When people think about creating the city of the future, they usually think about construction. And while new building is an important part of progress, it is easy to forget existing infrastructure can often have a second life — and even be a major driver of growth for the future. Sacramento is a perfect example of what happens when governments and private industry team up to modernize communities together, and what is happening in McClellan Park today is the latest link in a chain that stretches back nearly 90 years.
Sacramento was a much different place back in 1935. The population was less than 100,000 and the city was primarily known as a transportation hub in the middle of California farming country.* There was a lot of available land in the area, which is why the United States military selected Sacramento as the site for the Pacific Air Depot, which eventually became known as McClellan Air Force Base. In the 1990s, the federal government closed dozens of bases around the country, and McClellan ceased nearly all operations as an active military facility in 2001.*
That’s where one story ends but another begins. To offset the economic cost to Sacramento — including the loss of more than 11,000 jobs* — the government supported the creation of McClellan Business Park (today simply known as McClellan Park) as a multiuse commercial and residential development on the site of the former military base. This was the first time a private company was given the task of redeveloping a former military site, and the results speak for themselves.* Over the last 20 years the project has grown into a multi-billion-dollar investment that has become one of the most important centers for innovation in California. While millions of square feet of new commercial and residential space have been built, McClellan Park still includes infrastructure that was originally built for the air base decades ago.
“When we were selected for this project, we were able to take the risk away from the county and local taxpayers,” says Frank Myers, COO of LDK Ventures, the company that spearheads the McClellan Park Project. “Among the first things we had to address were high levels of soil contamination — this was a superfund site. We were able to remediate all of the property decades faster than originally projected, allowing us to accelerate the entire project.”
McClellan Park has more than 10 million square feet of commercial space, and nearly 95% of it is currently occupied. And while only a small percentage of this is new construction, many of the buildings that were in use when the land was an Air Force base are still occupied. “There was no reason for us to abandon buildings that are not only functional, but have historical value,” Myers says.
Another legacy from the past that is an integral part of the current iteration of McClellan Park is seven miles of train tracks that connect to both UP and BNSF’s national freight rail network. The old military short rail spurs now have a second life and are empowering businesses based at McClellan Park to leverage rail for shipping. In addition, Sacramento McClellan Airport — the former base airfield — is currently in use as a commercial and civil aviation facility. As the largest privately owned-public use airport, it is ideal for the hundreds of businesses located in the development.*
“This is an incredibly rare opportunity, because a private company had never attempted what we have accomplished,” Myers says. “When we started, there were about 1,500 people working here, and we are well on our way to 35,000. McClellan is already a vital part of the Sacramento economy, and we are still growing thanks to massive support from the public and private sectors. It truly is a win-win.”
Learn more about McClellan Park.
McClellan Park’s campus consists of 3,000 acres with approximately 8.5 million square feet of useable buildings and 500 acres of developable land and is fully entitled for over 16 million square feet of commercial, retail, office and residential buildings. For additional information, please visit McClellan Park’s website.
*According to McClellan Park.
