Downtown Sacramento has doubled its boundaries from 66 to 102 blocks, a move that business leaders hope will bring more opportunities beyond just employment, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, emphasized the potential for diverse experiences in the area. “We are realizing, you know what? We’ve got so much to offer here in different experiences,” Ault said.Ault explained that the Capital City will always serve as an employment center with state workers and other businesses, but the expanded boundaries aim to offer more than just work opportunities. “You’ll start seeing more activities and events to make it more of an exciting place to be,” said Ault. “It’s not just a Monday through Friday workforce. It’s also evenings and weekends.”The downtown district expands South to O Street and the Crocker Art Museum, north to 30 acres in the Railyards, east to 15th Street, covering Capitol Park, and west to the Old Sacramento waterfront.The new boundary allows for a unified approach to messaging, marketing and special events, according to Ault. “This new boundary allows us really to work collectively with a lot of these new owners. So everything from messaging to marketing to special events, we can kind of tie it all in with one voice and not have a lot of different agendas,” he said.Leaders hope the larger area will entice other businesses to view downtown Sacramento differently and become part of the change. “It’s gone through a time of transition, but I think we’re finding our footing,” Ault said.Before the pandemic, more than 100,000 people worked downtown, but Ault noted that the number is now back to about 68%. He does not expect it to return to pre-COVID levels, which is why the focus is on creating other opportunities in the downtown area.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

Downtown Sacramento has doubled its boundaries from 66 to 102 blocks, a move that business leaders hope will bring more opportunities beyond just employment, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, emphasized the potential for diverse experiences in the area.

“We are realizing, you know what? We’ve got so much to offer here in different experiences,” Ault said.

Ault explained that the Capital City will always serve as an employment center with state workers and other businesses, but the expanded boundaries aim to offer more than just work opportunities.

“You’ll start seeing more activities and events to make it more of an exciting place to be,” said Ault. “It’s not just a Monday through Friday workforce. It’s also evenings and weekends.”

The downtown district expands South to O Street and the Crocker Art Museum, north to 30 acres in the Railyards, east to 15th Street, covering Capitol Park, and west to the Old Sacramento waterfront.

The new boundary allows for a unified approach to messaging, marketing and special events, according to Ault.

“This new boundary allows us really to work collectively with a lot of these new owners. So everything from messaging to marketing to special events, we can kind of tie it all in with one voice and not have a lot of different agendas,” he said.

Leaders hope the larger area will entice other businesses to view downtown Sacramento differently and become part of the change.

“It’s gone through a time of transition, but I think we’re finding our footing,” Ault said.

Before the pandemic, more than 100,000 people worked downtown, but Ault noted that the number is now back to about 68%. He does not expect it to return to pre-COVID levels, which is why the focus is on creating other opportunities in the downtown area.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel