It’s hard to believe the opening of Golden 1 Center is less than four months away! The City has been working with its partners to ensure the downtown experience is convenient, pleasant and fun. Event attendees from across the city and region will be traveling to the Central City to experience concerts, basketball games, and other events.
Safety is a Priority
Security for guests at the Golden 1 Center is a top priority for the Police Department, the City of Sacramento, and Golden 1 Center operators. The groups have been working diligently over the last two years to develop plans that will ensure the Golden 1 Center and the surrounding development is a safe, family-friendly destination that everyone in the region will enjoy. During events, visitors will see an increased presence of law enforcement and security around the venue.
Golden 1 Center is a Multi-Modal Destination
The arena will host about 200 events a year, including more than 42 Kings Games. The City, Sacramento Kings, Downtown Sacramento Partnership, and Regional Transit are committed to making your event experience convenient, pleasant and fun. Downtown’s robust traffic grid handles more than 119,000 workers every day and there are plenty of access points to enter and exit the downtown core.
The City will be flexible, and will make necessary adjustments in order to keep transportation throughout downtown running smoothly. Different events will entail different transportation and pedestrian configurations.
The Traffic Operations Center will be the hub for traffic operations of all major events. City traffic engineers will be able to switch signal timing in real time while monitoring traffic cameras before and after games or events.
For those using alternative modes of transportation, the City is planning specific zones to best accommodate parking for taxis, buses, limos, bikes, and ride share at Golden 1 Center. We are meeting with various companies and stakeholders to establish safe pick-up/drop-off protocols. Before the first event, the City will provide information on the Golden 1 Center destination for all modes.
Consider Taking Public Transit
Regional Transit is adding service and security to ensure a safe, reliable, and enjoyable transit experience to and from the Golden 1 Center. With the RideSacRT app, attendees can purchase RT tickets with their smartphones. No waiting in line or exact change needed.
RT is implementing system-wide station improvements that will begin in the downtown core. The improvements will help ensure that light rail stations can accommodate the increased use and that passengers enjoy their experience. The 7th & Capitol Station will be the flagship station for arena light rail service, where RT envisions thousands of people will board and align before and after Sacramento Kings games, marquee concerts, and other events.
SacPark — Find Your Spot.
Parking in downtown is plentiful! There are 15,500 parking spaces within four blocks of Golden 1 Center which includes private and public parking garages, surface lots, and some street parking meters. A typical sold-out Kings game uses only about 7,000 parking spaces.
SacPark —the new brand of the City’s parking division — is making it easier for you to find your spot. A smartphone app will be available before the first event to purchase parking in advance, get directions to spaces, and receive real time traffic information.
Not only will the new SacPark technology point you to available parking, in the near future through the use of an App, but it will also help you avoid a citation. Soon, short-term meters in downtown will provide patrons who occasionally need extra parking time the option to stay parked beyond the posted limit.
SacPark meters are now available around the Crocker Art Museum. Expansion to short-term meters will be a phased approach between April and October 2016 to existing metered parking spots within the Central City.
Event Attendees are encouraged to plan ahead. Map the drive to your car’s destination – not yours. Pick your parking location and plan your drive in advance for a short walk to the Golden 1 Center.
Bright Lights of Sacramento
Attendees can expect a well-lit path to Golden 1 Center. The City plans to install highly visible wayfinding signs, streetlights and other distinctive lighting along key corridors around the arena and in the plaza.
For more updates on Golden 1 Center and the planning efforts, please see the presentation from the May 24 City Council meeting. Stay updated by visiting the City’s arena page and the Golden 1 Center.