SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[Fusey]

As I was heading up Broadway this evening I saw quite a large project that just got underway, but I have never heard of it and it isn't listed on CCDC. It is next to the sunrise apartment complex on Broadway and 16th street. Does anyone have any info on it?

I think the City College owns that land. I know they used it for parking last spring.

[bmfarley]

EXACTLY this is what I have been saying all along and why I will vote no on the HSR proposition

They took the San Diego route out of the first phase and put wording in the plan that SD and Sac lines are dependant on the "profitability" of the LA-SF line.

What a joke. They just want to string us along so OUR tax money will bennefit LA and SF, it's not right

If they are going to collect taxes from SD and Sacramento residents and NOT use our money to build anything here they can go to hell.

Why should WE contribute our hard earned funds for a project that will bennefit LA and SF and have our turn not even be guaranteed

Hell, I would rather pay taxes to get the library off the ground than to beef up infrastructure that won't even be part of SD County

RIP OFF!!
That is definately a valid concern. Although Prop 1A will allow bond funding for any segment, it's only accessible if it does not jeopardize the SF to LA segment. That is the first prioity phase right now, and rightly so. It's also worth mentioning three other things... 1) 1A it's not a new tax, 2) funding would also go to the Trolley and Coaster, and 3) state funding would be leveraged with Federal and private funding (best case scenario is that for every $1 put in by the state, $2 from other sources come forward).

In my opinion, I don't think San Diego and Sacramento officials would tolerate being left out of the system after the initial link is up and running for too long. I would also think others in the state would be sensative to that too and would not let local voices go unheard. Short of an economic collapse of the state... or catasrophic poor implementation of the first phase... San Diego and Sacramento will get connected. In reality, I believe final planning and fund programming would commence on SD and Sac links before the first scheduled train beteen LA and SF leaves the station.

[bmfarley]

What do think the likelihood is of this project going through? I say zero to none. One can dream, though.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/Jaygergon/downtown%20development%203/Original.jpg

http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/news/breaking/2008/09/port_will_appeal_ruling_on_dec.html
Where does that image come from? Official from someone? That appears much more robust than a football stadium atop a deck.... office towers?

Also, the Bay still looks walled off.... it is now, but it's not like this improves on existing conditions.

[HurricaneHugo]

Just some shots from this past weekend -

Sapphire and Bayside as seen from Harbor Island
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y120/Jaygergon/Downtown%20Shots/IMG_6795.jpg

Do you have a bigger version of this one?

[OCtoSD]

Anyone know what is exactly in the low rise portion of the Hilton? It still is 5 stories and seems to have exterior stair cases?

[HurricaneHugo]

btw, fuck the chargers :(

[Fusey]

As I was heading up Broadway this evening I saw quite a large project that just got underway, but I have never heard of it and it isn't listed on CCDC. It is next to the sunrise apartment complex on Broadway and 16th street. Does anyone have any info on it?

I did a little bit of digging and found this (http://media.www.sdcitytimes.com/media/storage/paper1083/news/2008/08/26/News/Campus.Loses.Almost.200.Parking.Spaces-3401859.shtml):
Campus loses almost 200 parking spaces
By: Evonne Ermey
Posted: 8/26/08
Evonne Ermey
City Times

Students may find parking more tedious than usual this semester due to the closure of temporary parking lot 11, located at C and 16th streets, which parking officials acknowledge is a loss of 171 parking spaces.

"We expect it to be hectic in the beginning. Construction workers and downtown workers take up a lot of the street parking," a City College Police lieutenant said. "You have to understand our geographical situation. We have a high school and downtown. It's difficult, but things will get better it just takes time."

Construction on lot 11, which was never meant to be a permanent parking site, has already begun and is estimated for completion within 12-18 months. When finished, the site will house new cosmetology, photography, nursing and police facilities as well as a parking structure designed to hold 750 cars.

The new parking spaces will bring much needed relief to a campus that currently provides 656 stalls for student parking while selling an average of 3,500 City College parking permits per semester. Under those conditions, even those who pay for permits sometimes find themselves parking on the street.

"We have a grace period till Sept. 8 for free parking. Students can give themselves that time to decide if they want to buy a permit," the lieutenant said. "Most of our students are responsible adults and understand that permit parking is not guaranteed."

Students have come up with their own methods for dealing with the parking crunch at City College.

Viviana Hernandez, liberal arts major, comes to school an hour early in order to get to class on time. English major Gigi Burnett has followed people to their cars when in a pinch, while Brooke Bower, a nursing major, schedules early morning classes to avoid the rush.

"After 10 or 10:30, it's impossible to park, but at 7:30 there's no problem," Bower said.

All three students acknowledge that the overcrowding at City College is not exceptional.

"It's horrible, what can you say? But it's the same everywhere," Hernandez said.

"Carpooling would really help," Burnett added as she pointed out a single-occupant car that had just pulled into the parking lot. "Almost all the cars are occupied by only one person, so that's an issue."

While there is parking reserved for carpoolers at Mesa College, City College has not adopted the system and is not likely to anytime soon.

"We have thought about it and we have carpooling at one campus, but we haven't done it at City just because of a severe parking shortage," said district parking program supervisor Debra Picou, who went on to explain that the educational code requires that student carpoolers have at least three people in a car to qualify for reserved parking. "We don't want to see empty parking spaces. At Mesa, we have carpool spaces that sit empty."

Until construction of the new parking structure is complete, officials urge students to search for parking at Inspiration Point, a large lot on Park Avenue that, though farther away, is usually less crowded than on campus lots. There is a free shuttle from the campus to the parking lot for people who are concerned about the distance.

"Ideally, students should go to the outskirts like Inspiration Point first to find parking. They all want to park close and it's impossible cause everyone wants the same thing and it's juts not gonna happen," the City College Police lieutenant said, who also noted that between 12 and 6 p.m., officers don't issue citations for parking in, what are usually, permit-only lots.

[kpexpress]

^^^^Great find! Does anyone know what it's supposed to look like?

