SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[Derek]

The only reason they want to "redevelop" it is simply because it is downtown.

[ShekelPop]

Its a nice idea simply because downtown could use a little eclectic mix amongst the fairly homogenous gaslamp streets. From what I recall there are a handful of buildings there that have connections to asian immigrants who came to the area in the early part of the last century so there is some connection.

[eburress]

Just reading on the "asian-district."

LOL

You just can't create an ethnic district just like that.

Just redevelop Convoy!

Agreed. It seems like it would be smarter to focus the money on an existing Asian district, rather than trying to create a new one out of nowhere. And no, a few lanterns and one or two buildings does not justify a "district."

[bmfarley]

New York Hudson River Park Pier 45... that is what the Broadway Pier should emulate.

http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2934

[OneMetropolis]

I thought Manila Mesa was the current "Asia Town".

UCSD would also be a better location.

Mira Mesa isn't called manila mesa for no reason, but. I would think that Linda Vista or Kearney Mesa would be the most prominent Asia town or at least parts of City Height.

[mongoXZ]

Port OKs first step of convention center expansion

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/06/port-oks-first-step-of-convention-center-expansion/

J6oLNO9KGYA

[HurricaneHugo]

Wonder how tall that hotel will be.

[dl3000]

Man with bigger conventions, makes me want a bigger airport even more. For me, it all comes down to the airport.

[SDfan]

I like the pedestrian bridge idea a lot, and the giant screens connected to it. And are those display lights at the ends of the bridge?

[OneMetropolis]

looks impressive. Wonder how they're going to fund it though. Do any of you know? When is ground going to be broken?

[spoonman]

Looks like the city is actually thinking big on this one...world class

[staplesla]

The start of a long-awaited, $228 million overhaul of San Diego’s downtown bayfront could hinge on a promise by port officials to create a park years down the line — a pledge that some fear may never be fulfilled.

It will be up to the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday to approve that plan, as recommended by its staff, or seek alternatives.

The San Diego Unified Port District originally envisioned a large, oval park at the foot of Broadway — an idea celebrated by open-space advocates. It now wants to build a paved esplanade, part of which would double as a drop-off and delivery point for cruise ships that anchor at the North Embarcadero.

The issue underscores the tension between the port’s interest in boosting public space and its desire to build up the cruise-ship industry and other maritime business, which would increase the agency’s revenues.

Port officials said they will develop a park at a different, unspecified location along the waterfront. They’re pushing for seven years to complete the project; the commission’s staff wants it done in three.

Diana Lilly, a Coastal Commission planner, said Monday that she could not remember another major development in recent years that the state agency greenlighted on the condition that a key element be added later.

It would take “something of a leap of faith by the commission to do this,” Lilly said.

The port’s leaders said they’re willing to find a replacement site for the park and meet most of the other conditions outlined in a Coastal Commission staff report.

“If the commission wants the park, our intent is to deliver the park,” port spokesman Ronald Powell said.

A coalition of waterfront activists said the agency has reneged on past efforts to add open space on the water’s edge, including at the Navy Pier, home of the USS Midway Museum. They vow to sue the Coastal Commission if it backs the park proposal Wednesday.

“Those conditions are not binding, and the port has a history of making promises and not keeping them,” said Ian Trowbridge, co-chairman of the Navy Broadway Complex Coalition.

Powell disagreed and pointed to open-space improvements and park upgrades by the port in recent years, including those in National City and Imperial Beach.

Port officials said a park at the Navy Pier remains on their to-do list.

Powell said the proposed esplanade, which would include gardens, benches and shaded areas, would be a major attraction worthy of what has long been described as the city’s “front porch.”

Diane Coombs, another leader of the waterfront coalition, believes no other park location would match the grandeur of the prime spot at Broadway and Harbor Drive. “There’s really no way to be able to replace that,” she said.

Lilly recommends the commission require the port to develop an alternate park no smaller than 2.5 acres at one of three locations, including west of Harbor Drive and the County Administration Center.

The port would have two years to complete environmental studies and obtain commission approval for the park, and one more year to build it. If the port fails, it could be found in violation of state law and fined up to $15,000 a day, Lilly said.

