Sacramento mayor vs. mall owner: No deal yet
By Loretta Kalb, Dale Kasler and Tony Bizjak
Published: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 - 12:08 am
Last Modified: Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009 - 12:08 am
Four months after issuing an ultimatum to the owner of Sacramento's struggling Downtown Plaza, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Tuesday that the owner has signaled that it's willing to sell.
But the owner, Westfield Corp., said it's not that simple.
In a statement released hours after Johnson's announcement, Westfield said it would be willing to sell the plaza "under certain conditions." But the company objected to what it characterized as Johnson's plan to run streets through the 38-year-old pedestrian mall. The company also said Johnson is interested in building an arena next to the mall, an idea that first surfaced in 2004.