When we first met with the city of Sacramento on the concept of opening a German Restaurant in 2012 we were greeted with much enthusiasm as there were no German restaurants in the area and it was a unique way to use a vacant lot at the 24th and K street location.
The lot had sat vacant for many years, 10 to 15 years as an eye sore. What we did not know was we were in for a lot of problems as the vision we had shared quickly changed and the project would get scrutinized, changed and ultimately it would have to fit with the cities view of what it should look like, not the owners, the architect or the contractor we hired. Below was what we originally visioned the project and presented at the first meetings.
Der BierGarten
This project is an outside-of-the-box solution for one of the many vacant lots across the city that often has overgrown weeds, garbage and homeless gathering.
By taking the lot that has been vacant for more than 10 years at 24th and K Street, we will create a unique outdoor gathering area for the local residence of the city to enjoy the cities tree-scape and weather while enjoying food and drink. It will create tax revenue for the city, create jobs and be a unique spot in the city all while solving a vacant lot issue.
The Renew – Reuse – Replace Project for the vacant corner lot of 24th and K Street. 2330 K. Street, next to The Golden Bear.
By taking a vacant lot that might be causing blight with weeds growing, garbage collecting and homeless gatherings, we will bring in a temporary business that will bring new tax revenue to the city. It will be a place for neighbors to ride bikes or walk to so they may enjoy the cities tree-scape by day and stars by night.
We will take this lot and renew it by the use of items that all can be reused at a later point and time. We do this by the reuse of cargo containers that will act as the restaurant and bathrooms. They will be painted to match the feel of the project but should be kept as cargo containers to keep with the theme of the reuse concept. We will further use other concepts of the project that are reused such as decomposed granite for the grounds surrounding the project. We will reuse the sun by using solar power for nighttime lighting, and water reclamation to reuse the rain water for the plants and shrubs. We will further make sure that we leave very little imprint on the earth by only using reusable / recyclable items to serve our food and drink items.
Lastly, replace. We feel that the economy is in a slow upswing and with this project being a temporary use of the land for 5 years the land owner can replace it with a building that better suits the area at the end of the lease. At that time all equipment can easily be removed within a few days and the lot can have a building that can match the area.