Can Singh-Allen fulfill former Mayor Gary Davis’ vision of making Elk Grove a tourist destination?

Resurrecting a former Mayor’s vision?

Residents will recall during his four-year tenure as Elk Grove’s first directly elected mayor, Gary Davis had grand visions for the city. Along with his unsuccessful push to attract a Major League Soccer expansion club, Davis, as he was fond of saying, was laser-focused on making Elk Grove a tourist destination.

Davis was instrumental in pushing through the District56 aquatics center, thanks primarily to the astronomical Mello Roos fees foisted on the Laguna Ridge neighborhood. However, Davis’ vision of transforming Elk Grove into a tourist spot dissipated like fireworks in the sky on the Fourth of July – flashy and bright for a few seconds, but soon gone with the wind.

Or have his visions been resurrected?

In the two last city council meetings, Elk Grove Mayor Bobbies Singh-Allen is resurrecting Davis’s ideas and proclaiming Historic Downtown Elk Grove, formerly known as Old Town Elk Grove, has the potential to become a tourist destination like San Diego’s famed Gaslamp Quarter. See Singh-Allen’s Gaslamp comments during the June 28 meeting in the video.

Forget about becoming a destination like the Gaslamp. Can Elk Grove compete with nearby locations with notable historic downtown dining and entertainment districts like Sutter Creek, Folsom, Lodi, Walnut Creek, or Placerville?

Instead of comparing recent developments to the Gaslamp, maybe the mayor ought to shoot for getting some South Sac residents and people on the west side of Elk Grove to cross 99 and visit the “other side of the tracks.”

We suppose we can’t blame Mayor Singh-Allen for shooting at the stars. Realistic or not, that is what politicians do.

But please, Mayor Singh-Allen, we ask you to ensure this vision doesn’t become a bottomless money pit for taxpayers.