Grand Opening Held For The Barn In West Sacramento
WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - The Barn, a new 8,000-square-foot venue along the Sacramento River in West Sacramento, celebrated its grand opening Friday.
The venue will be home to concerts and other public events, including food festivals.
"We watched every single little tile come up," said Anna Ansler, who lives right across from the venue.
Ansler watched the city develop over the years -- first with Raley Field and now this.
"I feel like finally it's cleaning up and there's so much potential here. We just can't wait; when is the rest of the development going to happen?" asked Ansler.
"We are not putting up 27-story buildings, but what we are seeing are lots of old buildings being transformed," said West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon.
Old buildings like the historic Washington Firehouse next to the I Street Bridge, which has been vacant for 20 years, is now being converted into a new jazz club and restaurant.
Empty lots around the city are also being used to grow urban farms -- plots of land for West Sacramentans to practice organic living.
"We are one of the leading places in the country for urban farms; we have more of them than anywhere in California," said Cabaldon.
Cabaldon says ever since Raley Field opened, there has been a spike in the number of people moving to the city.
"It's not just new people moving. When your kids go off to college or the military, they now want to come back, and we are seeing a lot of retention," he said.
Zak Gordon was one of those people. He grew up in Sacramento and left for a few years, but now he's thinking about being in West Sacramento for the long haul.
Gordon says, "Being walking distance from cheap entertainment and games is really good and having a communal area where everyone is nice."
The Off the Grid music and food truck festival will be held at The Barn every Friday from August through October.
City officials are also working to create the largest walking and bike trail system in the region, which they believe will deter homelessness along the waterfront.
Editor's Note: A previous version of this story reported the grand opening happened Thursday.
