Sacramento Hosting Developers To Pique Interests In Developing Stockton Boulevard
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — There's a push to revitalize a troubled Sacramento corridor. City leaders are calling on developers to invest in Stockton Boulevard, offering incentives to draw in business.
Friday morning, city council members Eric Guerra and Jay Schenerir along with six members of Sacramento's economic development team will be jumping on a bus with developers from 15 different companies to talk about ways to build up Stockton Boulevard. Guerra says they're throwing in the kitchen sink to get business.
"Now is the time to make a change on Stockton Boulevard," Councilman Guerra said.
It's an old commercial corridor that was originally built for strip malls, not housing. City leaders admit it's become a magnet for homelessness, illegal dumping, and overall blight.
"Absolutely there's blight there now, and empty lots," Councilman Schenerir said.
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The boulevard has roughly 100 empty lots, but those often boarded up or fenced up lots are now being seen as the next big Sacramento opportunity.
"This is very exciting because I feel this is the renaissance of Stockton Boulevard," said developer Dan Weitzman.
Weitzman and his Los Angeles partners have already invested in the Stockton corridor, with a plot of land between 9th and 10th ave.
"The boulevard is like a freeway, we want to slow it down, get people in our businesses," Weitzman said.
Weitzman sees the potential and says he only needs one incentive during Friday's bus tour.
"I want to be persuaded that there are other people who want to join us," Weitzman said.
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One big incentive is Aggie Square, UC Davis's future innovation center that is set to set bring 10,000 more people to the neighborhood.
"There will be traveling nurses, doctors, high paying positions and they all need housing," said Weitzman.
Martin Rosenberg, who has lived near Stockton Boulevard for 30 years, is hopeful about the effort but has been let down in the past.
"I've seen efforts here not come to fruition," said Rosenberg.
It's a push to revitalize, re-energize and regain a sense of community, along a stretch of road too often neglected.
Councilman Guerra urging developers to "take a risk," saying they have the city's backing, to get this community back on its feet. The city is willing to incentivize developers by helping with infrastructure costs, waiving impact fees.
We're still a couple of years out before building starts on Aggie Square.
