Now What?

Community Comments

Continuing The Vision

By Sandy Smoley

From the onset, the Yes on Q & R campaign has been about “thinking big” and creating a new and exciting vision for Sacramento County. The mission has always been, and will continue to be, about generating community support for a downtown sports and entertainment complex the public owns as part of a revitalization of the old Sacramento rail yard.
    At the heart of this major redevelopment project is the aspiration to create a vibrant city center alive with shops, housing, restaurants, sidewalk cafes, museums, parks, art galleries and a state-of-the-art regional transportation center.
Sacramento citizens must begin to consider the possibility of a bright future filled with countless leisure, recreational and entertainment opportunities, thousands of new jobs, improvement in local services, and millions of dollars in new revenue to keep the county’s economy moving forward.
    Our future is at stake, and now is not the time to consider the past. The community must instead act progressively and collectively as we look to tomorrow. We can always say what could have been or what we should have done, but that mentality achieves little in life. The rail yard is a blank canvas from which we have the ability to work anew.
    The steering committee for Yes on Q & R has witnessed the synergistic impact this issue has had on the community, and the committee feels that building on the momentum that has been generated is the most logical and rational next step. Community leaders, civic and county officials, business groups, neighborhood associations and citizens throughout the county have coalesced in an unprecedented manner in an effort to elevate our region to new heights.

A New Coalition
Plans are already under way for Share the Vision, a coalition that will establish a foundation specifically designed to continue the strides we have already made. It will work to further educate the community on the need to renew, rebuild and revitalize the downtown core. People have become captivated by our vision, and it is our goal to sustain that energy and present to them a clear and concise picture of the benefits to be gained.
    Too much focus has been devoted to talk about the investment required, rather than the intended return on that investment. The return is not some farfetched dream but a conceivable reality that is continually supported and made evident by similar public financing models throughout the nation.
    Cities such as Detroit, Pittsburgh, Memphis, Indianapolis, Charlotte, San Antonio and Washington D.C. have witnessed first hand such projects that have galvanized their downtown districts and induced spillover spending benefits for the surrounding community. Maturing, modernizing and expanding our horizon is inevitable as we strive to keep pace with the rest of the country and work to define Sacramento on our own terms.
    In the last decade there have been 256 sports, arts, convention and entertainment facilities developed in the United States: 82 have been major league stadiums and arenas. Take the example of the downtown development-oriented Gateway Project in Cleveland, which has created 6,269 permanent jobs, generated $6.5 million in payroll taxes and attracted 4 million additional visitors to Cleveland since the opening of the stadium.

$9.4 Billion Impact
A new economic analysis of the Sacramento rail yard development project, conducted by the Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management Group, is evidence that the same can be accomplished here. It forecasts a total estimated economic impact of more than $9.4 billion and the employment of 78,000 part-time and full-time workers to build the project between now and 2021.
    Investing in ourselves and our community is essential. Proactive planning is a must if the Sacramento region hopes to evolve. Accommodating the expected population growth, addressing the region’s transportation needs, and shoring up and retrofitting infrastructure are just part of Share the Vision’s overall plan to invigorate the quality of life for all Sacramento citizens.
    Q & R was a success in bringing to the forefront of voters’ minds the fact that Arco Arena is antiquated and at the cusp of its serviceability, and updating is not an option. Residents have also learned that this is a timely issue, as construction costs are expected to rise well into the foreseeable future. Citizens now see a public-private partnership as a viable option, one in which the anchor tenant takes on the responsibility and risk of operating a facility where events are not always sold out and financial gain is not necessarily guaranteed.
    A sales tax increase is always a challenge no matter what the merits of the proposal. But we hope to convey to the public that given our corporate demographic and insufficient tourist base a sales tax increase is the only practical funding mechanism that does not create a revenue gap. This increase is a small contribution on the part of every Sacramento citizen when contrasted with the tangible rewards.
    Any undertaking or societal project is sure to arouse critics. But our goal is to respond to such negativity in a positive light. Q & R visionaries are committed to removing the uncertainty about any arrangements placed before the citizens of Sacramento County. Our mission is to make clear that this is a vision about a better tomorrow, a stronger and more unified sense of community, and an enhanced way of life. In order to claim our future, we must be willing to capitalize on the rare opportunity that is before us.

Sandy Smoley is the chair of the steering committee for Yes on Q & R.

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