1. Can the project include housing?
2. Can the project include retail?
3. What will happen to the Heilbron House?
4. Is Roosevelt Park being considered as part of the project?
5. What will the office towers look like?
6. Can the project include public parking?
7. How did the state determine the number of parking spaces needed for the office complex?
8. If the Heilbron House is moved, where will it go?
9. How will the state identify successful retail tenants?
10. If a residential component is constructed, will it include affordable housing units?

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2. Can the project include retail?
Section 8169.6 of the Government Code relating to state building construction authorizes the design and construction of the West End Office Complex and associated underground parking. The authorization provides for 1.4 million square feet of office space. Up to 5% of the total square footage may be reserved for non-state use space (including retail uses). All of the current massing and urban plan alternatives for the site show retail opportunity sites that would target both state office occupants and the local community.

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3. What will happen to the Heilbron House?
The authorization and scope for the West End Office Complex project includes rehabilitation and/or relocation of the historic Heilbron House . The house was built in 1881 at its original location at 704 O Street in 1881 and was occupied by the Heilbron family for over 70 years. Various businesses have adapted the former residence for other uses over several decades. Heilbron House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Increasing urbanization is occurring in the neighborhood where the house is presently located, and the West End Office Complex will continue this trend. While the Heilbron House is a valued historic structure, the present urban context does not contribute to its value; therefore, relocating the house to another site may be reasonable alternative to rehabilitation at the present location. The DEIR for the project will compare alternatives that will include leaving the historic structure at its original location and moving it to another site.

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4. Is Roosevelt Park being considered as part of the project?
In addition to cooling towers, modifications to Central Plant operations will likely include incorporation of thermal energy storage (TES) for approximately 6 million gallons of chilled water, which would allow for greater flexibility in the operation of the Central Plant chillers and cooling tower and the opportunity to concentrate energy usage during off peak hours. Roosevelt Park (bounded by P and Q Streets and 9th and 10th Streets) has been considered as a possible location for installation of an underground TES storage tank below the park. Under this scenario rights to use the park for underground TES would be acquired via fee title, easement, use agreement, or other similar mechanism in coordination with the City of Sacramento. Park uses and facilities would be restored and enhanced following installation of the tank. However, use of Roosevelt Park for underground TES is not a preferred option at this time due to public concerns over temporary closure of the park during construction as well as costs and engineering challenges associated with installing underground tanks.

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5. What will the office towers look like?
The final design for the West End Office Complex is not known at this time. A series of community workshops will continue through spring 2005 to solicit comments and suggestions from the public on both the West End Office Complex and the Central Plant Renovation. This public input will be used by the West End Master Architect team to formulate detailed textual design guidelines and building massing schematics for the office complex. The DEIR will include an evaluation of proposed urban design and massing for the office towers; the conclusions presented in the EIR will provide the basis for selection of the final design guidelines, urban design elements, and massing configuration, which will then be used to guide the detailed project design.

DGS is authorized to use several delivery methods for the project: one option would involve execution of a design-build contract to consolidate design and construction of the project under a single streamlined contractual arrangement; a lease purchase contractual agreement with a design-build team would add a component whereby the team would lease the finished building complex to the state. Competing design-build teams will be required to submit detailed drawings and designs for the West End Office Complex to the state, which will be evaluated as part of the team selection process. These visions for building design will be among the parameters employed by the state to gauge the best value to the state rating as part of the process to select a design-build or lease purchase team. After a design-build or lease purchase team is selected, more detailed information on the appearance of the office towers will be available. At that time DGS will initiate a public outreach process to make this information available to the public and stakeholders.

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6. Can the project include public parking?
The state is currently analyzing the possibility of allowing limited public use of the parking garage proposed for construction on the south half of Block 266. Similar to operation of the East End Complex parking garage, the state would allow the public to use the proposed parking structure on Block 266 after regular business hours and on weekends. The state is also exploring the possibility of allowing limited public use of the proposed parking garage on an hourly basis during the regular workday.

Security in state buildings is a legitimate concern, and use of underground parking garages by the general public can create a security risk for building occupants. These concerns would preclude use of underground parking areas proposed on Blocks 203 and 204 for public parking.

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7. How did the state determine the number of parking spaces needed for the office complex?
The West End Office Complex project includes approximately 1,340 parking stalls for 1.4 million gross square feet (gsf) of office space, which corresponds to a ratio of 1 stall per 1,044 gsf. This parking ratio is considerably higher than the minimum City requirement for parking associated with offices in the Central Business District of Sacramento (1:600 [City Zoning Code Section 1764.060]). This ratio represents a balance between ensuring that state workers and visitors have sufficient parking, so that people do not park within the surrounding neighborhood, and encouraging state workers and the public to utilize alternative forms of transportation.

The site of the West End Office Complex is served by multiple transit lines. The Sacramento Regional Transit District (RT) light rail line passes through and along the proposed office complex site with lines that run on 7th and 8th Streets and O Street. RT provides regular, peak hour, and shuttle bus service within one block of the West End Office Complex. Other transit providers that serve the area within two blocks of the site include Yolo Bus, Folsom Stage Lines, El Dorado Transit, Yuba-Sutter Transit, and Roseville Transit. The West End projects would be designed, built, and operated to minimize the impact of the development on the global and local environment. As part of this plan, the project would be designed to encourage transit use.

