Background

The Stone Lock District consists of over 200 acres of publicly-owned property located along the Sacramento River to the north and south of the Barge Canal.  In January 2007, the city issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Master Developer for the Stone Lock District (Site).  The RFQ was prepared with a focus on soliciting development teams with a proven track record that have the ability to design and deliver a unique, high-quality project that reflects the city’s development objectives and that can be implemented in the near future.

In October 2007, The Cordish Company (Cordish) was selected as master developer for the Site.  In exchange for the city providing Cordish an 18-month exclusive negotiation period, Cordish will complete all due diligence, market and financial feasibility analyses, serve in a lead role for the planning and design of the Site, prepare the concept plan and financing proposal for approval and secure all entitlements for property.

Core Development Principles

Core development principles that were established for the Stone Lock District include the following:

• Sustainable community and facility design;
• Creation of an urban environment;
• Preserving open space to balance the built environment including water-related habitat and central park facilities;
• Continuous public access to the riverfront;
• Pedestrian orientation and scale;
• Successful interaction of the public and private spaces;
• Celebrating the unique, existing environment (Barge Canal, Lock, Port, Sacramento River, etc.);
• Continuity between uses through streetscapes, trail systems, and architectural guidelines;
• Orientation toward the riverfront as well as other green and park space to maximize views; and
• Land and infrastructure plan designed to easily accommodate transit.

Stone Lock District Open House, January 28, 2008

The first Stone Lock District Open House was held on January 28th from 4-7 pm in the City Hall Galleria.  The purpose of the Open House was to introduce the developer/design team to the community and provide citizens an opportunity to share their ideas for the Stone Lock District early in the development process. Over 150 people attended the event between the hours of 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm in the Civic Center Galleria.  Aerials of different portions of the Project site, along with flip charts, were located throughout the room.  Community members were given colored dots, with each color representing different land uses, and asked to place those dots on the aerials to help the design team understand location and use preferences as they begin to move forward with planning and design for the Project.  Additionally, community members were encouraged to write down their thoughts/comments about different types of uses on the flip charts. To view the publics' comments, please click here.

Stone Lock District Open House #2, March 20, 2008

The Second Stone Lock District Open House was held on March 20th in the Civic Center Galleria and was just as successful as the first event with over 85 attendees. The Cordish team presented their conceptual ideas in a PowerPoint slide show, followed by a similar exercise to the one completed at the first Open House event, where attendees were asked to write comments on flip charts for specific geographic areas within the Stone Lock District.

In response to earlier feedback received and incorporating general development objectives established for the Stone Lock District prior to the master developer solicitation process, Cordish has tried to create a concept plan that is as unique as the district itself.

The vision for the concept plan imagines the property as four distinct urban districts with over 40 acres of open space, including prominent waterfront public parks, trails, community greens, and open space corridors connecting the districts and the waterfront to existing, adjacent neighborhoods, parks, trails, and corridors. The four districts include 1) the Park Neighborhhod; 2) the Bluff District; 3) the Canal District; 4) Canal West. Each of the districts would include a mix of uses combined with housing, which have been planned as more urban, pedestrian-scaled villages where shopping, services, recreational opportunities and civic uses are within walking distance, consistent with the Southport Framework Plan.

Based on the feedback received at the Second Open House, Cordish will be refining their concept plans and commencing environmental review to better understand the opportunities and constraints associated with their proposed plan.

Click here for a copy of the PowerPoint slide show in PDF format, as well as the comments received from the attendees.

Development Team

Master Developer: The Cordish Company, a family owned company formed in 1910, is one of the most active and experienced development companies in the country and is also one of the largest and most successful developers of entertainment districts and concepts in the United States. In particular, the company has unparalleled experience in creating and revitalizing high-profile mixed-use destinations in urban and suburban districts. Many of the Cordish Company's projects involve public/private partnerships that are of unique significance to the cities in which they are located. A prime example is the company's prominent role in the redevelopment of four highly successful projects in Baltimore's world-famous Inner Harbor.

The company is the only developer to receive six prestigious Urban Land Institute Awards of Excellence and has received consistent recognition as the leading national developer for urban revitalization projects. Its pioneering "Live!" urban entertainment districts have been widely credited with transforming downtowns as diverse as Houston (Bayou Place Live!), Baltimore (Power Plant Live!), Louisville (4thStreet Live!), Hollywood, FL (Seminole Paradise), and Charleston, S.C. (Charleston Place).  To view more Cordish projects, visit www.cordish.com.

Architecture: Design Collective was selected by The Cordish Company and the City of West Sacramento to act as lead architect.  Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, Design Collective has received national recognition with over 250 architectural awards to its credit.  Rich Burns (owner) and Matt Damico, chief planner, are the architects assigned to our project.  They represent the best Design Collective has to offer.  You can learn more about Design Collective at www.designcollective.com. 

Landscape Architecture: Hargreaves Associates is a world renowned landscape architecture firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and abroad.  Hargreaves Associates has unparalleled experience with designing waterfront communities.  Margaret Jones and Brian Jencek, the lead designers assigned to our project, have a significant amount of experience and will play a critical role in designing the site’s open spaces.  Please visit Hargreaves website at www.hargreaves.com.

Wood Rodgers Inc.: has been selected as the teams local planning and engineering team.    Wood Rodgers will play a crucial role in the entitlement process.  Wood Rodgers is a leading engineering and planning firm with offices located in California, Nevada and Idaho.  Wood Rodgers has a great reputation for being able to manage and complete complex projects.  They have completed several projects in West Sacramento.  Paul Meuser and Jeff Twitchell are representing Wood Rodgers, each will play an important role during the design and entitlement process.  Please visit www.woodrodgers.com/index.aspx for more information.    

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