
NBA's interest in building an arena could mean a dazzling Cal Expo transformation
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, October 2, 2007
At 360 acres, Cal Expo occupies some of the most valuable land in the Sacramento region. For a few weeks out of the year, this land lives up to its potential. The rest of the time, the vast parking lots of the state fairgrounds sit mostly empty, radiating heat and lost opportunity.
That's why the NBA's bid to build an arena at Cal Expo seems so intriguing at this point: It's a chance to rethink and remake this crucial piece of property. Whether a Cal Expo arena deal will ultimately hold the best balance of benefits for the NBA, the state or the city of Sacramento remains to be seen. For now, the Cal Expo board and city leaders should seize the moment and imagine a Cal Expo that is far livelier and reflective of California than the existing one is.
On Friday, the Cal Expo board agreed to enter into talks with the NBA on an arena deal that would dodge the double-headed monster that killed last year's arena proposal at the downtown railyards. That plan depended on the support of the Kings' owners, the Maloofs, and a tax hike to underwrite part of the arena's construction. The Maloofs never delivered on their part of the bargain, and the voters overwhelmingly rejected the tax hike.
So far, NBA Commissioner David Stern has smartly kept the Maloofs in the background while he and consultant John Moag try to work an arena deal at Cal Expo that wouldn't rely on a local subsidy. Instead, it would rely on redeveloping Cal Expo into a mix of stores, offices and homes that would generate enough revenue to pay for the arena and refurbish the fairgrounds, which faces a backlog of needed repairs.
Such a deal may be tricky given uncertainties of the current real estate market and unknown costs for constructing infrastructure -- particularly transit -- to support the Cal Expo transformation. But the negotiations are worth pursuing, especially if proponents could envision a year-round entertainment district that would complement the nearby Arden Mall and be compatible with the adjoining American River Parkway.