[Fusey]

I got these from a faculty member's website:
http://www.ndavidking.com/vtc.htm

http://www.ndavidking.com/VTC%20Picture%200.jpg

http://www.ndavidking.com/VTC%20Picture1.jpg

http://www.ndavidking.com/VTC%20Picture2.jpg

http://www.ndavidking.com/VRC%20Picture3.jpg

Does anyone know if they knocked down that crappy apartment building on the same lot on Broadway, or is it being built around?

[OCtoSD]

I am guessing that empty box in the renderings would the be "crappy" apartments you were talking about.

[kpexpress]

yeah still there

[HurricaneHugo]

""Ideally, students should go to the outskirts like Inspiration Point first to find parking..." the City College Police lieutenant said, who also noted that between 12 and 6 p.m., officers don't issue citations for parking in, what are usually, permit-only lots."

Ideally, everybody would use public transportation...it's in downtown with bus and trolley lines RIGHT THERE.

And I wish UCSD's campus police would be that forgiving...=(

[Fusey]

yeah still there

Ah, I was thinking of the abandoned building on the other side of 16th.

[keg92101]

Who's the architect for this project?

[HurricaneHugo]

god damn i just drove down market street and it's going to look so good when strata and st. paul's project finish

the northside needs work but damn

i remember skateboarding down the hill from sherman heights to downtown and it was just very blighted...

[SDCAL]

god damn i just drove down market street and it's going to look so good when strata and st. paul's project finish

the northside needs work but damn

i remember skateboarding down the hill from sherman heights to downtown and it was just very blighted...

I think it is starting to look lop-sided once you are West of 10th - like you mention the north side has no highrises bu the south side of Market has a nice row - - it will fill in even more if/when seveth/market ever gets off the ground

[malsponger]

Yeah I was in EV today as well and construction is full bore on both Strata and Indigo. 7th and market is absolutely hideous. An entire square block of prime real estate still a surface lot. This city is the king of surface lots. I agree that it's very odd to just completely drop off at Market and have single story warehouses, im sure with time that will change. At least the warehouses are being used for nice retail and restaurants bringing life to the area, unlike the ones between Little Italy and Columbia.

[keg92101]

Yeah I was in EV today as well and construction is full bore on both Strata and Indigo. 7th and market is absolutely hideous. An entire square block of prime real estate still a surface lot. This city is the king of surface lots. I agree that it's very odd to just completely drop off at Market and have single story warehouses, im sure with time that will change. At least the warehouses are being used for nice retail and restaurants bringing life to the area, unlike the ones between Little Italy and Columbia.

You'd be suprised...all cities have surface lots. I was in SF for the week and that town is riddled with them especially in the CBD. The only difference between us and other cites, is that their 1st tier outer rings are all 3-8 story buildings, where as ours are 1-3.

[sandiegodweller]

The Centre City Development Corp.'s board voted unanimously this morning to kill a proposed $409-million, 41-story downtown hotel and condominium project, citing the undisclosed potential conflict of interest of its former president, Nancy Graham.

Graham, who resigned July 24, received money from an affiliate of the project's developer, The Related Cos., at the same time she participated in negotiations at CCDC.

The affiliate, The Related Group, struck a condo-development deal with Graham while she lived and worked in Florida. Profits from that deal -- court records show Graham earned almost $3 million -- continued coming to Graham while she was at CCDC. She did not report receiving the money in her annual economic disclosure forms, nor did she recuse herself from negotiations about the skyscraper proposed at 7th Avenue and Market Street downtown.

James Lough, an outside attorney hired by CCDC to investigate Graham's participation in the 7th and Market deal recommended killing the project, saying in a report that Graham's financial interests "tainted the transaction to the level that the transaction should not continue."

State and local laws prohibit public officials from influencing decisions that can benefit themselves, their spouses or their business associates. The laws extend the prohibition for a year after receiving money from a source.

"There was a fundamental betrayal of trust," said CCDC Chairman Fred Maas. "I'm not sure how we fix that no matter what we do."

The project would have benefited from an $8.7 million city subsidy in exchange for including affordable housing and would have been built atop what today is a parking lot. But its future had been in doubt since we revealed that Graham had been paid while she was at CCDC, the city of San Diego's downtown redevelopment authority.

We'll have more on this later.



-- ROB DAVIS

[Fusey]

^ I was wondering why I couldn't find that project on the CCDC's website. Hopefully another developer will see the potential for that location.

[CoastersBolts]

Very disappointing to hear that 7th and Market is dead. Then again, it was inevitable after the news on Nancy Graham came out. What is it about this town that makes it prone to corrupt officials like Ms. Graham? It's really taking its toll on the city and I wonder if the next one to be killed due to such allegations will be the Ballpark Village. Already the massive Marriott project that was supposed to be included in that development has been called off due to "economic" reasons. But we all know the real reason why Marriott pulled out of that one.

[sandiegodweller]

Very disappointing to hear that 7th and Market is dead. Then again, it was inevitable after the news on Nancy Graham came out. What is it about this town that makes it prone to corrupt officials like Ms. Graham? It's really taking its toll on the city and I wonder if the next one to be killed due to such allegations will be the Ballpark Village. Already the massive Marriott project that was supposed to be included in that development has been called off due to "economic" reasons. But we all know the real reason why Marriott pulled out of that one.

Marriott dropped their deal because adding an additional 1900 hotel rooms to downtown San Diego anytime within the next 5-10 years will be a huge financial mistake.

Current hotel occupancies are in the low 70% range (before adding the new Hilton, Indigo, Diegan/Setai) and there is plenty of capacity already built.

[Derek]

San Diego sucks.

[lakegz]

hey, at least we've got great weather all year round.

[SDCAL]

Marriott dropped their deal because adding an additional 1900 hotel rooms to downtown San Diego anytime within the next 5-10 years will be a huge financial mistake.

Current hotel occupancies are in the low 70% range (before adding the new Hilton, Indigo, Diegan/Setai) and there is plenty of capacity already built.

