Sacramento Infill- Fourth in a Series
Finding it tougher to acquire and develop large tracts into new communities, and encouraged by planners and others to invest in previously overlooked close-in neighborhoods, a few Sacramento developers have turned to infill development with great success. River's Side at Washington Square is a development of 25 single family detached homes and a mixed-use corner building that includes approximately 2,000 sq.ft. of retail space and four loft apartment units.
Leonard Development Company was selected by the City of West Sacramento to build on the highly visible one-acre site near the Sacramento River and just a five minute walk from downtown. Homes are built on their lot line, just three feet apart. Buyers control their own building and have their own garage with a homeowner’s association taking care of landscaping and common areas.
Now available, these highly expressive homes were developed with a new generation of community in mind. Their stylish architecture reflects an aesthetic combination of design features, art, colors, functions, lifestyles, activities, and components that cultivate renewal. -River’s Side sales material
River Side’s townhome-style, three-story “vertical houses” each feature three bedrooms and up to four bathrooms. Each home includes a two-car garage, living areas with ten foot ceilings, gas fireplace, granite counters, balcony, and designer grade interior finishes. Prices range from $409,500 for 1,556 sq.ft. to $427,900 for the largest 1,628 sq.ft. model.
Through infill development, Sacramento builders have been providing new, for-sale product that provide urban home buyers with new, low-rise living options. The builders are responding to demand for homes near downtown Sacramento's jobs and culture. One significant and successful infill development could start a similar trend here.
Previously: Sacramento Infill Development IronWorks, West Sacramento Harriet Lane, West Sacramento Washington Park Village, Sacramento
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scooter
Can somebody please give budda_rat a few million dollars?
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chris69
on the contrary, these modern shoeboxes....if they belong anywhere...they belong on the eastside....where large tracts of urban renewal have already demolished entire neighborhoods.
Modern and contemporary have a place in urban residential architecture and I actually invite it into Buffalo. Why? Because I know that the more modern and contemporary architecture is built the greater the interest and appreciation there will be for our older housing stock...and its gentrification!
I just would not like to see our older housing stock demolished for new builds....we have enough large scale empty infill for these developments without canibalizing our few intact, stable and successful neighborhoods to do it!
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Reinmoose
I think they're hideous looking. Granted, nicer than dilapidated buildings, but still hideous. In concept as infill, etc, etc, they're excellent, but visually they remind me of a suburban Maryland big box store/shopping plaza/towne centre. With the cost of living in Buffalo being lower, they'd have to be built differently too, and would likely have cheap brick facing on the outside.
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BuffaloFalling
Why are you posting this here? Shouldn't this article be on Sacramento Rising?
Does anyone really believe that we will ever see housing of this type in downtown Buffalo anytime in our lifetimes? This is Buffalo... BMHA squalor, section 8 apartments and HEAP vouchers, assisted living facilities, that is our past our present and our future folks!
And corrupt thug Deputy Mayors who run the Buffalo Police Dept like their private cold war era Securidad.
Believe in the Webb? HAH! Tell that to the family of that poor construction worker. The legacy here will be another ramshackle downtown building where work has stopped and will probably never see the light of day as anything useful.
*Sigh* Another "wonderful" week in Buffalo.
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scooter
Does anybody have some sort of medication that they can share with BuffaloFalling. We need to do something to cheer this poor bastard up.
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StreetcarSuburbanite
BuffaloFalling, looks like you need to go back on teh Paxil.
WCP, thanks for brining this to our attention. It's certainly important that Buffalo sees how other cities are revitalizing their cores. The idea is to learn from others, take the best practices and do it even better here with whatever resources we can muster.
Personally I think these houses are kind of cool looking. What I don't like are the front-facing garages. It isn't even really the aesthetic blemish of a garage door dominating the facade I mind so much, but all the curb-cuts this arrangement creates. Such an arrangement creates a pedestrian-hostile setting and takes away valuable steet parking for residents and guests. The simple solution would be to have alleys behind the building, that way the parking is actually doubled.
My other gripe I have with these is the fact that these buildings are (barely) detached. They could have easily be attached in a row, but instead we get a tiny sliver of dead, unusable space between each unit. In a place like Sac where summers can be blazing hot and the AC needs to be cranked, attached buildings would be much more energy efficient for climate control purposes--two less sides for cool air to leak out of.
Overall, Architecture: B Urban Design: C+
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StreetcarSuburbanite
Scooter, you beat me to the punch :D
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MRodgers
buffalofalling, isn't there an escarpment along the Niagara River you should be falling into sometime soon? Another one who hides behind a nickname to express their ludicrous comments.
