8 minute read
Building Our Future
LET’S TAKE THE CAR OUT OF CARMICHAEL
Rendering by RACESTUDIO, Bruce Race, architect
There’s an old academic exercise among urban planners where they ask something like this: If a revolution comes to your town, will you instinctively know where to gather to fi nd out what’s happening?
Identify a park or square where people would naturally fl ock, and it means your town has some appreciation for civic space and a sense of community fostered by planners and architects.
My family and I enjoyed living in Carmichael for 20 years. If that question were asked of residents there, what would they answer? Spoiler alert: They can’t say a strip mall or Starbucks.
Carmichael, like so many autodominated suburbs, has never had that sense of place or identity, but not for lack of trying.
When we lived there, we watched various efforts to beautify and otherwise improve a noisy, busy, congested, rundown section of Fair Oaks Boulevard from around Palm Avenue to Marconi Avenue.
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By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future
A smart, mixed-use plan was developed and approved by the county in 2011, after a decade of community pushback against a misguided earlier plan. The fi rst idea called for making Fair Oaks an even wider, faster-moving thoroughfare as an alternative to Highway 50.
The new plan envisioned four districts and plenty of townhomes and other infi ll housing. The result would work to connect adjoining neighborhoods. Millions of dollars were spent to prime things for development.
Sidewalks were widened. Trees, fl owers and other vegetation were added in new median planters. Utility poles were removed, with wires placed underground. There was a three-phase frenzy of beautifi cation, still underway.
Unfortunately, not much else has happened.
There is no quaint Main Street or much else that the plan, business owners and residents envisioned. The boulevard remains decidedly unfriendly for pedestrians.
A few years ago, Milagro Centre arrived seemingly from nowhere, replacing an ugly strip center at Fair Oaks Boulevard and Marconi Avenue. We could see potential at last.
The collection of restaurants, shops and a meeting space seemed to take forever to fi nish, in part because one of the original developers died. But the project brought much-needed life and character.
After that, as people like to say these days, crickets. A cascade of challenges— recession, the pandemic and ineffective marketing strategies by area business associations—combined to keep the dream just beyond reach.
Now there’s a new effort underway that anyone who cares about Carmichael should cheer. Funding opportunities include the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, which has a $38 million “Green Means Go” program for projects that reduce vehicle trips. The Carmichael strip should be a prime contender for some of that money.
This fall, the Central Valley American Institute of Architects revived the Carmichael conversation with an online presentation, “The Time Has Come to Make the Fair Oaks Blvd. Corridor Plan a Reality.” The group hopes to follow up with a planning session focused on a two-acre parcel that could become a catalyst for more activity.
Moderated by architect and longtime Carmichael resident Paul Menard, the meeting included an overview by co-author Bruce Race. I’ve known Bruce for years. He’s a respected former Berkeley planning consultant who left California, earned his doctoral degree and is now a professor of architecture at the University of Houston.
Race did good work in and around Sacramento. Positive results are evident in many areas, including Downtown. He remains optimistic about the Carmichael plan coming to fruition, even as local business owners say they still face many obstacles, including homeless encampments and not much interest from developers.
Like all wise urban planners, Race takes the long view. He hopes some of that new public money can push the momentum in the right direction.
“In Sacramento, we have communities with a lot of aspiration,” he says. “There may be stops and starts, but taking a long view of these plans really becomes important.”
And he makes this point: “The market (for more housing) will deliver the plan in spite of everything. It can be accelerated by having a more sophisticated and engaged process. By 2050, it will look like the drawing.”
Let’s hope he’s right. Sure sounds better than more cars.
Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Previous columns can be found and shared at InsideSacramento.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @ insidesacramento. n
TIMOTHY SCOTT
Celebrating his first year in Sacramento!
HAIRSTYLIST
FOR MEN AND WOMEN
We can make you look
BETTER than just your best!
Why do you refer to "We" when it's just you in your salon?
"I say 'we' because it's a collaboration between the client and myself to create a hairstyle that fits. My consultations are thorough. I ask a lot of questions along with taking into consideration your head and face shape, body build and your daily routine. Between my ideas and your preferences, we create a look that makes you look great and is easy to manage at home as well."
What do you do for people who aren’t open to new ideas?
How long have you been working by yourself?
"I've been a hairstylist for 34 years, of which 29 have been working solo. I've been selfemployed since I was 23 and I really prefer working alone. It's a completely private session and we can talk about whatever we want without anyone listening in or the distraction of commotion going on around us."
Your salon is very spacious and grand. Did you use a decorator?
I had to smile when I saw your mirror ball floating up there.
You only use Kerastase products. Why is that?
What's one word of advice you would give to people about their hair?
"Don't leave your house without doing your hair. Now, sometimes people wake up late and don't have time to do it. I get it. But your hair is like your bedroom: even if everything is put away, dusted, and vacuumed, if your bed isn't made, your room looks unkept. So, if your hair isn't done, you just don't look as good, no matter how nice or expensive your outfit is."
What do you like most about being a hairstylist?
"I like helping people who genuinely come to me for what I can offer, honest advice and expertise. Now, I always say that I'm not perfect, but I try to be and I do my best to give people what they want and make them happy. I will never say that I'm better than anyone else. There are a lot of talented people in this business. Like I say, I want to make people look better than just their best, and when I've achieved that, THAT is rewarding for me and makes it all worthwhile."
Do you have a hero in the industry? Or is there anyone in the business who inspires you?
How do you keep up with your profession?
"I go to hair shows and take classes all the time. Sometimes I'll go to a class that I've been to before. You'll always see or hear something that makes you go, 'Ah, right'. The hands on classes are my favorite. That's the best way to learn a new technique or to learn about a new product. The classes can get expensive, but there's real value in self-improvement and keeping current. They're fun to go to and I see a lot of creativity that inspires me."
What services do you offer? What services do you offer?
Do you have a favorite?
Are your clients exclusive?
"No. Everyone is welcome. My door is open to men and women of all walks of life.
I do think however, the relationship with your stylist IS exclusive. I have learned not to try and make something work when it isn't or win over a difficult client. I strongly suggest that people read through my website, click on the links to watch my TV interviews, and read my Yelp reviews. Even the bad ones.
My only requirement is that you schedule your own appointment through the website. The website walks you through all the necessary information needed to book the appointment. I cannot make appointments over the phone or by walking in. I prefer not to be distracted during a session out of respect to the client. Doing it online is easy, instant, and convenient."
www.timothyscottsalon.com
3330 Folsom Blvd. at 34th St. in East Sacramento
