As one who has always appreciated the somewhat dark and mysterious allure of city alleys, the concept of bringing midtown alleys into residential and commercial use by buying the back part of the large lots generally backing up to alleys, and developing those parcels into homes or businesses facing the alley—with the owner of the original property sharing in the profit—is a terrific idea.
This editorial from the Bee also likes the idea.
An excerpt.
“Slowly but surely, Sacramento's alleys are stepping out of the shadows.
“Businesses are revamping them into the sites of coffee shops and hair salons. People are using them as passageways.
“During a recent Second Saturday art walk, architects urged passersby to suggest names for the city's unnamed back streets. Some of our favorites? Alley McBeal and Alley Oops.
“Now there's a proposal afoot for an even more startling transformation of the central city's alleys. A partnership called Stitch wants to entice owners of large, underutilized yards along alleys to redevelop the back portions of their lots for condominium units.
“The new units would front onto the alleys, with garage space below and housing above. Property owners would gain income, and possibly gain a new garage or a "granny flat" for an elder or other family member. The neighborhood would win by having more "eyes on the alleys" as a way to deter crime.”
