On July 14, 2015, the Sacramento City Council will be making important decisions regarding Capitol Towers Historic District. This established neighborhood and urban oasis has been a highly successful example for a livable, walkable, densely populated, and public transit-oriented district for over 50 years. It has also been receiving national attention and architectural acclaim, as evidenced in this recent article.

Capitol Towers is also home to a vital urban tree canopy, which cleans the air and helps counterbalance the increasing heat island effect downtown.

We believe there is a solution that can meet the mutual goals of the owner, the City, and the community. We believe that in doing so, we can find an answer that makes the proposed Sacramento Commons project — which is still in its early conceptual phases — even better.

Local preservationists and architects have developed and presented one such solution based on one of the EIR project alternatives. Our conceptual design represents some modest suggestions and changes that allow for much-needed common ground. Our model is intended to demonstrate the initial concepts of scale, massing, and siting as an example of just one of many possible design solutions.

We invite members of the public to speak up in person to City Council. The neighborhood and community need your voice and your help! Your message and your opinions make more of an impact when you say them in person. You can speak about the historic district, the proposed Sacramento Commons project, or both. If you cannot be there in person, please use Preservation Sacramento’s site and their online form.

The City Council hearing on Sacramento Commons is set for Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at 6PM at New City Hall, first floor, 915 “I” Street (behind old City Hall) in Sacramento.  At this hearing the Council will hear comments from members of the public, and then discuss ad make its decision on whether the project should be approved, denied, or modified. Watch for any changes to this schedule by checking in here.

Make sure you fill out a simple speaker form and submit it to the the clerk at the desk. Slips and more information can be found here. You can fill this out in advance to save time. You will be limited to two minutes to speak.

Historic districts and infill can coexist; look to the Warehouse Artist Lofts on R Street and at the 700 block of K Street as current local examples.

There are many available design solutions that:

• retain much of the historic core at Capitol Towers;
• allow for more housing infill;
• protect much of the vital tree canopy and open space, and;
• keep the feel of the established neighborhood.

We are requesting that the Sacramento City Council encourages further examination and consideration of all project alternatives. These need further vetting and opportunities for improvement before final entitlements are granted. We can achieve a better balance and outcome for the historic park neighborhood.

End the vicious cycle of total destruction and displacement! Sacramento City Council has the discretion to ask for a solution that meets the needs of the community, the City and the owner. City Council needs to ensure better protections for the neighborhood and stronger conditions for the proposed project are made.

Density is our city’s destiny, but how we get there really matters.