This project also had a possible conflict of interest with Graham

one of the partners developing Ballpark Village is Lennar Corp. This and Related Cos., are the ones CCDC is focusing on after recent revelations that Graham had an undisclosed business relationship with those two developers

I think that is more the reason for bowing out than not wanting to saturate the hotel market

Even if the project was moving forward, it would have probably been 5 years before it was operational anyway

[SDCAL]

Marriott dropped their deal because adding an additional 1900 hotel rooms to downtown San Diego anytime within the next 5-10 years will be a huge financial mistake.

Current hotel occupancies are in the low 70% range (before adding the new Hilton, Indigo, Diegan/Setai) and there is plenty of capacity already built.

This project had a possible conflict of interest with Graham

one of the partners developing Ballpark Village is Lennar Corp. This and Related Cos., are the ones CCDC is focusing on after recent revelations that Graham had an undisclosed business relationship with those two developers

I think that is more the reason for bowing out than not wanting to saturate the hotel market

Even if the project was moving forward, it would have probably been 5 years before it was operational anyway

[kpexpress]

Thomas J School of Law has started! I noticed a bunch of dumpsters and construction equipment at the site yesterday and today saw workers on site too!
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/TJSL.jpg
http://www.ccdc.com/images/propertyImages/Thomas%20Jefferson%20School%20of%20Law.jpg

This evening I was trying to find a way to sneak into the MTS parking garage to get a night time shot of East Village for a project I am working on at school and look what I spied on inside the MTS Rail/Trolley maintenance garage....
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/DSC03481.jpg

a closer
lookhttp://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/DSC03480.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/DSC03482.jpg

Any ideas of what these old fashion rail cars are going to be used for? These look awesome, like Market Street in San Fran!!!

[bmfarley]

^^^ Downtown Streetcar service running in a clockwise loop; C Street, Park & along Harbor/Bayside.

It appears the cars are still undergoing refurbishment by the volunteer group. They have at least 2 cars; however, it appears one of those appears more recent. Previously, one was green and the other was orange. Now, it looks like two are green.

[Derek]

hey, at least we've got great weather all year round.

I would prefer seasons. You guys don't get bored of the weather?

[Derek]

Any ideas of what these old fashion rail cars are going to be used for? These look awesome, like Market Street in San Fran!!!




It's for some transportation convention or something next month.

[bmfarley]

I would prefer seasons. You guys don't get bored of the weather?Never. I did get tired of mucking through fallen wet leaves on my way to school... and freezing my toes and arse off.... being stuck inside due to days upon days of rain.

[HurricaneHugo]

Nancy Graham sucks.

[kpexpress]

Never. I did get tired of mucking through fallen wet leaves on my way to school... and freezing my toes and arse off.... being stuck inside due to days upon days of rain.

Scraping the ice off my windshield whiling waiting for my car to warm up.....sign me up for that shit :koko:

SD has perfect and happy weather, now we just need a couple 1000 footers and a brilliant bridge lighting effect and a few less homeless and this place would be perfect. and a bigger airport. and an NBA team. and more housing for families downtown. should I go on?

[Fusey]

I would prefer seasons. You guys don't get bored of the weather?

Derek, try coming to Sweden. The weather is shitty every day and it's not even winter yet. :haha:

[Derek]

Don't forget I come from New York. :P


I would take 45 and rain over 75 and sun anyday. :)



Sweden's weather is amazing!

[bmfarley]

Don't forget I come from New York. :P

I would take 45 and rain over 75 and sun anyday. :)

Sweden's weather is amazing!
Well, this is just for shitz & giggles, but 45 and rain is not the extreme in New York. The extremes, and what's on the margins of extreme, is what is hated by many.

I am unsure 45 and rain is really that bad. One or the other happens in San Diego too.

I can tolerate for short periods of time temperatures around 40F.... and rain for a day or two. But days on end of sub 40F temperatures.... sleet and snow... forget it!

If NY is the example, I also understand it not only gets very hot there.. it's also inhumanly humid. 90F and humid in NY... well, that would be probably comparable to 100F or more, and dry here in SD.

[kpexpress]

Is this section being renamed "City Weather Compilations"?

[bmfarley]

Is this section being renamed "City Weather Compilations"?Yes, but only until we reach post #4000. At that point, I believe the thread becomes elligible for retirement and we start anew.

[laguna]

Yawn,

scratch, scratch, scratch

[SDCAL]

I wish SD had thunderstorms

[kpexpress]

Skyscraperpage should make an iphone app.

[Derek]

This thread is so dead. :(

[bmfarley]

This thread is so dead. :(
Development is kinda dead too. What's there to discuss... other than the completion of VP, Bayside, Saphire, Breeza and a couple others mid-way to completion?

There is Nancy Graham to discuss..... which, if convicted of lieing could get as much as 18 months in jail, per todays UT. But, that is also likely not to happen.... and probably would not unless there are other crimes possibly committed. Remember, innocent until proven guilty. For the record, I currently choose to believe the best in people and take the position she only mislead others for privacy concerns surrounding her divorce and not to seek/obtain financial advantage with her relationship(s) with Related and/or Lennar. I also think... gee, that would be pretty stupid of a CCDC CEO to thing they could get away with something like that... someone would find out eventually. Nancy is not stupid.

[Derek]

What exactly did she do?

[bmfarley]

What exactly did she do?She admitted to lying on public disclosure documents about having financial relations to Related, a developer, while she was CEO of CCDC. Related had won the contract to build the 7th & Market development.

She claimed that the purpose of lying was for privacy matters related to divorce proceedings with her husband.

It is not known if there was other intent for lying, such as personal financial gain by representing CCDC in negotiations WITH Related. She said she buffered herself at CCDC with Related dealings/negotiations on the 7th & Market development by recuesing herself from all conversations with the development and developer, and hired an outside firm to handle negotiations. But, we later learned she continued to participate in internal discussions about the project.

[Derek]

What a shame. :(

[Marina_Guy]

She admitted to lying on public disclosure documents about having financial relations to Related, a developer, while she was CEO of CCDC. Related had won the contract to build the 7th & Market development.

She claimed that the purpose of lying was for privacy matters related to divorce proceedings with her husband.