The state provides a financial subsidy for employees using transit or vanpool commute alternatives through the State Transit Pass Subsidy Program. The program allows employees to obtain transit passes and receive reimbursement from their respective state departments for 75% of the actual cost, up to a maximum of $65.00 per month. The State Transit Pass Subsidy Program has been ranked as having the highest employee participation compared to other similar programs. In the 2001 Capitol Area State Employee Transportation Survey, 27% of those who participated in the survey reported that they use public transit. Encouraging use of these alternative transportation resources, as well as other measures, would contribute to creating an integrated sustainable building approach that is among the goals for this project.

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8. If the Heilbron House is moved, where will it go?
The Heilbron House has been listed on the California Register of Historic Places since 1976. Two of the three alternatives being considered for the West End Office Complex would keep this historic residence at its present and original location. If it were moved, the state Office of Historic Preservation has requested that it be oriented facing north and preferably on a corner lot, on the northwest corner of a block, as it is now. One possible state-owned site that meets some of these criteria has been identified at the corner of 9th and N Streets on the plaza of the Resources Building. At this location, the west side of the Heilbron House would be adjacent to the newly completed Stanford Gardens adjacent to the historic Leland Stanford Mansion. Selection of this site would require cooperation between state agencies and The Leland Stanford Mansion Foundation. The Heilbron House grounds would have to be consistent with the historic character of both buildings, and complementary to the Stanford Gardens.

While no other state-owned sites have been identified, another possibility is for the state to solicit bids (or hold an auction) to identify private land owners who could provide a suitable site for relocation of the Heilbron House.

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9. How will the state identify successful retail tenants?
DGS retained a retail consultant that provided detailed guidelines targeted to creating a successful plan for a retail component to the West End Office Complex that complements the scale of the surrounding community. The market study analysis and guidelines produced by the retail consultant will be incorporated into the design/build guidelines for the West End Office Complex. Retail refers to a class of interior building space uses that include shops, food and beverage operations, and other providers of goods and services that are useful to state employees on the site and at nearby facilities, and potentially to people in the surrounding neighborhood.

Preliminary guidelines suggest taking advantage of an opportunity to shape the retail component to help define the identity of the office buildings. The DGS retail consultant suggested ways to implement this plan, such as advising the creation of a facility design that concentrates retail establishments in one place, preferably at the corner of 8th and O Streets near the RT light rail transit stop, and at street level. The market research data compiled by the retail consultant has led to the conclusion that the office workers, and surrounding neighbors and hotels may support up to 45,000 square feet of retail uses at the West End Office Complex. It is possible that a 5,000- to 8,000-square-feet destination restaurant could anchor the retail area. Approximately two-thirds of the total retail square footage is recommended to be planned for food and beverage establishments, with the remainder devoted to retail and service uses targeted to the office worker population. Approximately 500 households are presently located within about one-quarter mile of the proposed West End Office Complex, and others are planned that may strengthen the market support for the new retail area.

It should be noted that a portion of the retail component would be assigned to the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) of the State Department of Rehabilitation. Details about BEP, as well as its operators and its purview, can be obtained by telephoning (916) 263-8900 (voice), (916) 263-7481 (TTY), or emailing at: bepinfo@dor.ca.gov

An additional retail component could be planned along R Street at the south side of the proposed parking structure complex that may provide services geared toward the residential area to the south.

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10. If a residential component is constructed, will it include affordable housing units?
Although current legislative authority does not authorize DGS to include residential uses in the scope of the West End Office Complex Project, nor does the current Capitol Area Plan designate Blocks 204 and 266 as residential development sites, alternatives are being evaluated in the draft Environmental Impact Report that include potential residential opportunity sites. If pending legislation (AB 1663 [Jones], described above under FAQ #1) establishes a residential component, it could be undertaken by a private developer or through the Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA). Since its inception in 1978 as a joint powers authority of the State of California and the City of Sacramento, CADA has had the responsibility for planning, implementing, and managing the housing and related retail/commercial elements of the Capitol Area Plan. CADA espouses housing for people of a wide range of income groups for the enhancement of the neighborhood.

CADA has a successful track record in providing urban infill housing through effective public-private partnerships. CADA has also preserved and maintained the rental housing stock transferred to its care in 1978 by the state. AB 1663 (Jones) as currently drafted allows for development of housing by CADA, a private developer, or both. CADA both directly funds and utilizes funds available through government housing programs to assure the neighborhood includes housing units meeting the needs of low- and very-low income households. CADA’s authorizing legislation requires that CADA maintain 25% of its units at affordable rents for low-income households. These actions have resulted in a community of neighbors with diverse lifestyles, including retirees on fixed incomes, students, and people working in a variety of service and office capacities in the Central Business District, in state offices and at the State Capitol.

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