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Ben van der Meer

Veteran reporter and professional fool Ben van der Meer, in his journalism avocation. Links to stories, starting point, dartboard, anything else it needs to be.

26/07/2024

It's ok to be skeptical that this site is going to be redeveloped anytime soon, but it won't be because the owners have given up, eight years after first proposing a new use.

The original application was submitted in 2016.

19/07/2024

Not my story this week. But Kathy Robertson was one of the best reporters I've ever worked with, and one of the nicest too. That's a rare combination and it's very sad to think she's gone not that longer after she left the BJ.

"She was a tenacious journalist who never shied away from a controversial story," said a former colleague.

12/07/2024

There were rumors about who might be moving into this spot, but I didn't hear any about the group that ultimately looks like it will be:

The previous tenant closed at the end of 2023.

05/07/2024

Huge amounts of traffic for this story about a lawsuit involving a prominent state construction project. No idea why no other media apparently picked up on it.

The project was originally supposed to be completed in March 2023, the lawsuit states.

21/06/2024

Penryn has never had an affordable project before, but this one is too new to have a rendering. Luckily, i had a photo of the project site from a related story a few months ago.

Land not far from Interstate 80 in the unincorporated Placer County community of Penryn is slated to be the site of the first affordable housing project there.

07/06/2024

It never gets old to write a story about a real estate transaction...and then get a press release a couple days later acting like they're breaking some news for you on the same transaction.

The land is already partially developed with retail tenants in place.

01/06/2024

Had many, many good conversations with Mr. Strech over the entire time I've been with the Business Journal, he was always thoughtful, reasonable and in a good mood to deal with the press. Sad when you have to write an obituary for someone that, while your relationship was just professional, you genuinely enjoyed interacting with. RIP.

Michael Strech led North State BIA for 11 years.

17/05/2024

Neighbors of a closed golf course Auburn have really wondered what was going on with it, now there's some answers. Also, at least two friends from high school worked at this course when it was thriving, which tells you how long ago I was in high school!

The current owners bought the property in late 2021.

10/05/2024

Sign of times, almost all my hot stories lately have to do with residential land development and homebuilding.

The builder is hoping to start model homes next summer.

03/05/2024

Hard to believe it's been more than a decade since the Golden 1 Center plan was hatched, and the Kings' former home is still waiting for a post-basketball future.

Redevelopment of the former arena property in Sacramento's Natomas area has taken a step forward, but it might be years before it takes visible shape.

26/04/2024

When she was editing this story, a colleague said, "A 5,000-home project is pretty unusual, isn't it?" Yes, as in, nothing that big has been proposed in these parts in more than a decade.

The property is now mostly undeveloped ag land.

19/04/2024

When in doubt, write about pickleball:

There's a new proposal for an undeveloped site in Gold River.

12/04/2024

I have in-laws who live in Colusa County, so I pass through Dunnigan pretty often coming to and from Sacramento. The idea of seeing it develop further is interesting, but as this story notes, there's a really big obstacle.

At the northern end of Yolo County, a community best known as an Interstate 5 rest stop is being planned for something more.

05/04/2024

Probably 35 or so years ago, I decided I wanted to be a sportswriter when I grew up. And since I liked the Oakland A's, I probably would've thought getting to write about them someday would've been really cool. Flash forward, long since dropped the sportswriter idea, but through various twists of fate, for the next few years....I get to write about the A's (not of Oakland for much longer).

Greater Sacramento Economic Council CEO Barry Broome said having the A's play at Sutter Health Park raises the Sacramento region's reputation as a part of California still on the rise.

29/03/2024

Tough blow for a much anticipated affordable housing project on Broadway, though it sounds as if it's a setback rather than a crushing blow.

The project began construction last year.

22/03/2024

There were a lot of comments I saw about story saying, "where will people park?" Reality is, no project in the urban core like this will have a lot of parking, and it's not required at all, usually. But there is a light-rail line running right by it....

The venue's first shows should be announced later this year.

15/03/2024

Often, companies are happy to talk about expansion. This one was amenable to discuss about taking the opposite tack, and that's probably one reason a lot of people read it this week.

The firm opened the San Francisco office in 2021.

08/03/2024

Was out for much of this week, but this story got more attention than I would've guessed. Probably because it mentions affordable housing in an area where some people say there's too much of it already.

Sixty years after North Sacramento became a part of the city of Sacramento, a city planning effort is underway to evaluate how to boost the neighborhood's economic vitality.

01/03/2024

Thousands of acres sold, no plans for development, but it's still important for developers in another way. Read on:

The land went up for sale in 2022.

23/02/2024

Lots of people interested in the future of one of Sacramento's best-known high rises, which has seen better days.

It could be a challenge to sell, amid the cool market for office buildings.

16/02/2024

This story was worth it just for the photos alone (and the opportunity to tour Kubota's distribution center, which I believe we were the first media outlet to report on when it was in the works).

The new Kubota regional headquarters in Elk Grove represents jobs and commerce.

09/02/2024

A bit under the radar, a full-fledged public college/university for Placer County has gotten the go-ahead.

CSU trustees unanimously approved the master plan last week.

02/02/2024

Most of my stories are what, who, when type stories, but this one is more about the "why."

Hint: It's not the housing market, or potential interest rate cuts, or softening inflation.

26/01/2024

Because of its age, this is a natural building for a conversion proposal.....to a hotel?!?

The building dates to 1915 and is considered historically significant.

19/01/2024

Years ago, this project was announced as a big deal for bringing high paying jobs to Natomas. And then, well, stuff happened.

An office complex in North Natomas intended for Centene Corp. is still seeking new tenants, but there's also the possibility of new development on the same site.

12/01/2024

The project is nearly complete, but there's still a lot of interest in disputes around the Crocker Village development in Sacramento:

The suit is over homes in the project intended to be rentals.

05/01/2024

This shopping center is pretty forgettable, but it seems like there are plans in the works to change that quite a bit.

The center is on about 6 acres.

15/12/2023

They're simple, they often don't have a lot of people weighing in, and they're only a snapshot. But stories about sale of future single-family lots almost always get a lot of traffic from readers.

Homebuilder JMC Homes bought the 88 lots in two separate transactions.

01/12/2023

For a long time, I've thought the former Florin Mall would be an intriguing place to redevelop into a new destination. Given this story's monster web traffic, there would be a lof of interest in that.

The former auto center has been closed for about five years.

17/11/2023

This is a sign that even though many developers are sitting tight right now, they're still thinking about new projects.

One of the region's most prolific urban residential developers is in talks for what's expected to be a critical project for downtown West Sacramento.

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