“What we’ve tried to do is put in very specific parameters about what the port has to do,” she said. “We really don’t want this thing to drag on.”

Port and city officials are seeking five years for the park’s construction phase.

Lilly said late Monday that she’s willing to consider an extension, but not to five years.

Port leaders also want the Coastal Commission staff to drop a recommendation that the port pay any litigation costs stemming from the project’s approval.

Earlier this year, the commission’s staff opposed the port’s move to eliminate the oval park at Broadway. But during a meeting in February, coastal commissioners asked the staff to try to bridge differences between the agency, port and open-space supporters.

Port staff and members of the waterfront coalition haven’t been able to strike a compromise. Waterfront activists believe the port has negotiated in bad faith; port officials accuse the activists of being fixated on the oval park.

The agency’s officials said a favorable vote Wednesday would clear the way for construction to start by the end of the year.

That work, projected to cost $29 million, would be part of a series of upgrades spelled out in the port’s North Embarcadero Visionary Plan. The overall revamping, which would affect the arc of waterfront property between Lindbergh Field and Seaport Village, has been in the works since 1997.

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/04/13/graphic_bayfront_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/13/battle-lines-being-drawn-on-bayfront/

[2SQ]

Progress Continues On Bay Bridge Lighting Project
by David Axelson


Working on what she described as a “Multi-jurisdictional, large, regional project,” would drive most people to distraction, but not Unified Port of San Diego Public Art Director Yvonne Wise. Her assignment is to coordinate the conceptual presentations for lighting the area underneath the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge, a project that has been underway in one form or another since 2005.

Wise anticipates that the three design firms bidding on the project will present their conceptual thoughts via 7-10 minute video presentations in June 2010. The eight-person project specific selection panel will make a recommendation to the Port's Board of Commissioners by late summer or early fall of this year. For some added pressure on the applicants, Robert Mosher the original architect of the bridge, is a member of the selection panel.

The bridge lighting concept was created when it became apparent that the 2.12-mile, nearly 42 year old span lost some of its visual impact at night. The top of the bridge is well-lit for traffic in the evening, but basically anything below the traffic area is not visible once the sun sets.

Thus was born the bridge lighting concept and this is where a seemingly simple idea gets complicated. According to Wise, the conceptual plans from the three competing lighting designers must consider green energy to light the bridge; something along the lines of either solar panels or wind turbines. Another element would be for the plan to feature LED (light-emitting diode) lighting, which is low-cost, low energy and considered to be environmentally appropriate.

Just when the bridge lighting project seems doable, other factors creep into the equation. Any lighting elements must be placed on the bridge in a fashion that will not make maintenance on the span any more difficult. The light on the bridge cannot be too bright, so that it won't negatively impact the residential neighborhoods on either side of the span.

That's just the beginning. Wise estimates that approximately 20 organizations need to be consulted regarding the final plans, including the Navy and the Federal Aviation Administration. Since CalTrans owns the bridge and it falls under their jurisdiction, you can imagine they'll want a say in the final design. Oh, by the way you have a budget of between $2 and $3 million to design, fabricate and install lighting on more than two miles of iconic architecture. And the money will come from a combination of grants and private funding.

The good news is that three international design firms are willing to take on the lighting equivalent of the Gordian Knot and all of the three have successfully completed major public art projects of this type. Peter Fink has created the lighting design for the Canary Wharf Tower in London, where his firm is based.

The Bideau Company from France has completed projects throughout Europe, including theaters and cathedrals in Arras, France and the concert hall in Tours, France. In 1986 the firm won the contract to light the Eiffel Tower in Paris. That last project would have to be considered an attention grabber on any resume.

Finally a group consisting of Ned Kahn, Patrick McInerney and the Arup Design Team are forming a group to submit a design. The members individually have worked on the Ushibuka Bridge in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan and the De Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

The Port's role in the short term process is pretty straight forward, according to Wise. “This portion of the project, which is to just identify the one team, costs $50,000 and is fully funded by the Port. Currently we're just in the conceptual phase. We issued an international request for qualifications for teams who could do a project of this scale. Then will come the feasibility phase and we'll work with a lot of different agencies to be sure it can be constructed. There are no color requirements. It is up to the teams to propose what makes sense.”

