Mills: Good, bad or ugly?(Brief Article)

A week after Mills Corp. withdrew its proposal to develop a large commercial center in the railyard in downtown Sacramento, people are divided about whether it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Some neutral observers say it was a blessing -- that the Mills plan would have undermined Downtown Plaza and damaged the city's attempts to create a viable retail stroll on the K Street Mall. Others say that Sacramento has made a mistake by driving away an exciting development that would have lured enough shoppers downtown to benefit all concerned.

"We've closed the door on Sacramento for now," said Jerry Engen, the developer for Mills on the project.

No movies, no go: Mills one year ago launched an effort to gain city support for a mixed-use project on 40 acres in Union Pacific Railroad Co.'s railyard, a few blocks from Downtown Plaza.

The development proposal was for some 500,000 square …