It is not known if there was other intent for lying, such as personal financial gain by representing CCDC in negotiations WITH Related. She said she buffered herself at CCDC with Related dealings/negotiations on the 7th & Market development by recuesing herself from all conversations with the development and developer, and hired an outside firm to handle negotiations. But, we later learned she continued to participate in internal discussions about the project.

I don't think she has admitted to lying on the disclosure forms. In fact she has hired Paul Pfingst as her attorney to defend her. She has not come clean.

Nancy Graham has an ethics problem. And her failure to abide by the law and her extremely poor judgment, caused a very good project to die and has put a black eye on the Downtown redevelopment agency. She should have come clean along time ago. She lied and she better be punished.

The sad part of all of this is there has been NO single public figure who has come out and strongly supported CCDC or downtown redevelopment in general. The Mayor, as far as I can tell doesn't even work in this town. Hello Jerry Sanders????

[SDCAL]

The bitch Nancy Graham has set development back in our city a great deal :(

Already in the middle of a downturned economy and housing bust, this was not a good time to have the final nail in the coffin be this corrupt pig

If you look at CCDCs website, which used to be the lone advocate for new developments amongst the NIMBYs, it too is dead

All the focus is on finding a new president for CCDC and auditing past projects to see if there was conflict of interest. The "new projects" page was last updated in early April, and I'd be surprised to see it updated at all this year unless it's to remove dead projects

I think we should all be angry with this incompitant bitch who shat on our great city, but it's also important not to let her corruption kill what litle momentum our downtown still has

[kpexpress]

While walking back from the dog park today I noticed some construction going on in the old Carnation Factory Loft building that is now part of Icon. I have been told that it was something like Sushi. Is this a sushi restaurant or a performing arts center? Anyone have any more info on this place?


http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/DSC03587.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/DSC03586.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/DSC03585.jpg

[mello]

Yeah guys lets not let this thread die. There is still a lot to talk about here. Now is an interesting time to reflect on downtown San Diego's building boom. There are many things to discuss. Like what ever happened to the office tower boom that so many were expecting back in 2004 and 2005?

Is Irvine still planning to break ground on their "signature tower" this fall? When will Lane Field ever get off the ground? Will it finally bring a 5 star status chain type hotel to our downtown?? Why don't we have a Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, or Shangri La, in Downtown SD?

Really these are great questions, I think our downtown deserves one, hell downtown LA got a nice tall Ritz Carlton. We have many nice hotels downtown but not one that really stands out. We have large hotels and boutique type joints but I think we really need a glamorous 5 star chain to complete our hotel portfolio...

[Derek]

Go build one. :D

I'll help.

[El Güero]

This is rather interesting: http://www.travelandleisure.com/afc/2008/category/7/subcategory/31


Skyline/views

Rank Score City
1 4.80 New York
2 4.80 Chicago
3 4.79 San Francisco
4 4.70 Seattle
5 4.60 Honolulu
6 4.47 Las Vegas
7 4.43 San Diego
8 4.42 Denver
9 4.40 Portland, Oregon
10 4.34 Boston
11 4.23 Miami
12 4.22 Washington, D.C.
13 4.21 Minneapolis/St. Paul
14 4.05 Austin
15 4.04 Santa Fe
16 4.03 Charleston
17 4.02 Philadelphia
18 3.87 San Antonio
19 3.85 Atlanta
20 3.84 Nashville
21 3.82 Phoenix/Scottsdale
22 3.78 Dallas/Fort Worth
23 3.65 Los Angeles
24 3.59 New Orleans
25 3.24 Orlando

[Viva-city]

I suspect I know many of you posting on this board.

I've been a Downtown resident nearly 17 years, and am extremely interested in the continued growth of our community.

It goes without saying, that the recent double dealing of Nancy Graham pains me. I was not a fan of Nancy. Her reign at CCDC was one of fear. Nary a tear was shed upon her departure.

The excess monies spent on studies, planning, discussions, just wasted. Too much time and money was spent on projects that now have been terminated. And, what will be the cost of cleaning up her tainted mess. Sad!

I look forward to participating in the exchange about our community.

Sandra

P.S. Sushi is a theater company that formerly occupied the ReinCarnation Building prior to the site housing the Icon. There was an agreement made between CCDC and the developer that a space in Icon would be created for Sushi. They are scheduled to open in November, though the pictures taken show they have much to do before opening.

[kpexpress]

Thanks for the update ^^^ What kind of theater is Sushi?

And what's up with this board? Seems like discussions here rival the sluggish growth of our city.

[laguna]

Thanks for the update ^^^ What kind of theater is Sushi?

And what's up with this board? Seems like discussions here rival the sluggish growth of our city.

The frequent posters have turned this into a mosh pit of vitrol against their least favorite politicians. Kind of a DailyKos lonely hearts club.

[Derek]

I spend the majority of my time in the Skybar. There isn't much to talk about in here unfortunately. :(

[Viva-city]

Here's a link: http://www.sushiart.org/board.html

Known for its' alternative and contemporary art performances.

[bmfarley]

Here's a link: http://www.sushiart.org/board.html

Known for its' alternative and contemporary art performances.Well, I obviously did not read close enough before I visited the site. I was anticipating a sushi resturant next door to my gym.... and I could get some grub to go after a workout. Imagine my confusion when I then began to slowly put 2 and 2 together. In between thoughts I imagined peeps eating sushi off nude performers tummy's and thought that might be interesting. Har har har.

[kpexpress]

I was making some copies at Office Depot (the one E street and PCH) and I asked the lady who was helping me if she knew who owned the lot that the building sits on, she said BOSA Development.

Anyone know what is planned to go along PCH between Electra and Archstone? And does anyone have an update on what is going on with the Navy Pier Complex that Papa Doug is supposed to be redeveloping?

[Fusey]

^ I've always wondered who owned that land. Hopefully Bosa is planning something nice for it.

[Mariobrotha]

Here's the Office Depot site:

http://www.ccdc.com/images/propertyImages/Bosa%20Pacific%20Hwy%20at%20E.jpg
37 floors, 268 units

I've seen this rendering tossed around for a while, but I never knew where it would be located.

