Sacramento's Own Times Square? Massive Billboards Planned For Golden 1 Center 'Sign District'
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A new Downtown Sacramento "sign district" around the Golden 1 Center could allow for advertisements and billboards stretching as high as seven stories high.
A Sacramento city proposal for the plan compares the space within the district with New York City's Times Square.
The exterior walls of the California Fruit Building on J Street would be part of the district, which stretches from 3rd to 7th street. The district would allow for a billboard bonanza, with massive multi-story advertisements painted, printed, projected and wrapped around the sides of buildings.
Matt Sites is a City of Sacramento urban designer working on the plan he says is aimed at providing additional energy and excitement to the area.
"Times Square, ultimately what it's referring to, is the heart of our district," Sites said.
Sites says the amount of signage won't compare to the Big Apple's. There will be a big change for what Downtown Sacramento owners could be allowed to put on their buildings.
"Certainly our concerns are with lighting and how much that ultimately plays off the entire districts," Sites said.
When the Golden 1 Center was first built, complaints by neighbors over its bright lights at night led the Kings to dim them.
Now, new giant advertising could adorn the streets surrounding the arena.
"Something bright and shiny, I think for a lot of people it brings excitement," Sacramento resident Tami Anstess said.
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"It's all what kind of stuff you put in, who's behind it," Downtown Sacramento worker Ed Bermudez said. "What kind of information you put in that will reflect how we are perceived around the community."
Building owners, including the Sacramento Kings, are working on a set of CC&R's that would control what types of advertisements would be permitted.
"Ultimately we've been working with all the owners and we're trying to keep this as a very classy area," Sites said.
Downtown Sacramento got its shiny arena. Now get ready for some flashy ads.
