My wife and I were driving home a week ago after the Kings home game and as we passed through West Sac a strange thought occurred to both of us. Why not build an arena in West Sac on land adjacent to Raley Field? It would be very cheap, could share parking with baseball, is very accessible from all directions (except for light rail, which could be remedyed), would be nearly next to the river and a stones throw from the Port of Sacramento. 
Weird idea but the more we thought about it seemed to make sense. Even tho' its in Yolo County, a tax for both Yolo and Sacto counties might make sense.
Tha Maloofs are business folk, very successful business folk, who own the Kings/Monarchs/Arco. They know what makes business sense for private funding and the ROI needed for private funding.
I see Q passing but not R. In reality I don't think either will pass and the entire issue is a moot point for now. I think the City and County of Sacramento are far too short sighted and, as Phil Jackson once said in so many words "..... a cow town" mentality to really appreciate what such and arena and the Kings downtown will mean in the near and longer term to the area.
The current developer could be far more the fly in the ointment than we are giving him credit for. He would much rather have a high tax base for the railyard land than the higher spending base overall in the downtown, not just the development area. A developer has to be on the Maloofs side of the fence going in and this guy, from Atlanta as I hear it, is not.
So, bottom line, Q & R are likely to not pass. No rail yard development as the city/county has no money to do that. No downtown arena. The Kings/Maloofs need a new arena now, in the next 2-3 years now. Which means they have to start digging within a year from now. No tax based effort can move that fast.... unless it does not require a vote.
So Arco II is likely what will happen out in North Natomas. The land owners there become rich, the Maloofs become richer and the city/county loses out.
Weird idea but the more we thought about it seemed to make sense. Even tho' its in Yolo County, a tax for both Yolo and Sacto counties might make sense.
Tha Maloofs are business folk, very successful business folk, who own the Kings/Monarchs/Arco. They know what makes business sense for private funding and the ROI needed for private funding.
I see Q passing but not R. In reality I don't think either will pass and the entire issue is a moot point for now. I think the City and County of Sacramento are far too short sighted and, as Phil Jackson once said in so many words "..... a cow town" mentality to really appreciate what such and arena and the Kings downtown will mean in the near and longer term to the area.
The current developer could be far more the fly in the ointment than we are giving him credit for. He would much rather have a high tax base for the railyard land than the higher spending base overall in the downtown, not just the development area. A developer has to be on the Maloofs side of the fence going in and this guy, from Atlanta as I hear it, is not.
So, bottom line, Q & R are likely to not pass. No rail yard development as the city/county has no money to do that. No downtown arena. The Kings/Maloofs need a new arena now, in the next 2-3 years now. Which means they have to start digging within a year from now. No tax based effort can move that fast.... unless it does not require a vote.
So Arco II is likely what will happen out in North Natomas. The land owners there become rich, the Maloofs become richer and the city/county loses out.