Also, it looks as if though the site for Kettner and Ash is fenced off. I don't know if it's for actual construction on the site, or if it's just a job site for Sapphire right next door. Either way, here's the 35 story building that is supposed to go there-- also another Bosa development:

http://www.ccdc.com/images/propertyImages/kettenr%20ash%20aerial_1for%20web.jpg

[kpexpress]

In regards to BOSA, I still think that the development planned for Island and First Ave will add the most to the skyline. At least when looking at the downtown skyline from Coronado.
http://www.ccdc.com/images/propertyImages/first&island_Web.jpg

[malsponger]

Ughh had to go down to the border today on the trolley and had completely forgotten about this oddity
http://www.pacificbeacon.com/images/photogallery/g2_big_1.jpg

What a wreck.

[SDCAL]

And does anyone have an update on what is going on with the Navy Pier Complex that Papa Doug is supposed to be redeveloping?

If you mean Navy Broadway Complex, that thing is tied up in so much turmoil and litigation who knows if it will ever get of fthe ground. Last I read, people suing over the outdated environmental impact won in court, so it is probably on appeals now

I thought, however, that Lane Field was a different story - - good to go. Any updates there??

Also the Pei-Cobb tower that the Irvine Co is supposedly building was, I thought, going to start this year

[SDCAL]

malsponger, what project is that rendering of? don't recognize it

[bmfarley]

"... And does anyone have an update on what is going on with the Navy Pier Complex that Papa Doug is supposed to be redeveloping?

Coincidentally I visited the CCDC page today and noticed an agenda item scheduled to go before their board (9/24). I scanned it and it appears the developer is amending the development proposal to change parking stalls and residential unit composition... more one bedrooms rather than 2 bedrooms. No big substantial changes that I could tell; however, if approved the developer will have a permit open for another 3 years. I could tell that the reviewing planner likes Pier and there will apparently be a small plaza on the southeast corner of the property.

Added 9/23: Ooops, that was for the Pier project at Kettner and Grape in Little Italy... not a "Navy Pier Complex" which I do not seem to recall. New?

[kpexpress]

If you mean Navy Broadway Complex, that thing is tied up in so much turmoil and litigation who knows if it will ever get of fthe ground. Last I read, people suing over the outdated environmental impact won in court, so it is probably on appeals now

I thought, however, that Lane Field was a different story - - good to go. Any updates there??

Also the Pei-Cobb tower that the Irvine Co is supposedly building was, I thought, going to start this year

Does anyone have the IM PEI building rendering? I heard it was lousy for an "ICONIC" building near the water and Broadway.

[HurricaneHugo]

malsponger, what project is that rendering of? don't recognize it

Navy housing at 32nd Naval Station.

And that IM Pei tower sucks balls for a building that's gonna be covering up OAP.

[mongoXZ]

Convention center has plan for expansion
New wing would be along existing building
By Jeanette Steele
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080923/images/convn220.gif
The San Diego Convention Center is taking the first step toward a major expansion that would enable it to keep big-ticket conventions such as Comic-Con.
Today, convention center officials will announce the plans and answer the first question: Where? The answer: Alongside the existing building, closer to the bay.

The officials say buying a one-year option on 16 acres of Port of San Diego land gives them time to figure out another major question: How will they pay for an expansion?

The convention center's board plans to increase the facility's size by up to 300,000 square feet of exhibit space by 2014.

Ultimately, the board would like to double the current 525,000 square feet, but it's uncertain if there's enough room on the land that they would use.

Officials said yesterday that a new wing would likely allow them to keep Comic-Con International, the homegrown annual convention that draws about 125,000 people to downtown and has become a national pop-culture juggernaut.

They say it will save more than a dozen other less glitzy but lucrative conventions, including the BIO International Convention and the American Institute of Architects.

“This is just good business. So we are overjoyed to be able to expand our contribution to the community,” said Cheryl Kendrick, chairwoman of the nonprofit corporate board that runs the convention center for the city.

The behemoth on the bay now delivers $31.9 million a year to San Diego's civic coffers via hotel and sales taxes, and it estimates its annual economic impact at $1.8 billion.

Convention center officials have long said they are operating at full capacity. Shortly after the first expansion in 2001, they started talking about the need for more room.

Other cities – Phoenix and Anaheim, for example – are increasing their convention space in a leapfrogging phenomenon that has gone on for decades. San Diego, now home to the 10th-largest meeting center, needs to keep pace, officials said.

“We're protecting the third-largest industry that we have,” said Carol Wallace, convention center chief executive.

On Friday, the board is scheduled to vote to obtain a one-year option on port land next to the convention center. The price would be $1 million, plus an additional $13.5 million after a year if the board decides to move forward.

Two developers had long planned to build a 250-room boutique hotel called The Spinnaker on part of the property and hold a lease through 2024. Instead, the convention center and a hotel of undetermined size would take over.
Convention officials will take a year to work out the details: how to finance an expansion, what it will look like and how it will fit. Funding would probably come from borrowing against convention center revenues, Wallace said, but they are far from a complete proposal.

“We have purchased a year to figure this out,” Kendrick said.

Adding another wrinkle, another major convention space is brewing in Chula Vista, just south along the bayfront. Gaylord Entertainment has proposed a resort hotel of 1,500 to 2,000 rooms with 400,000 square feet of meeting space. The Chula Vista project, on the table since 2005, isn't expected to receive permits until the end of next year.

San Diego convention officials said they don't view Gaylord's proposal as competition because of its smaller size.

Another potential player departed last month. Marriott was seeking permits for a 1,900-room hotel with 215,000 square feet of convention space next to Petco Park. But Marriott dropped the plan, citing the tight credit market.

Convention officials say the downtown facility with its trademark white sail roof has performed well for the city, but will become obsolete if it doesn't expand.

Capacity has run above 60 percent, viewed as full capacity, since 2003. Last year, the center attracted 996,226 visitors who paid for more than 729,696 nights in hotel rooms.

The port paid cash for the initial convention center, completed in 1989 as part of a downtown revitalization program.

The 2001 expansion was financed by bonds that are being paid off by the city and the port. The port's share is $4.5 million; the city's is $9.2 million. The city also gives the convention center an annual stipend of $4.3 million to keep up the building.