The process for financing the project is somewhat more ethereal. “The Port may be involved in funding,” Wise said. “The Port could be involved, perhaps in the fund raising efforts. We're not sure what the Port's role is. We don't know if CalTrans will take control. Those issues will be flushed out with a few more meetings. The project is moving forward. We're getting the logistics coordinated. No doubt it will be an exciting summer for us.”

Presentations by the lighting design firms will be held in both San Diego and Coronado. Dates and venues for the concept video presentations are expected to be confirmed by the Port District in the next several weeks.

[ShekelPop]

[QUOTE=staplesla;4793395]The start of a long-awaited, $228 million overhaul of San Diego’s downtown bayfront could hinge on a promise by port officials to create a park years down the line — a pledge that some fear may never be fulfilled....]

I'm not sure how I feel about these conflicting interests. I really wanted park space/plaza space there but on the other hand, I want the cruise terminal to be efficient and robust enough to accommodate the ships. You'd assume the Port overstates their need for truck space because that's their primary concern, and a park is not so immobile as to render the space completely unusable for future cruise terminal needs. I don't see a difference really as to whether that space starts as a park or as a paved esplanade since either one could be adapted into other uses later on. Just so long as the project gets under way, I'm for it.

[IconRPCV]

God, either proposal is a million times better than the crap that is there presently. If and when this and the Lane Field development get finished this will be a great asset to the city.

Remeber the County Admin Center was going to make parks out of their parking lots; any word on that project?

[SDfan]

^^ I heard they were still moving forward with that project.

As for the oval park, I'm not usually so anti-port, but wtf? They already screwed up the south embarcedero, you would think they would try a little harder not to disgruntle an already bay-front sensetive population. If this had been the Navy Broadway Complex, I would be less upset, develop all you want there, but this is actually, literally, THE gateway of the city.

[staplesla]

The state Coastal Commission late Wednesday rejected the first phase of a long-planned, $228 million overhaul of the downtown waterfront, saying it would cheat the public of prime park space. The decision is a crushing setback for San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders and port officials.

The panel deadlocked 5-5, one vote short of what was needed to allow construction to go forward.

The commissioner who might have tipped the project in the port’s favor recused himself. Pat Kruer of La Jolla, who had been an enthusiastic supporter of the revamp, announced before the hearing in Ventura that he would not participate to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. Kruer’s brother has business ties with the port.

Kruer could not be reached by phone or e-mail Wednesday night.

The San Diego Unified Port District began developing the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan 12 years ago, saying it would revitalize the bayfront and turn an asphalt corridor along Harbor Drive into a gleaming showcase of open space and maritime activities.

“I’m disappointed by the Coastal Commission’s action today, which will delay for several years — if not longer — a project that would greatly enhance public enjoyment of our downtown waterfront,” Sanders said in a statement Wednesday night. “While I’m disappointed, I’m hopeful that the plan can be modified and ultimately approved in some fashion.”

Irene McCormack, an assistant vice president with the San Diego Unified Port District, said her agency’s executives will meet with city officials to explore their options, including possibly seeking an amendment to the port master plan that might allow the overhaul to go forward.

That also would require Coastal Commission approval and could take as long as two years.

Another option, McCormack said, is to drop the redevelopment project entirely. But after years of planning and study, she said, “Is that what the port and the city want to do? No.”

Critics of the first phase blamed the port for last night’s vote, saying it was rooted in the agency’s decision to drop plans to include a large, oval park at the foot of Broadway at Harbor. Port officials said there was no room for the oval and instead proposed building a broad, paved esplanade that would double as a pickup and drop-off point for cruise ships.

Open-space activist Ian Trowbridge said the loss of the oval park — and the port’s insistence that it be kept out — seemed to seal the proposal’s fate.

“This is a sad day for the people of San Diego because the port, through its intransigence, failed to come up with a project that could go forward,” he said.

Coastal Commissioner Sara Wan of Malibu said the project failed to meet open-space requirements laid out in the port’s plan for the North Embarcadero.

“It’s not the shape of the park that’s the issue,” she said. “It’s the size and location.”

Colleague Richard Bloom of Santa Monica disagreed, saying the initial phase would have been a valuable and scenic addition.

