Bad Moe, Good Moe

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Hoyt says Mohanna "has not turned over his land; Joe has. Joe Zeiden has complied with all aspects of the agreement. The city of Sacramento has said that Moe has not."

Mohanna also would like to see high-end retail. He has proposed the construction of at least two residential high-rise buildings on K Street, housing at least 600 units. His latest plan calls for an elevated second-story walkway along the retail buildings on both blocks, allowing store owners to open a second level of storefronts and expand the availability of retail square footage.

The walkway would stretch over both the 700 and 800 blocks and cross above the light-rail tracks at 7th Street to deliver pedestrians to the Westfield mall. Mohanna was originally set to work with Sacramento developer John Saca, but Saca has now pulled out and Mohanna is seeking another partner.

Mohanna says whether or not the land-swap goes through, he would hope the city would encourage the construction of such a walkway, simply to open up more retail on K.

Mayor Heather Fargo says she is frustrated that the city has not made progress with the 700 and 800 blocks, but she is encouraged by meetings she had with Mohanna in October aimed at reaching a settlement. She says the city would much rather come to an amicable agreement with him than have the issue settled by the courts, because the city will have to continue to deal with him as a property owner and potential developer.

She acknowledges, however, that she's not thrilled about Mohanna's second-story walkway proposal. The market at this point would probably not support such a plan, she says. "We don't have enough people yet to divide them between a first and second floor," she says. "I think it would hurt the viability of ground-floor retail to have people leave Downtown Plaza from the second floor and walk along the walkway for a block."

Fargo says she has heard a variety of opinions about Mohanna's record as a downtown property owner. "People do react differently to him. He's got people who think he's done well and people who think he hasn't. It's kind of a mixed bag. But the reality is that he is a property owner downtown; he invested when a lot of other people wouldn't. He still wants to be part of making downtown better, so we're going to work together."

Who Is Moe Mohanna?

He usually dresses neatly in a crisp white business shirt and cleanly knotted bright tie. He greets visitors with a welcoming smile and a firm handshake. He can be chatty in accented English and has a dry, frank sense of humor.

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