Mayor Jerry Sanders is supportive of the growth plan, his press secretary said yesterday.

“The convention center is one of the best investments the taxpayers of San Diego have ever made,” said spokesman Darren Pudgil.

[kpexpress]

^^adding to the berlin wall, further cutting off all residents of the east village access to the bay, WHY NOT?!!? Where is Reagen when you need him. I am all for expanding for more biz, but for God's sake allow the residents access.

What about putting all the railroad tracks underground along with Harbor Drive and allowing more housing with direct access to the bay over or under the current convention center?

[staplesla]

Does anyone have the IM PEI building rendering? I heard it was lousy for an "ICONIC" building near the water and Broadway.

Here is the link for the building.
http://www.700westbroadway.com

http://bp2.blogger.com/_rlhZCdZl2is/RktAGIpZfYI/AAAAAAAACsA/SRlEJ-U4jIo/s1600-h/irvine220.jpg

[kpexpress]

Anyone watch the whole video where Harry explains the significance of the site and the role the building will play for Downtown? The whole time I kept agreeing with him, but shaking my head as to why such a lame ass building. A new icon? To me America Plaza is the icon, along with the Hyatt and Symphony Tower from the EV. This will only mess the whole thing up.

Wow, the "old boys network of SD" needs to wake up and smell the FUNK!

[kpexpress]

On another note......

While walking my dogs downtown tonight the thought came across my mind to post my opinion on downtown's best urban walk. My hopes are that others may post input on my opinion and comment on what their opinion's are of downtown's best urban walk.

Now when it comes to the BEST urban walk, what makes a walk the best? This also I would like to see other's opinions on. In my mind, it's the buildings setbacks, step ups, outdoor livingrooms, trees and canopy, enclosures, textures, masses, voids, scenery, length of the walk, smells, shadows, sun access, etc. There is a lot of things that, in my mind, make up the best urban walk. But lately I seem to find myself doing this one particular walk over and over again, and so I thought...."why am I in favor of walking the same path over and over?" "What is so desirable about this path?"

So I have mapped it out, and in my mind, this is the best urban walk downtown has to offer.

Before you slaughter my pick (if you ad intentions of doing so) Let me first explain my biases: When I walk, it's with my dogs, most always in the East Village and is at night or evening.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/best-urban-walk.jpg
"S" for start, "F" for finish (two options) can "S" and "F"'s can be swapped..duh

It's my hopes that peeps from other neighborhoods in downtown can give their opinions on downtowns best urban walk so I can try a few of them out.

[IconRPCV]

On another note......

While walking my dogs downtown tonight the thought came across my mind to post my opinion on downtown's best urban walk. My hopes are that others may post input on my opinion and comment on what their opinion's are of downtown's best urban walk.

Now when it comes to the BEST urban walk, what makes a walk the best? This also I would like to see other's opinions on. In my mind, it's the buildings setbacks, step ups, outdoor livingrooms, trees and canopy, enclosures, textures, masses, voids, scenery, length of the walk, smells, shadows, sun access, etc. There is a lot of things that, in my mind, make up the best urban walk. But lately I seem to find myself doing this one particular walk over and over again, and so I thought...."why am I in favor of walking the same path over and over?" "What is so desirable about this path?"

So I have mapped it out, and in my mind, this is the best urban walk downtown has to offer.

Before you slaughter my pick (if you ad intentions of doing so) Let me first explain my biases: When I walk, it's with my dogs, most always in the East Village and is at night or evening.
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/best-urban-walk.jpg
"S" for start, "F" for finish (two options) can "S" and "F"'s can be swapped..duh

It's my hopes that peeps from other neighborhoods in downtown can give their opinions on downtowns best urban walk so I can try a few of them out.

I think your walk is great I just like to add a loop around the ballpark if my dog is in the mood. French bulldogs can be lazy at times.

[bmfarley]

^^^ Nice!

Speaking of Google Earth... anyone else notice that the 3D depiction of downtown now has images placed on buildings? It looks sweet!

[Derek]

City Hall in Kearny Mesa?


I overheard some guy talking about a plan to put City Hall in Kearny Mesa. What's that about?

[sandiegodweller]

City Hall in Kearny Mesa?


I overheard some guy talking about a plan to put City Hall in Kearny Mesa. What's that about?

County Offices, not city.


San Diego County Board of Supervisors Approves Lowe Enterprises Disposition and Development Agreement for County Operations Center and Annex Redevelopment

-- Sustainable Office Campus in Kearny Mesa Will Ultimately
Provide Approximately 900,000 Square Feet of Office Space for Key
County Services --
SAN DIEGO--(Business Wire)--
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved Lowe
Enterprises' Disposition and Development Agreement for the County
Operations Center and Annex redevelopment in Kearny Mesa. The Board
also certified the project's Environmental Impact Report, setting the
stage for Lowe Enterprises to redevelop the 37-acre County Operations
Center site into a modern, efficient campus with approximately 900,000
square feet of office space, built to LEED Silver Certification
standards, along with service buildings and parking.

"We will deliver to the County state-of-the-art facilities that
will allow them to consolidate operations on their own campus," said
Mike McNerney, senior vice president, Lowe Enterprises Real Estate
Group. "Staff will have a highly professional environment that will
foster collaboration. The landscaped, open spaces connect the
buildings throughout and offer options for work breaks or casual
conferences."

The County Operations Center, located on Overland Avenue, will be
developed in two phases. Lowe Enterprises will begin work on the first
phase in the fall. One of the key components in phase one is the
development of a central plant that will provide the mechanical
systems to run the entire campus. Four 150,000-square-foot, four-story
office buildings and a 20,000 square-foot conference center and
cafeteria also are included in phase one. They will feature
sustainable design incorporating a variety of energy efficient, green
building technologies. Abundant windows will allow for natural light,
while energy efficient roofing and glazing systems will reduce heat
gain. Landscaping will feature water efficient plants and an
irrigation system to reduce water usage. Phase one also includes a
seven-level parking structure and offsite improvements to mitigate
traffic impacts.

