Panelists advocate for mixed-use development strategies and eliminating vacancies in downtown revitalization effort

By Cristian Gonzalez | Solving Sacramento Ryan Cassidy, vice president of real estate at Mutual Housing California, speaks as a panelist at the Solving Sacramento “Suds & Solutions” discussion on revitalizing downtown Sacramento Wednesday, March 27. Cristian Gonzalez, Solving Sacramento Experts and community members convened at Touchstone Brewing Company for Solving Sacramento’s “Suds & Solutions” talk on revitalizing downtown Sacramento in a post-pandemic economy, on Wednesday evening, March 27.& & & Housing, homelessness and the perception of downtown Sacramento as unsafe were noted as obstacles to revitalization efforts. Attendees echoed similar concerns about the health of small businesses and residential areas.& “When my husband and I were looking to open the bookstore on K Street, Capitol Books, I had said absolutely not downtown. It scared me. I didn’t want to have a store there,” Heidi Rojek, co-owner of Capitol Books, said. “As soon as we met with the Downtown Partnership, my mind was changed. We saw all the great things that were starting to happen downtown, and we saw that that was going to be a special place.” Since Capital Books opened in 2019, Sacramento has seen the expansion of the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center and the booming of...