Stop by to see what we have done with part of our building at 1931 H Street. The Urban Hive is opening its doors this Second Saturday (that’s tomorrow) for a sneak peek and art show, starting at 4:30. After, our favorite local green building supplier, Green Sacramento, is graciously using their great open part of the building for live music, including Nevada Backwards’ Brian Ballentine’s new band, Boulevard Park (fitting, since this is where the space is located).

With the help of some amazing people, a new space has been created, with a great vibe along with some some really cool people. We mentioned repurposing some our space once we needed less of it, and we have done it (with lightning speed, I might add). The idea behind the coworking space is to create a great eco-urban work environment for independent professionals to collaborate and work with like-minded people who have similar values. Kind of like a really cool company culture without the company.

Okay, so the space still isn’t ready for prime time and The Urban Hive (as it is called) won’t be officially up and running until June, but they are already operating with a group of “beta” members (and welcoming more!). Still have no idea what coworking is? That’s okay, come any way. It will be a good time.

If you can’t make it and would like to talk more about coworking in Sacramento, feel free to call Brandon at 916-524-9047, or email him at BrandonKWeber at Gmail dot com.

On the 12th of this month my family and I are boarding a plane to Ethiopia to go help out with the orphanage we have been talking about on here lately. That means you are going to start seeing some changes here on the blog and I thought I would start to introduce you to a few of them.

This trip means that LJ Urban is going to be on a sort of hiatus. Still alive and passionate about making cities better but temporarily backing off of what has proven to be an incredibly hard real estate market. We own several properties across the central city that we intend to come back and develop when the market is delivering active buyers at reasonable prices. Today that is not the reality and this trip provides the perfect opportunity to take a break while things are slow, and sales prices are lower than the cost to build.

We are going to keep blogging here but from a whole different angle. Jessie and I are going to be doing our best to update the Blog from Ethiopia. So instead of hearing about city planning meetings and the epic saga that is green building, you will be hearing about a family in culture shock and the struggle to learn how to speak Amharic and find diapers by the truck load in rural Ethiopia. Our favorite friends over at EMRL are going to be working over the next few weeks on changing the feel of the blog so that its design is more in line with what you are going to be reading. For instance the red box at the top right of your screen is going to say something about how we are a development company on Sabbatical in Ethiopia and how you can come along and join us on our adventure. I am sure that we will loose some of our 25K visitors every month but such is life. I guess if we do a real good job of telling the story we might be able to keep everyone… You never know.

So changes will abound and you are as always invited to chime in and make suggestions as we journey onward and upward into a whole new world. Here we go!

Levi Benkert

We recently had the idea of putting our current office space to better use and we have two choices: (1) to have two new tenants come into the space and share it with, or (2) Open up the space to many of you who value the ability to work alongside people with shared values to work in a green space — along with us and our friends at Green Sacramento — that encourages collaboration and creativity. And, let’s face it: the second option sounds like a lot more fun.

The co-working model is nothing new — okay, it’s pretty new — and we have mentioned what Citizen Space is doing before. When done correctly, a co-working space will “have many of the advantages of a coffee house environment (social, energetic, creative) without sacrificing the best elements of an office environment (productive and functional) and gives indie professional an affordable and collaborative environment to work in”.

Okay, we are a bit biased, but we really do think our workspace is one of the coolest in Midtown Sacramento. For those of you who haven’t visited, we are located in a 1930s brick warehouse with 20′ (ish) ceilings and brick walls that has a modern/industrial feel with concrete floors and hand-made steel desks and tables. No, this is not your father’s office space. There is a conference room (with a gigantic steel conference table) and a brainstorming room (basically, a smaller conference room) that will be available for our members. Our members would also be free to organize evening events in the space, for their clients, partners, etc.

We are looking to rent out desks (part-time and full-time) and entire personal offices, as well as offer low-cost memberships to the occasional user and stopper-by-er. The building has free wireless internet throughout (as well as hard-wired internet) and a ridiculously expensive fax/copy machine (don’t ask how much it cost) that members can use. We plan on having coffee and tea always available.

We aim to officially open in June, but will be accepting applications for membership before then for early-adopters (and will be giving the first passionate handful their first month free as we “beta” test the idea). The space is located at 1931 H Street. If you are interested, leave a comment, email Brandon at Brandon[at]LJUrban[dot]com, or call us at 916-930-9400 ext.0.