The first step in the construction process will be the demolition
of several existing structures that are more than 40 years old.
Development of the first phase is expected to be completed over the
next four years.

The remaining phase of the development is comprised of an
additional two 150,000-square-foot, four-story office buildings,
identical to the buildings in phase one, and another parking
structure.

To assist the County in defraying its costs to build the new
campus, Lowe Enterprises and Fairfield Residential will acquire the
approximately 19.5 acre Annex site from the County.

[malsponger]

^^^ Nice!

Speaking of Google Earth... anyone else notice that the 3D depiction of downtown now has images placed on buildings? It looks sweet!

Awesome. local.live.com has had that for a while, software based intepretation of the images to create 3d buildings. Google was relying the user 3d warehouse for all of the buildings so they were missing a ton of them. Glad to see this on Google earth now cause the functionaly and speed is much much better than local.live.

[SDDTProspector]

Well, I guess Bosa's "kettner and ash" project is slowly moving foward. From what I am hearing. Bidding for all the "concrete work" is out to bidding. I guess that is a sign that some developments are still moving along....

here are some newer images from the project.

http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/001.jpg

http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/002.jpg

http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/003.jpg

http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/004.jpg

http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/005.jpg

http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/008.jpg


http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/009.jpg

http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/010.jpg

http://www.amanatarchitect.com/kettner/011.jpg

[Mariobrotha]

What ever happened to that 47 story tower that was supposed to go up a few blocks away on Columbia St?

[kpexpress]

Does anyone know if the BOSA project on Kettner and Ash is supposed to be another ultra luxury tower? When are they going to realize the lucrative middle-class housing market? What happened to real housing for real people downtown? It would be awesome to see something like that on the waterfront or one of the few waterfront neighborhoods.

[malsponger]

Does anyone know if the BOSA project on Kettner and Ash is supposed to be another ultra luxury tower? When are they going to realize the lucrative middle-class housing market? What happened to real housing for real people downtown? It would be awesome to see something like that on the waterfront or one of the few waterfront neighborhoods.

Now it wouldn't be very BOSA like to do anything but ultra expensive/luxury would it? haha.

I'd be really surprised if this got off the ground soon. Electra is proving to be a huge failure, I can only imagine how long Bayside is gonna be empty considering Electra is still so empty. I think The Legend was the end of Bosa's streak. The markets just aren't permitting so much housing right now.

I will critique those pictures though.... I think the building looks great. I am a huge fan of the random pattern glass look. Finally a more modern urban looking building from Bosa. I am also glad to see that theyre finally "mixing use" and throwing in retail bellow. I love that part of downtown but it does lack ground floor commercial businesses.

[Mariobrotha]

^ Luckily the rental market in downtown is hot, and there are a lot of rental units in those ultra luxury towers that are affordable enough to allow some financial/social class diversity. So, luckily high rise living isn't limited to the super rich.

A prime example is Electra. It certainly seems to be one of the most diverse tennant wise, moreso than a complex like the Grande or Meridian, which a few of my fellow downtown agents jokingly refer to as a retirement communities.

[SDCAL]

I think the closer you get to the water, the more successful luxe condos are. Eventually waterfront/bayfront property in the marina area is going to run out, so I think even in rough times developers still see dollar signs in units with "bay views"

If you get away from the marina area though, you are seeing more NEEDED diversity on the middle class and even affordable housing scene

Strata will be all rentals, I hear mid-higher end, and then we have afforbale housing in the tower going up across from Vantage Point

[bmfarley]

Awesome. local.live.com has had that for a while, software based intepretation of the images to create 3d buildings. Google was relying the user 3d warehouse for all of the buildings so they were missing a ton of them. Glad to see this on Google earth now cause the functionaly and speed is much much better than local.live.Exactly. Live waso slow I did not find it practical.... and opted for bland GE. Now GE is leagues ahead.

[malsponger]

I spent some time on it today and take back my analysis. Though it might be software interpreted, it's not an interpretation of the satellite images. It's incredible that the detail on all four sides of a building is visible eventhough a satellite would only permit at the most two. I think street view was incorporated in this. I believe local.live used the four angles of "bird's eye view" to derrive 3D models, so street view is my only answer to this one. Anyways, a seriously awesome job from Google on this. The reach is seems to be limited on the cities they've covered with this new system but glad to see that san diego is one of them.

[Derek]

County Offices, not city.


San Diego County Board of Supervisors Approves Lowe Enterprises Disposition and Development Agreement for County Operations Center and Annex Redevelopment

-- Sustainable Office Campus in Kearny Mesa Will Ultimately
Provide Approximately 900,000 Square Feet of Office Space for Key
County Services --
SAN DIEGO--(Business Wire)--
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has approved Lowe
Enterprises' Disposition and Development Agreement for the County
Operations Center and Annex redevelopment in Kearny Mesa. The Board
also certified the project's Environmental Impact Report, setting the
stage for Lowe Enterprises to redevelop the 37-acre County Operations
Center site into a modern, efficient campus with approximately 900,000
square feet of office space, built to LEED Silver Certification
standards, along with service buildings and parking.

"We will deliver to the County state-of-the-art facilities that
will allow them to consolidate operations on their own campus," said
Mike McNerney, senior vice president, Lowe Enterprises Real Estate
Group. "Staff will have a highly professional environment that will
foster collaboration. The landscaped, open spaces connect the
buildings throughout and offer options for work breaks or casual
conferences."

The County Operations Center, located on Overland Avenue, will be
developed in two phases. Lowe Enterprises will begin work on the first
phase in the fall. One of the key components in phase one is the
development of a central plant that will provide the mechanical
systems to run the entire campus. Four 150,000-square-foot, four-story
office buildings and a 20,000 square-foot conference center and
cafeteria also are included in phase one. They will feature
sustainable design incorporating a variety of energy efficient, green
building technologies. Abundant windows will allow for natural light,
while energy efficient roofing and glazing systems will reduce heat
gain. Landscaping will feature water efficient plants and an
irrigation system to reduce water usage. Phase one also includes a
seven-level parking structure and offsite improvements to mitigate
traffic impacts.

