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SITE NAVIGATION

Current Transportation Efforts, Plans and Programs

Dixieanne Neighborhood

Current Transportation Efforts, Plans and Programs

Dixieanne Neighborhood

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Background

Dixieanne Neighborhood Clean & Green Alleys is a project to clean and beautify at least 3,000 linear feet of public right-of-way on any of 23 residential alleys in the community of Old North Sacramento with permeable interlocking pavers, fencing repairs, shade trees, and public art in order to enhance the neighborhood and to encourage community gathering and active transportation. While the primary function of alleys throughout Sacramento is to provide access to the rear of properties, the low volume of traffic and narrow widths allow alleys to also function as safe, low-stress corridors for pedestrians, bicyclists, and even casual play.

The Dixieanne Clean and Green Alley Project is moving forward with exciting developments that underscore our city’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and community enhancement. Here’s what’s happening:

Artistic Collaboration: A collection of artists, brought together by our partnership with Graffiti for Good, has been selected to enrich our alleys with unique paver and bollard designs. These functional art pieces are soon to be a reality as we finalize contracts with a top-notch paver art company.
Bollard Acquisition: The city is in the final stages of purchasing bollards to replace the existing gates that will continue to restrict vehicular traffic for safety but also add a visual flair to our neighborhood alleyways.
Community Event in January: Get ready for a showcase event where we will present the proposed art concepts. This will be a fantastic opportunity for community members to see the future look of our alleys. More details to follow.
New Fences on the Way: In partnership with Sierra Service Project and the Sacramento Resgional Conservation Corps, we are preparing to to replace damaged and aging fences for several residential properties adjacent to the alleys set for rehabilitation.
Spring Installations: With the arrival of spring, we anticipate the beginning of paver installation, taking advantage of the better weather conditions for construction.
Tree Planting Initiative: Thanks to our collaboration with the Sacramento Tree Foundation, up to 20 lots will be beautified with new, climate-appropriate shade trees.

Alley clean ups, community workshop and "Map Crawl"

A special thank you to Sacramento Picks It Up, the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps, and the Dixieanne neighbors that joined us for the four clean up events to remove trash from the alleys, a community workshop to inform residents of the project, and a map crawl to collect feedback from residents on the proposed improvements to the alleys.

Dixieanne community cleanup efforts in a neighborhood alleyway.

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Dixieanne community cleanup efforts tabling.

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Dixieanne cleanup efforts with trash truck pick up members.

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Staff recommendation

The City of Sacramento has been collecting feedback since August of 2022 through an online community survey on the Dixieanne Clean and Green Alleyways project in North Sacramento. 68 surveys had been collected by March 14, 2023 with 52 self-identifying as residents or property owners in the area.

Survey participants shared their preferences for various project components, including paver installation, alleyway gate removal, shade trees, fence improvements, and art installations. Interestingly, there was a near-even split among respondents for replacing existing gates with bollards and keeping the existing gates. A similar trend emerged for artistic options, with decorative pavers and mural installations garnering comparable levels of support.

The most notable finding from the online survey responses was the pressing need to take action and enhance the condition of residential alleyways in the Dixieanne neighborhood.

To facilitate further community engagement, City staff organized a series of eight 30-minute pop-up mapping events on Saturday, January 28th, held on major residential alleyways throughout the Dixieanne neighborhood. Residents were informed in advance by mail and signage was posted days before the event to encourage participation. Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps members also knocked on doors immediately prior to each pop-up to remind neighbors of the event. At each location, residents were encouraged to discuss their specific alley and pinpoint significant areas on an oversized plotted map dedicated to that alley. This interactive exchange allowed residents to offer more nuanced and detailed perspectives, leading to a richer understanding of the needs and preferences of the community.

During the pop-up mapping events, residents expressed their views on a variety of topics, including gate-to-bollard conversions, prioritizing pedestrian access over vehicular traffic, the heat island effect resulting from paver installation, and the resilience of paver art when subjected to car-related impacts.

Taking into account the feedback received, the soil conditions determined by core sampling, and established best practices in alleyway activation, City staff has developed recommendations for paver installation, paver art locations, gate-to-bollard conversions, and bollard artwork installations as indicated in the subsequent map. Property owners along the recommended alleys will also be contacted to potentially receive grant-funded shade trees and fence repairs as part of the beautification effort. Finally, signage discouraging illegal dumping will be installed throughout the neighborhood.

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Status

Design

100% Plans have been completed and construction has begun. Contractors will be excavating, installing drainage pipes, pouring base material, and laying pavers through November of 2024.

Fence Repairs and Backyard Trees

Fence repairs have been completed. The City solicited participants along the subject alleys for FREE fence repairs and backyard shade trees to compliment the new pavers, bollards, and artworks. The Sierra Service Project has started work in the neighborhood, replacing fences and planting trees, with support from the Sacramento Tree Foundation and labor provided by the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps. This work is an important step in improving our shared spaces. Work was completed in June 2024 and nearly 1,000 linear feet of fences were repaired or replaced.

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Construction

Excavation, grading, and paver installation has begun.

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Art

The following artists were chosen by a Selection Panel to 1) create vectors images that will be turned into cut pavers to be inlaid onto the alleyway surface and 2) to create and paint images onto the bollards that will be installed in the alleys.

Bollards:

Mercy Hawkins
Ryan (Leaveswell) Stark
Brenyanna Harris-Hill
Larry Rodriguez
Christine Shields

Pavers:

Amber Rankin
Brenyanna Harris-Hill
Christine Shields
Aman Smith
Daniel Pedersen
Ten Blair
Barbara Church
John Connolly
Austin Blue
Leon Willis

A community open house was held on December 30, 2023 to provide an opportunity for the public to get a first look at the preliminary art concepts and provide feedback. Comments were received through January 6, 2024 and shared with the artists. The artists were given an opportunity to revise their pieces based on the feedback received.

Bollards have been painted and will be showcased at the grand opening in the fall.

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PAVERART has arrived and installation has begun..

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the goal of the Dixieanne Neighborhood Clean and Green Alley Project?

To enhance at least 3,000 linear feet of alleyways in Old North Sacramento with improvements like permeable pavers, new fencing, shade trees, and public art, encouraging community gathering and active transportation.

What are the key components of the project?

Artistic collaborations for unique paver and bollard designs, bollard acquisition to replace gates, fence replacements, permeable paver installations, and a tree planting initiative.

What are the anticipated benefits of the project?

To beautify the neighborhood, enhance safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists, and foster a sense of community. How were fences selected for replacement? Locations for fence replacement were identified through door-to-door outreach in the community and discussions with property owners. With the owners' permission, a select number of fences in the alleys undergoing improvements were chosen for replacement, enhancing the overall project's impact on the neighborhood's appearance and safety.

How were the artists selected for the project?

Artists were chosen through a collaboration with Graffiti for Good and involved a community-based artist selection panel. This panel reviewed applications from artists, with initial art concepts shared with the community for feedback in late 2023. This goal of this collaborative approach is to try to ensure that the final art reflects the community's vision and values.

Why are the gates being replaced with bollards?

The transition from gates to bollards was made in attempt to balance community desires and the deterrence of criminal activity activities while promoting alley accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. This change supports the project's vision of revitalizing alleys as safe, welcoming spaces for community use.

Please share this information with friends, family, and neighbors who might be interested. The more community involvement, the better our project will be when complete!

Contact the project manager

Fedolia "Sparky" Harris, Principal Planner
fharris@cityofsacramento.org
(916) 808-2996

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