According to the Sacramento Bee, the North Natomas development just outside of downtown Sacramento is showing sings of life after being shut down by the effects of the Great Recession and concerns about nearby levees. The new phase of building is being implemented with affordability and live-work-play themes in place. A new office campus is also underway that is expected to provide 5,000 new jobs. Sleep Train Arena, the former home of the Sacramento Kings basketball team, may also play a role in the comeback story.
Three years ago, when the Sacramento Kings moved their basketball games and concerts downtown to the new Golden 1 Center arena, team officials promised Natomas residents and city leaders they would look to redevelop the site with development that could help elevate North Natomas from its suburban bedroom community status.
North Natomas currently has more than 50,000 residents and about 11,000 jobs, many of them in the warehouse, retail and service industries. To become whole, it needs to import more higher-paid jobs.
The Kings recently submitted a conceptual plan to the city for the Sleep Train site that could allow for multiple uses, including a hospital, housing, offices, hotels, tech centers, a childcare facility, restaurants, schools, entertainment, stores, parks, plazas and a light rail station. However, no specific development proposal was included and the Kings have said little recently about their efforts.
“We continue to work with the City to make progress towards a flexible master entitlement plan that is capable of adapting to a wide range of opportunities to benefit the Natomas community and the region as a whole,” the team wrote in a statement this week to The Sacramento Bee.
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