In the most high profile downtown issue, executive leadership seems—so far at least—unable to close the deal, and this is one of those details of looming stature if left undone.
Editorial: Unfinished business
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, November 18, 2007
A Friday editorial outlined three issues the Sacramento City Council must address in hearings on the railyard project: realistic financing assumptions, one-way streets and phase-in of housing.
But there's another matter that we'd like to see the city and the developer, Thomas Enterprises, settle before they seek state bond money.
Nearly 25 acres of the 244- acre railyard site lie in the course of the American River as it existed when California entered the Union. Since statehood, nearly all California rivers, including the American River, have changed course because of dams and levees. But the lands formerly under water remain public trust lands governed by what is called "Public Trust Doctrine." All 50 states have "public trust lands."
Public trust land at the railyard has been an issue since 1989, when the city began planning the site's redevelopment. It remains important because the 25 acres lie where the developer proposes a Bass Pro shop, slated as the first development. To avoid unnecessary delays, the issue should be resolved before the railyard seeks funds from the state.
