The size of the current Arco Arena site, a key part of a three-way land swap that would free the Cal Expo site for a new Sacramento Kings area, is too small to support the fairgrounds — or at the very least require the purchase of adjoining land.
The current fairgrounds occupies 412 acres; the Arco Arena site is 185 acres.
The arena plans calls for the current Cal Expo site to be sold to a developer; the Cal Expo would then move to the Arco Arena site. A new Kings arena would be built at a downtown railyards site with the proceeds of funds paid by the developer.
It’s a complicated transaction, and the small size of the Arco Arena site will surely complicate things.
There are some solutions. Currently a racetrack occupies 100 acres at Cal Expo; that facility doesn’t necessarily need to be part of the new Expo. Some buildings could be built in two stories instead of one, with parking ramps decreasing the need for the current 130 acres of surface parking. Some adjoining land could be purchased and added to the mix. And offsite parking is always an option.
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