Florin Road Redevelopment Area History

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A Brief History of Florin Road

The area has been a focal point for the South Sacramento area for more than a decade, and the declining economics of the area provided the impetus for the Redevelopment Agency of the County of Sacramento to recommend its designation as the County’s newest redevelopment project area.

 Since the turn of the 20th century, the Project Area was of vital importance to the greater Sacramento region; first as a stopping point for travelers heading to Sacramento and later as home to Sky Ranch Airport, which was constructed shortly after World War II.  By 1962, the airport had closed and a few years later developers constructed the region’s first indoor shopping center called Florin Mall.  Built in 1967, and expanded in 1978, the Florin Mall encompasses more than 950,000 square feet on about 70 acres of property at the northwest corner of Florin Road and Stockton Boulevard.  Florin Mall’s development in suburban South Sacramento not only helped attract other retailers and auto dealerships to South Sacramento, but also led to the development of nearby middle class neighborhoods.  At one time, Florin Mall’s J.C. Penney anchor store was recognized as the second largest volume store of the national chain.

The Project Area started to decline in 1996 when major tenants began to move to newer and more profitable locations in Elk Grove, Roseville, and El Dorado Hills.  Over the years, the Project Area has lost many large retailers, such as J.C. Penney, Weinstock’s, Toys “Я” Us, Circuit City, Factory 2-U, Swift Chrysler Plymouth, Swift Dodge World of Cars, Thomas Pontiac GMC Truck, K.B. Toys, See’s Candies, A&W, and Togo’s.

Overall, the decreased economic activity in the Project Area is attributed to various factors, such as inconsistent land use patterns and incompatibilities resulting from conflicting residential/industrial and residential/commercial uses spread throughout the Project Area.

 This has ultimately discouraged investment and development in the area.  It is difficult to attract new and enhanced economic development opportunities in a project area where many of the structures are approximately 50-60 years old and are susceptible to deterioration from aging and overall disinvestment.  Consequently, the value and appeal of the area is inherently more limited compared to the newer industrial and commercial areas. 

In the last few years, the Project Area’s economic problems have become even more apparent as aging structures have continued to deteriorate.  In the face of overwhelming decline throughout industrial, commercial, and residential properties, there is a general lack of economic incentive for property upgrades, as well as general property owner inability to afford repairs.  The lack of economic resources and investment in the Project Area is reflected through low lease rates, high vacancies, abandoned buildings, incompatible uses, and high crime rates.

 The role of the Redevelopment Agency will be to provide strategic plans, economic incentives, revitalization programs, and public improvements to stem the tide of disinvestment and lay down the foundation for renewal.  The Redevelopment Plan that was adopted by the Board of Supervisors provides a variety of authorities to accomplish that end. 

 The goals of the Plan are:

• The elimination of blighting influences and the correction of environmental deficiencies in the Project Area, including, among others, incompatible and uneconomic land uses, buildings in which it is unsafe or unhealthy for persons to live or work, small and irregular lots in multiple ownership, depreciated or stagnant property values, abnormally high business vacancies and low lease rates, and inadequate or deteriorated public improvements, facilities, and utilities.
   
• The re-planning, redesign, and development of portions of the Project Area which are stagnant or improperly utilized.
   
• The assembly of land into parcels suitable for modern, integrated development.
   
• The improvement of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular circulation in the Project Area.
   
• The strengthening of the economic base of the Project Area and the community by the installation of needed site improvements to stimulate new residential and commercial expansion, employment, and social economic growth.
  The provision of adequate land for parking and open spaces.
   
• The establishment and implementation of performance criteria to assure high site design standards and environmental quality and other design elements which provide unity and integrity to the entire Project.
   
• The provision of opportunities for participation by property owners in the revitalization of their properties.
   
• The increase, improvement, and preservation of the community’s supply of housing available to low- and moderate-income persons and families.