We have great news for those of you who frequently travel along Watt Avenue! The future holds a whole new view for us. In January of 2007, the Sacramento County Planning and Community Development Department proposed a “North Highlands Town Center Development Code,” which recently passed. The goal of this development code is to strengthen the identity of the North Highlands community by bringing in a feeling of a “traditional downtown”. This will bring many changes to those of us who live, work or drive in the North Highlands area. This development code ties in to the overall Watt Avenue Corridor improvement plan that has already begun just south of us. You may have noticed the new bus stops, median landscaping, décor, and even some new construction. Things are only going to get better because McClellan is getting a makeover. McClellanPark will be taking the center stage of the North Highlands Town Center Development Code. The new downtown area of North Highlands will begin at Watt Avenue and Freedom Park Drive
The “Gateway District” at Watt and FreedomPark will serve as the entryway into the new downtown North Highlands. It will continue into McClellanPark and branch off from Freedom Park Drive. The Gateway District will combine retail, commercial and residential space; buildings will house neighborhood stores of varying sizes at street level and apartments or offices on the upper floors. These stores will offer personal services, restaurants and entertainment. The “Main Street District” will be centered at FreedomPark and Dudley Boulevard at 34th Street, and will provide a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere with its lively small-town style. This section will also combine businesses and living space in the same buildings along Freedom Park Drive. Further along, there will be single-family homes, town homes and more residential areas.
Across from the AerospaceMuseum and next to the US Coast Guard base will be the “Office/Residential District” that will offer a less commercial feel, but still combine housing and office space.
The last two districts will be the “Community Support District,” which will provide space for civic and public uses such as churches, lodges and community centers, and the “Parks/Open Space District” which will preserve and enhance FreedomPark.
There will be some new additions to the Watt Avenue corridor that will provide a healthy stimulus for local commerce. A Golden Corral restaurant, which is a family-style buffet and grill, will soon be opening in North Highlands. The new restaurant will be built on the site of the recently closed Regency Theater located just south of Roseville Rd. on Watt Ave. For more information, visit their web site at www.goldencorral.com.
Another exciting development will be the addition of a Ross Department Store. According to Don Gobbi of the Alamo Group, property managers for the former Ralph’s Center, a Ross will likely be moving in to that shopping center, which will undergo a complete renovation. The Alamo Group is awaiting the final decision from SacCounty. With the construction and retrofitting necessary in the facelift this center will receive, Don says the grand opening should be early to mid-2009.
The Development Plant also provides for additional housing in the area. Mark Manoff, Sacramento County North Area Service Manager, is working on plans to provide 100 units of senior housing, as well as 200 units of standard apartment homes. This development will be located behind DD’s Discounts.
The improvements have already begun. If you haven’t noticed yet, drive by Jiffy Lube and Long John Silver’s and check out their new looks! We will keep you updated as the other changes begin to take place. The future looks bright for North Highlands.