The railyards are an important part of our—and the nation’s—heritage, and as such, we need to do whatever we can to ensure that the vital aspects of that heritage are preserved while creating an economically viable new downtown development.
And this will require some amount of work, involving compromise and leadership from city executives.
Editorial: Historical indeed
Drawing a sensible boundary in railyard
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, November 10, 2007
In the 140-year-old Sacramento railyard, the city has irreplaceable markers of its contribution to world history. Tracks have remained continuously on the route of the first transcontinental railroad for more than a century. In the Central Shops, craftsmen invented, built and repaired locomotives that could traverse the Sierra Nevada.
One question in the larger 244-acre railyard project has been where to draw historic district boundaries to acknowledge the site's significance. Two approaches emerged. The developer, Thomas Enterprises, proposed a city historic district with the Central Shops buildings, plus the foundation of the Roundhouse building. A coalition of local groups proposed National Register of Historic Places status that includes a portion of the transcontinental route.
Both approaches are important.
National Register status is an honor, without strings attached, but formally makes the site a part of the nation's heritage. It can bring in federal tax credits to rehabilitate the historic buildings. Local historic status provides negotiated standards to assure development harmonizes with the old and, possibly, environmental review if a development might threaten historic resources.
