More than two years ago, the city of
Now, the city has started looking for a partner to help develop the site. But it's still not clear what is going to become of it.
When the city's Redevelopment Agency bought it in March 2007 - for $3 million - the economy was very different. The thinking at the time was that the building could be coverted into office, retail or housing space - or some combination of all three.
But the market for all of those components has changed dramatically since then.
Nevertheless, after holding off its search for a while, Redevelopment Agency officials last month sent out a letter (an RFQ "request for qualifications") seeking a developer with the expertise to turn the building into something Santa Rosa wants. Responses are due back by Nov. 12.
(To see the abundance of materials city officials is passing on to would-be developers, click here. I counted 78 documents in all, including a link to a virtual tour of the building. It's worth watching if only to see the panoramic views atop this five-story building.)
The problem is that everyone has their own idea of what to do with the AT&T building, and history shows that these projects can become "Christmas trees," on which everyone hangs their own idea (think Railroad Square project) or something that ends up getting bogged down by debate and waffling (think the former White House site.)
Ideas discussed so far during meetings and public workshops include:
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A hotel and/or conference center
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Shops (How about a grocery store?)
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Condominiums
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A cultural arts or performing arts center
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A museum
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A UC extension
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A non-profit center
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Or some combination of the above.
I suggest we also discuss what shouldn't go on the site, including: a parking structure, a coffee shop, a bookstore (as much as I like these last two, we've already got plenty) and, most of all, a bank, investment or mortgage company.
Please, no more downtown. Nobody every said, "Let's go downtown and window shop at the financial institutions."
Yet, that's a lot of what pedestrians get when they visit the Courthouse Square area.
It's time for something different.
- Paul Gullixson
I have never understood the city's obsession with this building. It is just a building! Forget about it. Downtown has many more serious problems than 1 building that is not very pleasing to lok at. Try solving these problems: A mall that no one goes to that acts as a barrier between the 2 halves of downtown; traffic congestion; parking meters; competition from big box stores that have received favorable tax treatment; flight of the most interesting small businesses; location of the freeway...need I say more? For many of us, downtown is a place to aviod, not a place you want to go to. Try solving these problems for a change. I guess the obsession with this building comes about because it is so easy...
I don't disagree with you. The location of the Santa Rosa Plaza mall was a major mistake in how it has divided downtown. So is the location of the freeway. But there's not much the city can do about that at this point. There have been discussions about working with Simon Property Group, owner of the mall, about making a cut-through on 4th Street to give people any easy path between downtown and Railroad Square. But I'm guessing there's about as much of a chance of that happening any time soon as seeing Highway 101 torn down. Improving the AT&T building is, at least, something the city can control at this point.
Santa Rosa Plaza mall? Another fine project that received public monies. Redevelopment funding tore out the low income housing and built the plaza.
Since all the publicly owned land around Railroad square is being committed to high end condos maybe the AT&T building could be put into low income housing. And with no parking, a truly "transit village".
Wasting public monies,on that building because theres nothing else they can do,they could clean up that mess that's called downtown instead of continuing with the same type of behavior, that created the mess that is Downtown,putting a bumpy road thru town,what type of ghetto were they trying to create, let's start putting the town back together,let's have some long term planing. let's make an American town out of it,this mess started in the sixty's, It's been near 50 years with the same thinking that made the mess,and you want them to continue,shouldn't we start the conservation of how we get rid of these non thinkers.
Robert James