The first step in the construction process will be the demolition
of several existing structures that are more than 40 years old.
Development of the first phase is expected to be completed over the
next four years.

The remaining phase of the development is comprised of an
additional two 150,000-square-foot, four-story office buildings,
identical to the buildings in phase one, and another parking
structure.

To assist the County in defraying its costs to build the new
campus, Lowe Enterprises and Fairfield Residential will acquire the
approximately 19.5 acre Annex site from the County.



Thanks for the info!

[kpexpress]

I think the closer you get to the water, the more successful luxe condos are. Eventually waterfront/bayfront property in the marina area is going to run out, so I think even in rough times developers still see dollar signs in units with "bay views"

If you get away from the marina area though, you are seeing more NEEDED diversity on the middle class and even affordable housing scene

Strata will be all rentals, I hear mid-higher end, and then we have afforbale housing in the tower going up across from Vantage Point

Which part of the city will most likely see more middle-class category housing in the next five to ten years? Please, everyone way in.

[mello]

Strata will be all rentals, I hear mid-higher end, and then we have afforbale housing in the tower going up across from Vantage Point

What tower are you referring to? Do you have a rendering?

Kpexpress middle class housing. hmm... the problem with middle class housing in San Diego is making it pencil out with conscrtution labor costs, material costs and land costs. The prices of concrete and stell continue to go up year after year. The price per square foot of mid to high rise residential housing is atleast 250 per square foot if not on the verge of pushing 300.

So people are either going to have to live in really small units or developers are going to have to start building more rental units. Maybe that is the future no more condos but apartment units for the middle class. I would like to see mid and highrises built in Kearny Mesa, North Park, City Heights, and maybe Sherman Heights/Golden Hill.

[bmfarley]

Which part of the city will most likely see more middle-class category housing in the next five to ten years? Please, everyone way in.
Little Italy, Cortez Hill, East Village & Ballpark

Outside of downtown, I'd include Bankers Hill & Hillcrest

But for all of it, I'd consider a slightly longer time horizon.... 10-20 years, give the present conditions of the housing market and possible recovery.

[kpexpress]

My guess would be between 8th Ave and City College and North of Broadway. Hope this area becomes the most Manhattanized area of Downtown moving forward.

[OCtoSD]

I tried forever to find the 3d depiction of Downtown San Diego. I found the page for NY, go figure. But not for San Diego. How does one get to that feature?

[OCtoSD]

The first LEED certified office building in San Diego is a 12 story office building at the 805 and La Jolla Village Drive. It has silver certification. The only other Leed building I can think of is the club house of the suburban development Otay Ranch, or something like that. The first tenants, Paul Hastings ( a big LA Law firm) are taking the top two floors and are set to move in to their new space in about a month. The office building is part of the complex that there was a huge fight over that has the 40 story building in UTC. Here is a link to the Law Firm's press release on the new building.

http://www.paulhastings.com/newsdetail.aspx?newsId=514

[kpexpress]

The first LEED certified office building in San Diego is a 12 story office building at the 805 and La Jolla Village Drive. It has silver certification. The only other Leed building I can think of is the club house of the suburban development Otay Ranch, or something like that. The first tenants, Paul Hastings ( a big LA Law firm) are taking the top two floors and are set to move in to their new space in about a month. The office building is part of the complex that there was a huge fight over that has the 40 story building in UTC. Here is a link to the Law Firm's press release on the new building.

http://www.paulhastings.com/newsdetail.aspx?newsId=514

There are plenty of LEED buildings in SD, one that I am familiar with is owned by the City of San Diego. Ridgehaven at Greenhaven is a conversion building done by Platt-Whitelaw Associates.

[sandiegodweller]

Which part of the city will most likely see more middle-class category housing in the next five to ten years? Please, everyone way in.


Vantage Pointe will be 680+ units of rentals for the forseeable future. That whole quadrant near the freeway access should be rentals.

[malsponger]

I tried forever to find the 3d depiction of Downtown San Diego. I found the page for NY, go figure. But not for San Diego. How does one get to that feature?

Make sure you have the latest version of Google Earth the standalone application, not maps.google.com ... Then on the layers, turn on 3D buildings.

[malsponger]

This is definitely crazy. One of those little moments where where you realize how crazy technology is.

Google Earth
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/malsponger/ge.jpg

Real Earth
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/malsponger/real.jpg

[laguna]

It was mentioned that Little Italy could see middle income housing going forward. This is not in the cards due to lack of buildable land that hasn't already been tucked away by developers who won't give it up for less than a small fortune. This is due to the protected historic buildings scattered thru out Little Italy's core that must remain. The north side of Little Italy is too noisy for housing because of low overhead planes and is restricted, height wise, by being in the airports landing pattern. The Little Italy Assoc. and CCDC are on the same page that the community already has included subsidized housing and no more in currently needed. CityMark owns a piece (Pier) on Kettner and Grape that it intends to build on when the credit markets and housing stablize. It is also for sale at over $25 million. When built, it will be expensive. Their project, Aperture, on Beech and Union has sold and closed 70 of the 84 units in less than one year, in our current lousy market, at an average price of over $500/ft. This building is loft style with few premium views and no amenities and an average location within Little Italy.
Any future project in Little Italy cannot possibly be priced for the masses since they could build elsewhere much easier and cheaper.

[staplesla]

SAN DIEGO -- The public is getting a chance to weigh in on a controversial proposal about an important waterfront development.

The 10news I-Team has been following the future of the Navy Broadway Project for over a year. The issues- -- does the project sit on an active earthquake fault? Is this the best use of this unique, one-of-a-kind property?

It was a done deal, until activists, news reports, and law suits prompted the navy to take another look at the way the land should be developed. This weekend, the public comment process begins.....

http://www.10news.com/news/17569108/detail.html

[Derek]

I mean it shouldn't really be an issue. Pick the 1000000 year old shitty white bricks with barbed wire fencing and crumbling parking lots or a nice little waterfront development. Is it the best? No. Is it better than what's there? Yes. Can we get better? Not with the way this city is run, so sometimes you just need to take what you get.


:banana: