After years of rancor and revisions, a promising infill project in Curtis Park is only a few final compromises away. But the neighborhood association and the developer won’t get there on their own.
The City Council will need to nudge the bruised egos of developer Paul Petrovich and the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association toward a long-overdue resolution.
Lauren Hammond, the district council member trying to broker a deal, said Wednesday, “There is some movement. And I am hopeful.”
A week from today, the council is to take up the city Planning Commission’s 8-0 recommendation to approve the $200 million-plus project on a former railyard near Sacramento City College. In an unusual move, Petrovich is only seeking the council’s blessing for his master plan; the council would rule later on rezonings and other permits to build on the site.
A workable deal is in the best interests of both sides. Without one, the neighborhood group is hinting it will file a lawsuit, an outcome that Petrovich claims would almost certainly force him to abandon the project, despite having already invested $40 million. Possibly he’s bluffing. Possibly not. Regardless, a lawsuit would likely result in the railyard remaining a wasteland for many more years. It would also reinforce Sacramento’s reputation as a politically treacherous place to pursue infill projects.
As now proposed, the 72- acre development would include 259,000 square feet of commercial space, including shops, offices, a health club and two restaurants; 189 single-family homes and 248 multi-family units; 90 apartments for lower-income seniors; and a 6.8-acre park.
While the neighborhood association and Petrovich have been haggling mostly over the square footage of the proposed retail development, the bigger concern from the city’s standpoint is whether this planned development would blend harmoniously into the surrounding neighborhoods and complement them.
In particular, the City Council needs to ensure that housing and retail is easily accessible by foot, car and bike from the east and west. Petrovich’s plan includes a pedestrian bridge to connect his project to neighboring Sacramento City College. The council should push Petrovich to help finance the bridge, since foot traffic from the college would benefit his tenants.
The other big issue is the nearly 170,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil that remain on the site. Petrovich says he has spent $20 million on the cleanup, but can’t afford to haul away more soil and can’t attract commercial tenants if he buries the contaminants underneath parking lots. Currently, he plans to bury the toxic dirt in a 20-foot-deep layer under the park, covered by a plastic barrier and 2 feet of clean soil.
Both the council and the state Department of Toxic Substances Control need to take a hard look at this plan. While parks have been safely built on brownfields in Richmond and other cities, it is hardly an ideal alternative here.
For one thing, you can’t grow trees in 2 feet of soil – planters are needed. Does the city want a barren park? How about some shade on those 100-degree days?
For all the bitterness, Petrovich’s plan includes some attractive features. Bridge Housing, a well-regarded developer of affordable apartments for seniors, has signed on. Planners say the project generally fits in with the region’s long-range planning blueprint and the city’s 2030 general plan.
With some last tweaks, Curtis Park Village could enrich the city and surrounding neighborhoods. The council needs to make that happen.