Should we do this? Do you want to share an eco-urban space with us? We would love to get your feedback. Our decision whether or not to move forward with this will in large part be determined by the level of interest we receive.

I have a challenge for you today. I got an email from Scott Beardsley at the bike kitchen and he needs help figuring out what to to with all their used bike tires… Apparently they have a ton of them and are tired of seeing the trash overflowing with them.

So the challenge of the day is to see if we can all come up with a way to recycle old bike tires (and tubes) without a bunch of machinery or extra cost involved. It has to be simple and usable by enough people to use up all their spare tires.

Ready?

I guess this is what happens when you don’t develop a site.

We were excited to learn last week that the Good project won the 2009 Smart Growth Award from Breathe California!  Breathe California is dedicated to cleaning the air in Sacramento and preventing air pollution related diseases, so each year they host the Clean Air Awards to recognize businesses, agencies, and citizens that are improving the air quality. Of course infill projects like Good are right in the middle of jobs and services, so they help minimize driving and the exhaust that goes along with it.  It is a great honor  and we will be looking forward to the May 7 Awards ceremony.

Steve

As I pulled up to our friend’s birthday party in North Natomas last week it was pouring down rain. But what baffled me was that 2 of their neighbors houses had their sprinklers going full blast at 3 in the afternoon on a rainy Sunday in February. Something is seriously wrong when farmers aren’t going to plant as many crops because of water shortages this year but these homeowners have their timers that messed up. They are paying for it too since they are on water meters. I told my friend (who is looking for work and has a lot of landscape experience) there is a great business opportunity there. Get those peoples timers programmed (and turned off all winter) so they aren’t wasting our precious resources. While he is at it maybe he can talk them into a drought tolerant landscape too!

Steve Schweigerdt

Now here is a good idea for making good use of your garden…Bill Maynard with the Sacramento Area Community Garden Coalition is putting together a Crop Swap. The idea is as simple as it sounds you bring your excess crops from your garden and trade them for something else. It does not get much easier than that.

The group is putting together a few meetings to discuss forming neighborhood crop swaps that will be held Tuesday, March 3, 2009 and Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 6:30 pm at the Sheppard Garden and Arts Center located at 3330 McKinley Ave.

You can contact Bill at sacgc@ulink.net or by phone at (916) 508-6025 for more information.

We have been talking about putting together a class where we can learn a little about what plants grow well in Sacramento and when to plant them. It’s getting to be that time of year to do it…..Come back for more info on when we are going to host that.

Levi Benkert

I like good simple design especially when its done with an eye towards sustainability. The best designs disappear into your surroundings and subtly make things easier. I recently heard about a movie that the local designer Matthew Lechowick is working on getting The Crest to show – its called Objectified and by the looks of the trailer its a really well done look at the people behind the products. The thing is, Matthew needs our help convincing the Crest to show the film. So… want to help out? All you need to do is send an email to Sid Heberger over at the Crest to let him know you want to see it. Sid’s email is Sid@thecrest.com.

I somehow missed this article when it was in the Bee last week, but when I finally did read it I was rolling on the floor laughing. Blair Robertson is the new Bee food critic and is doing a very good job. Blair actually did a write up on LJ Urban several months back so I got a chance to meet him and he is a really neat guy. He told me all about his sourdough bread recipe and how he always has a starter on his kitchen counter for his next loaf. Anyway, you have to go over and read this article he published about Mortons Steak House. It’s incredible.

In fact I am going to repost it here just in case the link goes sour on the Bee site. (As they tend to to sometimes).

Levi

Lots of beef – for a bunch of lettuce
Morton’s fare is basic and good – but too big and way overpriced

Published: Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009 | Page 8
Overall: 1 1/2 stars
Service: 2 1/2 stars
Ambience: 2 stars
Food: 2 1/2 stars
Value: 1 star

Noteworthy: Of all the steaks, the Cajun ribeye is the most interesting. The wine list is massive. Morton’s still does a solid martini. I am about to show you how to have the “Morton’s experience” and save $200.

Go to the back wall of your local grocery store. Look over the steaks. Avoid the ones that appear to be an appropriate size for a healthy adult. Grab one that is excessively large – stupid large is ideal. You will pay $14. If you pay $16, you are showing off and probably getting gouged. Both of those things are also part of the Morton’s experience. Grab a bottle of Pellegrino sparkling water for $1.49. At Morton’s, the same vintage is $9. [Read more →]