Hume Expresses Guarded Confidence on Elk Grove Promenade, Awareness of Delta Shores

February 4, 2014 | After sitting fallow for over five-and-a-half years, construction could restart on the Elk Grove Promenade sometime ...

February 4, 2014 |

After sitting fallow for over five-and-a-half years, construction could restart on the Elk Grove Promenade sometime next year.

That hopeful sign was expressed by Elk Grove Council Member Pat Hume based on his communications with the unfinished shopping center's owner, Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC). In an interview with Elk Grove News, Hume said HHC is actively seeking leases on what they say will be an upscale outlet mall.

"They want to start leasing this year and be in construction next year and want to be open in 2015," Hume said. The two-term council member said now that HHC has two major projects progressing, Summerlin in Las Vegas and One Ala Moana in Hawaii, they have said their efforts will be focused on the Promenade.
Construction could restart on the Elk Grove Promenade next year

"They are looking at re-purposing it into a premium outlet mall like the one that just opened in Livermore," he said.

One of the hurdles HHC and the city seek to overcome is modification of the current development agreement that was part of the original deal with the shopping center's first owner, General Growth Properties. In that agreement, the city agreed that periphery property would not be developed until certain trigger points in development of the Promenade were met.

Hume said that HHC is willing to adjust that agreement and the city feels it is in the best interest to remove them so nearby development can commence. Hume said he anticipates the city council will reconsider modifying the development agreement in late-spring, early-summer.

The importance of modifying the agreement is crucial, Hume said, because much of the property near the Promenade is owned M&H Realty of San Francisco. M&H is also developing the Delta Shores project in Sacramento, which could compete with the Elk Grove Promenade for shoppers.

"So my concern is if they get Delta Shores to far along, they [M&H] will focus on that and we get step-child again," Hume said.

As part of launching the center as an outlet mall, Hume said that HHC told him they are considering downsizing the existing structure by raising a portion of it.

In regards to any incentives that might be offered to HHC, Hume said that was unlikely. "There are no incentives the city can offer, at this point," he said.

Hume said if HHC downsizes the project, there may be some land that is freed up that might be of interest to the city to acquire. That land, he said, could be used for the city's planned aquatics center and water park that is located in the civic center area.

"My larger goal is if we could pull the aquatic park out of the residential area and put it down there, that makes a whole lot more sense," Hume said.

As for the city's Southeast Policy Area, also known as SEPA, Hume said that HHC is not involved in the last unplanned area within current city limits. One of HHC's subsidiaries, Howard Research, was one of the driving forces behind the establishment nearly 50 years ago of Columbia, Md., which has regularly occupied a top-10 spot on the best places to live list.

Hume said one of the goals the SEPA plan is to get a large employer located there early on in its development and that it might be worthwhile to more closely examine if Howard Research could play a role. "The whole job-producing portion of SEPA, there is no one grabbing that by the reigns," he said.

As one of the city's charter planning commissioners, Hume first won office in 2006 by defeating incumbent Rich Soares, was reelected in 2010 and confirmed he will seek a third term this November.

Hume was cautiously optimistic given the improving economy and housing market that the oft-maligned Elk Grove Promenade does have a future in the city.

"I think 2015 will be the real sign of activity," he added.


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19 comments

SteveB6509 said...

Credit to Hume for recommending that the water park move away from residential development.

Anonymous said...

LMAO. "My larger goal is if we could pull the aquatic park out of the residential area and put it down there, that makes a whole lot more sense," Hume said.

Really...but he voted for this on October 9, 2013:

Phase I professional services contract with P3
International for the Elk Grove Aquatics Center in the amount of
$695,739.
http://www.elkgrovecity.org/documents/agendas/attachments/attachments/2013/10-09-13_10.2.pdf

Seems they wake up in a different world every day, saying whatever they think will put a smile on someones face and gain a vote.

Coffee Bean said...

So let's see if I got this right..the outlet center will be downsized and the city might BUY some of the land for the waterpark and aquatic center. I believe the current site being considered has deed restrictions that it must be reserved for public park/recreation use, so no one would buy it as it would be unprofitable, so the taxpayers just bought more land by the mall. Then we have the million dollar piece of land in Old Town, and a rail stop property being negotiated on Elk Grove-Florin, and who knows what else.

By the way, M & H Properties shows up on council's 460 contribution statements. Yep, we're buying their land--boldly going where the private sector dares to go.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @ 17:35, I guess you've never changed your mind about anything.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 18:36 Hopefully I would have carefully thought this through before I spent $700,000 of taxpayers monies, all the while knowing it was in the middle of residential near a hospital & school. All those facts were known before our city council voted to proceed. In all fairness, I will say that Mr. Hume was not the only one to vote "Yes" on this project....they all gave their blessings!

