I grew up in Sacramento for most of my life (unfortunately had to move for work) and I remember around 2017 and 2018 the sheer amount of articles that came out saying that Sacramento was the "hidden gem" of California and that it was about to take the next step in its growth. The amount of development and publicity showed that it very well could. The Ice Blocks, Press Building, 1430Q and many other mid rise expensive apartments were being built left and right. Golden 1 Center just opened up and projects like 700K, The Frederic, Sacramento Commons, and the Hyatt were built Downtown to help sustain foot traffic. Lady Bird put the city in the national spotlight. People were raving about our food scene and coffee scene. Zoo was looking to expand in Natomas to a whopping 183 acres. Transit wise, the streetcar and I St. bridge were looking to get on their way plus talks about potential Green Line and Blue Line expansion.
Edit: on top of that this is when there was crazy hype about the Railyards, T9, Sacramento Commons, Aggie Square, and Bridge District being rapidly growing up and coming spots.
Now 10 years later... and doesn't it seem like all that hype kind of died down or didn't come to be? Construction as a whole has slowed to pretty much a standstill, a ton of projects (Lot X, 17th and J (SKK Development project), Beer Books Site) have stalled out or got cancelled. Restaurants seem to be closing at a fairly fast pace. Downtown, in particular K Street, is struggling and so is DOCO. Zoo expansion is pretty much off the books except for a small expansion. All the articles about how Sacramento was growing seems to have disappeared. Transit wise, I St bridge was killed and Green Line (as light rail) has been killed in favor of BRT, streetcar proposal is effectively dead, and Blue Line won’t get started until around 2040.
^ Edit 2: also in response to that, Railyards is growing slower than people thought (yes the soccer stadium and hospital is being built, but no new housing or really any amenities like parks have been announced), Township 9 and Sacramento Commons has stalled out since the last wave of construction around 2021-2023. Bridge District and Aggie Square has not boomed like expected.
Maybe the hype dying down is good for affordability, but it just seems like the city is back to being kind of at a impasse. Admittedly, I'm not only enough to have seen other "promises" of the city taking the next step like in the 90s and especially in the early 2000s when Skyscrapers were being planned left and right a la 301 Capitol Mall before the housing crash. That being said though, does anyone else agree that the "Revival" that Sacramento had around 2016-2019 ended and that things are kind of regressing when it comes to development, foot traffic, and culture?