Sacramento Kings Hotel Plans Approved By Planning Commission
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — On the same day the Sacramento Kings named George Karl as their new head coach, the team got the greenlight on another big addition to the organization.
The Sacramento Planning Commission unanimously approved the Kings' plans for a new hotel that will stand next to a new arena that is slated to open in the fall of 2016.
Glossy new pictures show the final piece to the arena plans in the form of a hotel and condominium tower. The new tower will have housing units, as part of an emerging plan announced by Mayor Kevin Johnson at this months' State of the City Address. He wants 10,000 more units downtown in two years. Currently there are just over 20,000.
Rene Rodriguez just moved downtown from El Dorado Hills six months ago.
"We decided with the arena opening up we thought it'd be a lot more people coming to the area, be a good time to get a jump on the rent before it gets out of control or anything," Rodriguez said.
Alan Lofaso is on the Sacramento Planning Commission, and says getting 10,000 new units downtown is ambitious, but not impossible.
"Part of it is smartly using vacant parcels, part of it is things that have already been talked about, like putting units on alleys," he said.