Richards Boulevard Redevelopment Area
The Richards Boulevard Redevelopment Area covers over 1,365 acres immediately adjacent to the heart of Downtown Sacramento, stretching from the Sacramento River on the west, the American River on the north, Sutter's Landing Regional Park on the east, and the Union Pacific mainline rail tracks and I Street on the south.
Over the past 14 years the Redevelopment Agency and City have invested over $100 million in Federal and local public dollars within the area which is transitioning from an industrial district to a diverse, urban mixed-use district. In response to new growth along the Richards Boulevard corridor, the City of Sacramento established the Richards Boulevard Redevelopment Area in 1990, and developed the Railyards Specific Plan and Richards Boulevard Area land use plans, adopted in 1994. These plans created a blueprint for the ultimate development of 15 million square feet of office use, 6,500 housing units, and 500,000 square feet of retail, as well as the preservation of key historic buildings, and development of new parks and open space.
Specific City Council approved objectives include:
- Complete linkages of the circulation system to the Central City
- Establish a mixed-use district (both Railyards and Richards Boulevard planning areas)
- Enhance the American and Sacramento River Corridors
- Preserve opportunities for industrial, service, and retail commercial businesses
- Create opportunities for new market rate housing
Redevelopment Strategy
The current Redevelopment Strategy assumes the City and Redevelopment Agency will act proactively to capture economic opportunities to realize revitalization objectives and policies. Specifically, the Agency and the City will partner to implement the following strategies:
STRATEGY #1: Pursue key infrastructure improvements
Focus on the development of new traffic circulation, public transportation, bikeway and pedestrian improvements, and public utility infrastructure. Financing will come from the City's capital improvement budget, development impact fees, tax increment, and other funding sources. The infrastructure program will "prime the pump" by creating capacity for the higher density urban scale development outlined in the approved land use plans.
STRATEGY #2: Support major office development projects
Within the next several years approximately 3 million square feet of new office use is anticipated to be developed in the Richards Boulevard and Railyards planning areas. These projects will help establish the Richards Boulevard office sub-market, and contribute both fee and tax revenues to finance the infrastructure program.
STRATEGY #3: Support "pioneering" residential development initiatives
Assist in the development of new "master-planned" residential neighborhoods along the American River within the Richards Boulevard and the Railyards planning areas. This residential development will be pioneering in nature, and require significant public involvement in order to create the residential-supporting amenities necessary to market urban housing.
STRATEGY #4: Support service and retail commercial development
The Richards Boulevard commercial corridor and the Gateway District provide opportunities for attracting new service and retail commercial businesses. Proximity to downtown and easy access to the freeway system are key factors in attracting new businesses to the area. The established industrial sub-market of available warehouse and flex space will continue to be a strong focus for economic development efforts.
STRATEGY #5: Pursue development of the riverfront to create both a sense of place and a regional recreation resource
The area is bounded by both the Sacramento and American Rivers, offering miles of natural and urban riverfront. The plan will create a continuous urban recreation trail, Two River's Trail, connecting Old Sacramento to Sutter's Landing Parkway. Initial efforts will focus on creating public access to the park-like setting of the American River. Along the Sacramento River, public access improvements will also include commercial development in the Jibboom Street area. Riverfront development is a key strategy for both establishing a sense of place for the district, and creating a recreation asset for the entire Sacramento region.
