Sacramento Railyards

The Sacramento Railyards (or Railyard Specific Plan) is an urban infill brownfield project of approximately 240 acres at the western terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the Richards Boulevard neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California. The redevelopment project is being developed by Thomas Enterprises and master-planned by the Jerde Partnership firm. Construction is projected to last until the late 2020s and costs are estimated at over five billion dollars.

The site holds significant historical and cultural importance to Sacramento. The project features the preservation and partial reuse of the "Central Shops" buildings originally used for railroad maintenance and the Southern Pacific Depot. One of the Central Shops will be refitted into a public marketplace. Furthermore, a railroad museum and a performing arts center is planned.

Overall, the project is expected to include 12,000 housing units and create 19,000 permanent jobs.

History

The first railroad in Sacramento as well as California was the Sacramento Valley Railroad finished in 1856 and engineered by Theodore Judah. Judah's efforts to realize a transcontinental railroad was transferred to the power of "The Big Four" investors, who created the Central Pacific Railroad. The First Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, when Central Pacific's line joined Union Pacific's at Promontory Summit. Sacramento's terminus was the primary departure station for the railroad until 1883."PDFlink| [http://www.cityofsacramento.org/dsd/projects/railyards/redevelopment-eir/documents/RBRPA-Draft-EIR-Vol1.pdf Railyards Redevelopment Plan - Draft Environmental Impact Report, Volume One] |19.6 KB", "Redevelopment Agency of the City of Sacramento" (January 2008). Retrieved on 2008-08-10.]

Central Pacific merged with Southern Pacific in 1870, and the former's maintenance yards were expanded with the addition of the Southern Pacific shops. The shops were used for locomotive repairs, general maintenance and, occasionally, creation. The yards steadily expanded, becoming the biggest railroad facility west of the Mississippi River and employing approximately one-third of all Sacramento workers in the early decades of the 20th century. [ [http://www.sacramentorailyards.com/project/facts.htm The Railyards: Facts] . "Thomas Enterprises, Inc." (2007). Retrieved on 2008-08-10.]

Railroad usage in the United States gradually lessened over the century, and, by the start of the 21st century, railyard upkeep had become less economically viable and laid largely dormant. In 2003, developer Millennia Associates vied to purchase the southern seventy acres of the railyards, hoping to eventually obtain the entire railyard from Union Pacific. [" [http://www.jerde.com/press/press.php?section=2&year=2003&id=69 UP Railyard Plant Development Plan Expected] ", "Jerde Partnership" (2003-01-17). Retrieved on 2008-08-14.] Millennia’s financial partner, Thomas Enterprises, eventually finalized the railyard purchase on 2006-12-29. [" [http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2006/12/25/daily31.html Thomas Enterprises buys downtown railyard] ", "Sacramento Business Journal" (2006-12-29). Retrieved on 2008-08-14.]

Environmental remediation on the site has occurred since the 1980s. The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and the Environmental Protection Agency have identified numerous soil and groundwater contaminants on and near the development area. The nearby Jibboom Junkyard was listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) and identified as containing metal contaminants in the soil. [ [http://cfpub.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0902040 Superfund Site Progress Profile - Jibboom Junkyard] . "United States Environmental Protection Agency". Retrieved on 2008-09-30.] After remediation and NPL deletion in 1991, a 2007 review of the site assessed that while the contaminants still persist, their levels remain protective of human health concerns. ["PDFlink| [http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/fiveyear/f2007090001851.pdf Five-Year Review Report for Jibboom Junkyard] |1.76 MB", "United States Environmental Protection Agency", 2007-09-28. Retrieved on 2008-09-30.] Similar metal contaminants are found in the Sims Metal Recycling property in the project area. A 2007 Memorandum of understanding gives DTSC oversight over remediation procedures and ensures the site is remediated to target levels.

The redevelopment phasing has been allotted into five phases; the first phase, infrastructure building, is currently under construction.

References