Jill said...

Not that Mr. Hume needs any help, but during deliberations over that matter, as I recall, he hedged his bet.

Anonymous said...

Building an amusement park in the middle of a residential area makes absolutely no sense at all.

Put it out near the mall.

Build a restaurant row

Build hotels.

Now that would make more sense from a land use planning standpoint.

Lynn said...

I read this article with much interest.
First I spoke so loudly against placing the aquatic park in the residential area....before and after the council vote! How easy it would be for a leader to change their mind after a vote..especially this being an election year. So does this mean when Hume voted for it the first time he thought it was not the best place for the park...but oh well...a little wishy washy.
The best; about the SEPA bringing a larger employer....supposedly we needed the SOIA to bring a large employment center that there was not enough land available in the planning of the SEPA....So this has changed? So much for the transparency of the city.....

Anonymous said...

There's no planning on anything. They just approve any project that comes walking in the front door of city hall, and justify it after the fact.

Anonymous said...

Don't worry, Starbuck has it all covered.

Good Info said...

Good article, interview and quotes by Pat Hume. It is refreshing to get some substantive information from a council member.

If the building agreement can be lifted, it would be great for that area and for Elk Grove. Could we finally get a Costco in Elk Grove and other big box stores? We certainly could use the sales tax revenue. Hopefully a business park or two will be built to bring businesses to that area which would certainly aid in our city's economic development.

And if some of that land could be freed up, good for Hume to find an alternative site for the aquatics center, and may be a youth soccer complex, that would drive people to use the Grantline Interchange much more than it is. The original site for the aquatics center is very problematic and at least one council member has recognized that fact before we break ground.

If the changes can be made because the infrastructure is already there, it could possibly be the interchange at Whitelock won’t be needed and Elk Grove Regional Park would be left alone.

We need more information like this coming from council members instead of what parties they attended!

EGN and Pat Hume are to be commended!

Pot Holder said...

Better than a waterpark near residences! Since when has he cared about residents? Oh that's right, election season has begun.

Anonymous said...

to the commentor at 7:41....LOLOLOLOLOL on the "Pot holder" reference. Great memory and yes, it is election time. When would Hume ever agree to a sit down with a reporter...never! So, yes, time to get his wonderful accomplishments out for all to see. Let me think, what else has he done? Thinking....thinking...Nothing comes to mind.

Anonymous said...

We've heard all this talk before about the Mall. I hardly think some action in Summerlin in Las Vegas and One Ala Moana in Hawaii means we're any closer in the running. Just more BS! Wonder what happened with this big NEWSFLASH 1 1/2 years ago?


http://www.elkgrovenews.net/2012/06/starbuck-says-nine-prospective-anchor.html

Big Brother said...

Careful people with your First Amendment comments. A la Steve Detrick, and the current Elk Grove Citizen article and his warning that all of the Blogs comments together with any emails, text messages, etc, that are being sent to his attorney so that he/she can monitor them for “inflammatory” comments, we certainly don’t want Pat Hume and/or Gary Davis to incur $35,000 worth of legal expenses by doing the same.

Didn't anyone tell Detrick that elected officials are an open book when it comes to constituents criticizing their political shenanigans exercising their rights to freedom of speech?

For $35,000 in legal fees for the last six months to monitor his communications, Detrick must sure get a lot of hate mail.

Anonymous said...

Delta Shores will be built first.

Better demographics.

Anonymous said...

I don't see any comments about this line in the story "As part of launching the center as an outlet mall, Hume said that HHC told him they are considering downsizing the existing structure by raising a portion of it." This worries me. The original mall was set to be approx. 1.1 million sq. feet of retail/shops/food court, etc. I wonder what size "mall" we're talking about now? We were told originally that 1.1 million was the minimum size to sustain tenants and vendors. So, are we going to settle for something significantly less? 20% less? 40% less? Also, "land might become available for the city to purchase" for the aquatic park. This seems to say we're going to end up paying through the nose for this discarded land. Ironic that this land sits empty for nearly 6 years and now we want to buy some of the land back? Who’s "planning" this mess?

Adam Smith said...

Let the private sector buy their own land--that's the risk of capitalism. Taxpayers don't need to give free land, plus what's in it for the average homeowner and their property values. These clowns keep trying to act like the city is a business, but last I checked, no one had an MBA! Government is supposed to provide essential services--period.

Anonymous said...

Every year or so we hear this same news from our city...first it was Ms Scherman, then Cooper & Davis and now Mr. Hume. The date is always moved a year+ ahead. Does Mr. Hume have the inside scoop, the ear of HHC or is this just another hype? Or, could we just be helping HHC sell this commercial property? If I owned the property the city would be putting a smile on my face....and it didn't cost me anything, not even a public statement.

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