The complicated land-swap plan that would put an arena at the downtown railyard is the city's best bet for a facility to replace Arco Arena, a task force appointed by Mayor Kevin Johnson will tell the City Council today.
The citizens panel, appointed by Johnson in November, has spent two months interviewing proponents of seven arena proposals.
Its much-anticipated recommendations were finalized Wednesday and have been closely guarded. The pitch will be delivered to the City Council during a special 11:30 a.m. session at City Hall.
The group will identify three or four of the proposals as worth city study, a source familiar with the findings says.
But task force leaders will say they believe the city's best chance of success appears to be a plan involving privatizing the Cal Expo site, moving the state fairgrounds to the Arco site in Natomas and building an arena on city-owned land next to the I Street train depot in the downtown railyard, the source says.
It's proposed by local developers Gerry Kamilos and David Taylor, and backed by the National Basketball Association and the Sacramento Kings.
The city already plans to build a major transit center at that site for trains, light rail and buses,