The City of Elk Grove worked with D & S Development to restore a former wine grape warehouse in the historic district for Dust Bowl Brewing Co .
Marysville ’ s Historic Downtown District has a large collection of historic buildings that are grossly underused , Councilmember Stuart Gilchrist says . The city is in the process of updating its general plan for 2023 ; it has not been updated since 1980 . The intention is to consider mixed-use infill that can function as live-work spaces adjacent to the historic resources . “ Every mixed use must include housing ,” says Gilchrist , whose town faces a housing shortage like many others . “ We want thriving , livable housing downtown .” He favors mixing old and new together . One building , the former home of the Nakagawa Company grocery store built in 1857 , was in poor condition after standing vacant for 20 years . The building was sold with the understanding that it had to be torn down . The owner is considering purchasing an adjacent property targeted for redevelopment by the city and combining the two to build a multi-story residential housing project , preferably with a facade that matches the historic one in some way . “ We are aggressively working at bringing in new construction with the intent of mixing old and new ,” Gilchrist says .
Architect Gaudreau has noticed a greater awareness and appreciation for the value of historic resources and developers ’ willingness to adaptively reuse them .
“ As a community , historic resources speak to who we are , where we ’ ve come from and what we can be proud of ,” Gaudreau says . “ They help shape our identity . And historic resources really help make each city unique . By preserving and protecting historic resources , we are helping to protect the unique identity of our particular region .”
Laurie Lauletta-Boshart has written for DWELL , ESPN , The Wall Street Journal , Sports Illustrated and others . Online @ wordplaycommunication . com and on Twitter @ laurieboshart .
June 2022 | comstocksmag . com 47