As Summer Ends, The Barn Is Behind Schedule
WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As summer comes to a close there's a part of the city's waterfront that's been a bit of a disappointment, The Barn.
The oblong shaped wooden structure sits along the Sacramento River just down the road from Raley Field. It was supposed to be the jewel of the city's waterfront.
Last year there was a vibrant scene with people people packing in to the outdoor event space enjoying food and concerts, but this summer the scene is much different.
The Barn is surrounded by a chain link fence while contractors work on opening Drake's Brewing Company.
"I think we were all anticipating it would open," said Kathleen Arceo who visits the city for produce. "It would be nice if it were open and people could come and enjoy it, because it was wet, two years ago it was open?"
In 2014, city leaders approved giving developer Mark Friedman's company $2.6 million in taxpayer money to build the barn and restaurant with an opening date of September 2016.
When the project fell behind the city extended the deadline to July 2017.
But now more than a year later why is the barn still not open?
"The project was more complicated than we originally thought, it was harder to build, and the initial operator that we had signed up for wasn't able to proceed. Sometimes things happen and you have to adjust," Friedman said.
West Sacramento City Manager Aaron Laurel tells CBS13:
"The city has not declared a default. There has been progress made."
The progress now has grown by leaps and bounds, but still people wishing the Barn was open.
"I was hoping to sell a bunch of produce to them this summer, but I understand that things happen," said Sara Bernal runs the farm stand nearby. "Next season we will be in full swing growing for this restaurant drakes and doing this farm stand regularly."
The city and developers hope to open by the end of September and promise it will be worth the wait bringing in endless entertainment as well as revenue for the city.
"Think we are going to see one of the best neighborhoods to live in the entire region, one that is built around smart growth principles, that has sophisticated architecture, and a strong sense of community," Friedman said.
Even though The Barn was under construction it still managed to win an architecture magazine award for the best new wooden structure in the world.
