Business Journal: Kings Plan Urban Village At Sleep Train Site, Franchisee Ditches Dickey's, Better Meat Company Raising Capital

The Kings Envision A Mixed-Use Development In Natomas

The Sacramento Kings have filed plans with the city to transform the team's Sleep Train Arena property in Natomas - where the Kings used to play - into a housing and retail development. The Sacramento Business Journal's Digital Editor Sonya Sorich says the Kings are thinking it would be sort of a hybrid of midtown and downtown Sacramento.

"The site could have up to 1.18 million square feet of commercial development and more than 2,000 residential units," says Sorich. "Build out is expected to take several decades, and it doesn't have an estimated dollar value yet."

The development would have an urban-village feel.

"There's lots of public interest in this 183 acre property, and this news was a major step forward," says Sorich. "Basically, the Kings are eyeing something that could be like the Bridge District in West Sacramento, or sort of a hybrid of midtown and downtown Sacramento."

The Kings left Sleep Train for downtown's Golden 1 Center two years ago.

Franchisee Ditches Dickey's And Opens New BBQ Brand

The Sacramento area franchisee for 8 Dickey's Barbecue restaurants is closing those locations. Sorich says the franchisee is re-opening them under his own barbecue brand.

"The local franchisee thinks the Dallas-based chain has been declining," says Sorich. "Representatives from Dickey's, however, responded by saying their brand is strong and growing. Either way, these eight local restaurants will become a new concept from the franchisee called Side Burn BBQ and Brew."

The locations are in South Sacramento, Folsom, Elk Grove, Natomas, Rocklin, Auburn, West Sacramento and Rancho Cordova. But this doesn't mean Dickey's is not still in the area. According to the chain's website, there are four other local sites. Those have separate ownership and will continue to operate as Dickey's.

Sustainable Meat Company Settles In Sacramento 

A new startup in Sacramento is raising capital to make meat more sustainable. It's called "The Better Meat Company." Sorich says the startup recently moved its headquarters to Sacramento to be part of the Northern California food community.

"It currently operates out of a midtown Sacramento co-working space, and it develops plant-based food blends that can be added to ground meats to cut costs, add nutrition and produce meat products more sustainably," says Sorich.

The company doesn't have retail sales yet, but hopes to target customers including corporate cafeterias, hospitals, schools and the military. Better Meat's three co-founders moved to Sacramento from Washington D-C, Los Angeles and Phoenix.