First it was going to be a traditional suburban-style store. Then a hip, two-story urban model.
Now Target Corp. has a third design for its long-planned Sacramento store site on 65th Street near Highway 50.
In a nod to the declining economy, the company has opted to remodel the former Golden 1 Credit Union headquarters building.
A Target spokeswoman says the new store will have a "similar architectural look" to the two-story, glass-sided building that was approved last year by city officials. But it will be significantly scaled down to make it "financially feasible," says Target spokeswoman Anna Anderson.
The change follows other Target retrenchments here, including a decision not to open a store in Downtown Plaza and to scrap plans for a glitzy new store at its current Broadway location.
City Planning Director David Kwong says the company could begin work this year on renovating the existing 110,000-square-foot building on 65th Street, including plans to "bump out" the space by an additional 11,000 square feet.
By adding no more than 10 percent to the building's existing footprint, the company can avoid the public hearings and design review that accompanies new projects or bigger expansions.
Kwong says the Minneapolis company appears intent on meeting local design standards.
"They have to be part of the community and not just throw up a box," he says.
The new plan is likely to disappoint some city officials, who last year embraced plans for a pedestrian-friendly 160,000-square-foot building, with a Target on the second floor and retail shops/parking on the first.
But City Councilman Kevin McCarty says this plan is better than the original design - with a "sea of parking" fronting the street - that Target first proposed after it acquired the former Golden 1 site in 2005.
"It still activates the street," McCarty says, adding that he anticipates meeting with Target officials to "make the best" of the new building plan.
For the rest of Bob Shallit's column, see Tuesday's "Our Region" section.
More...
Now Target Corp. has a third design for its long-planned Sacramento store site on 65th Street near Highway 50.
In a nod to the declining economy, the company has opted to remodel the former Golden 1 Credit Union headquarters building.
A Target spokeswoman says the new store will have a "similar architectural look" to the two-story, glass-sided building that was approved last year by city officials. But it will be significantly scaled down to make it "financially feasible," says Target spokeswoman Anna Anderson.
The change follows other Target retrenchments here, including a decision not to open a store in Downtown Plaza and to scrap plans for a glitzy new store at its current Broadway location.
City Planning Director David Kwong says the company could begin work this year on renovating the existing 110,000-square-foot building on 65th Street, including plans to "bump out" the space by an additional 11,000 square feet.
By adding no more than 10 percent to the building's existing footprint, the company can avoid the public hearings and design review that accompanies new projects or bigger expansions.
Kwong says the Minneapolis company appears intent on meeting local design standards.
"They have to be part of the community and not just throw up a box," he says.
The new plan is likely to disappoint some city officials, who last year embraced plans for a pedestrian-friendly 160,000-square-foot building, with a Target on the second floor and retail shops/parking on the first.
But City Councilman Kevin McCarty says this plan is better than the original design - with a "sea of parking" fronting the street - that Target first proposed after it acquired the former Golden 1 site in 2005.
"It still activates the street," McCarty says, adding that he anticipates meeting with Target officials to "make the best" of the new building plan.
For the rest of Bob Shallit's column, see Tuesday's "Our Region" section.
More...