*Sigh*
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scooter
My opinion of these buildings......
I like them....aesthetically pleasing.....different. They would stand out.
I wouldn't want to see city block on top of city block of these. But as in-fill....i like them.
I agree with Streetcars overall assesment....but i dislike the alley idea. we've seen Hertel avenue have saftey issues with alley's.
I think the impact of curb cuts and garage doors would be limited to pedestrians as long as this is in-fill.....not a full city block.
I dont' see these in EV..maybe in around a more commercial use area..outskirts of the CBD
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BuffedOut
I don't understand how a development in Sacramento is any way near appropriate for the city of Buffalo. One minute people are talking about preserving Buffalo's architectural heritage and next they're looking to the West coast for building ideas. Sacramento is the capitol of CA and a thriving metropolis. Buffalo needs to assess its own needs and style.
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BuffaloFalling
To Scooter and Marilyn...
Okeedokee once again I pose this question to you... did I say anything inaccurate here? Are there any development plans for these loft style townhouses anywhere in the downtown Buffalo area? If so, where is the sales office? Where do I sign up to buy one I have a deposit in hand? When will construction begin?
Regarding Steve Casey... did I not read right here on BRO a while back that during the mayoral campaign Mr. Casey was parking his vehicle anywhere downtown with complete impunity? Even had photos attached if I recall. Why did you not suggest back then that that writer be medicated?
Is it inaccurate that the FBI has gotten involved in the investigation of the death at the Webb Building? Is it farfetched to imagine that charges of criminally negligent homicide could be levied? Charges of obstruction aginst Mr. Casey?
Is work on the Webb building now shut down, or did I say something misleading here?
I have never called you any names. Rather than resorting to your typical name calling, how about telling me, succinctly and in an adult like fashion, exactly what I have said here that is wrong?
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BuffedOut
Bravo, or Brava, to you, BuffaloFalling for speaking out. Name calling and other such inappropriate remarks have absolutely no place in a mature discuussion of issues. Let's look at the problems and leave out the personal sniping.
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MRodgers
falling..........since when sis you get your FBI badge? Until an investigation is complete, wait.
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scooter
BuffedOut...
I think the point of this was to take a LOOK at what's happening in other communities. It's more of an educational process. No one is saying this is what we have to do....but simply that this is what others are doing.
And this type of development is called INFILL development. This CA development probably isn't replacing anything....it's filling in......
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Logical
Really people, what would be the point in building anything like this here? We have MORE people moving out than moving in. Which will explain why we have more empty houses NOW than we do residences. Sad but true, face the reality folks.
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SLEEPL8
I agree with Logical in that this article really is meaningless for Buffalo. Development in California is much different than here because of the great influx of people to So. Cal. I never really find much use for the West Coast Perspective articles because what works on the west coast of the country unfortunately has little chance of working on the west coast of New York State. It would be nice to find a writer whose name is "Rust Belt Perspective" who could use examples of successful development from cities like ours...cities like Cleveland or Pittsburgh.
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drl
Logical and SLEEPL8:
You two need help with your facts. Sacramento is not in SoCal and is nothing like SoCal. And Bflo does NOT have more empty houses than residences.
The exaggerated negativity and so-called "reality" are tired.
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Andrew
Scooter is totally right. In order to better ourselves we need to look and see what other cities are doing. Though I would rather see what other rustbelt city's are doing more than I would the west cost I do think we need to look at all different things.
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Logical1
I have read recently where we DO Have more empty houses than actual residences here. It makes scense, the city wants to demolish about 1,000 houses a year while we continue to LOSE more residences. Eventually, we'll have entire city streets just sitting around empty...Oh wait, we already do. I do agree that WCP post on Sacramento is pointless seems how we don't need to build new living spaces, We should be trying to figure out HOW TO GET PEOPLE HERE FIRST, and then focus on such topics as new infills through out the city.
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WilliamZabkaAllStars
Curious as to whether or not people feel the look of the exteriors of these buildings would fit in the Elmwood Village? Allentown? North Buffalo? The East Side? West Side?
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davvid
It really doesn't matter if the buildings in the picture would fit anywhere other than that unique block in Scaramento. When you look at this picture you should simply see one of manymanymany options.
It is important to create dense vibrant places where ever possible even in a city like Buffalo where large tracts of land are available.
There are many spots throughout Buffalo that could very quickly become more vibrant places if there was more density and continuity. Winspear & Main Street, Delaware & W.Delevan, Delware & Hertel just to name a few.
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