Port officials rebutted claims that improvements to the nearby cruise-ship terminal forced them to drop the oval-park concept. Because of the terminal, public access to parts of the esplanade would be limited at times.

Port executives said they were willing to abide by one compromise that would have allowed the project to go forward if the agency promised to build a comparable park elsewhere on the bayfront.

“We are eager and willing to comply,” port President Charles Wurster said before the vote. “We believe the North Embarcadero will become a significant place of enjoyment for children and adults.”

During a lengthy hearing, Trowbridge said the commission should not accept the port district’s assurances that a replacement park would be built, saying the agency “has a long history of duplicity and broken promises.”

At a commission meeting in February, the state panel directed its staff to meet with the port and its critics to try to bridge differences.

Subsequent talks — formal and informal — proved fruitless: port officials said their critics were fixated on the oval park; critics said the port negotiated in bad faith.

Commission planner Diana Lilly said the recommendation to allow a replacement park to be built represented her office’s attempt to forge a middle path, even if some didn’t see it that way.

The state agency had suggested three potential park sites: between Navy Pier and the Navy’s buildings on Broadway; west of the landmark County Administration Center and Harbor Drive; and Lane Field, northeast of Broadway and Harbor, where the port plans to develop a hotel complex.

The North Embarcadero is a 1.2-mile stretch that runs from Lindbergh Field to Seaport Village.

The initial phase of construction would have included the installation of formal gardens along the esplanade, along with benches, artwork and low-energy lighting. Later phases would include pier and wharf improvements.

Kruer, the commissioner from La Jolla, recused himself after a newspaper story reported that a company run by Kruer’s brother, Jonathan, is helping to plan the first-phase project.

The Port District and Centre City Development Corp. — the city of San Diego’s redevelopment arm — have paid Jonathan Kruer’s business $78,150 for its work, as part of a total contract worth $92,250.

Pat Kruer had expressed support for the first-phase plan when it came before the commission in February. The commission’s staff members said Kruer didn’t know then that his brother was part of the project.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/15/coast-panel-rejects-waterfront-overhaul/

[CoastersBolts]

Can someone remind me of what purpose the Coastal Commission serves for projects such as this that seem to be exclusive to cities? What a joke.

[tdavis]

I have mixed feelings. The 5-5 vote means everything is stalled for now which I hate, but I also feel San Diegans should receive what was originally promised. And if changes are to be made, they need to be done in a fashion that are comparable to the original intent. San Diegans, especially those living downtown, should have the open space.

[kpexpress]

Couple projects to be reviewed tonight.....777 Beech, and the Little Italy Fire Station.

http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/events.ShowEvent/eventID/1389

What are you thoughts?

777 Beech:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/Screenshot2010-04-15at95217AM.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/Screenshot2010-04-15at95210AM.jpg
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/Screenshot2010-04-15at95201AM.jpg

Fire Station #2:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/Screenshot2010-04-15at110902AM.jpg

[brantw]

Affordable housing goes downtown
23-story tower was to be luxury condos
http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/04/14/UTI1512945_t352.jpg?980751187beea6fc26a3a9e93795d379f58af1c4

High-rise living with expansive bay and city views, ample outdoor terraces, easy access to public transit and, most importantly, deeply affordable rents are what await 229 low-income households next month when a 23-story tower opens in downtown San Diego.

Billed as the tallest affordable-housing development on the West Coast, the $90 million project known as Ten Fifty B metamorphosed from what was to be a luxury condominium complex before the real estate market tanked.

While the apartments in the redesigned project are smaller than the planned condos, the rents for the studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom units are one-third to one-half of what apartments are renting for in pricier downtown areas.

Indistinguishable on the outside from downtown’s luxury high-rises, the stylish urban tower has attracted more than 3,200 applicants. Each is being evaluated based on income level, supplemented with rigorous credit and criminal-background checks. The first approved tenants are expected to be notified next week.

Heavily subsidized with public dollars, the project is being hailed by affordable-housing experts as a model for not only low-income housing projects, but also urban infill developments located in walkable neighborhoods close to employment centers.

“We do feel it’s extremely important to have housing that’s affordable and well-located near jobs, transit and amenities, and this project certainly meets those criteria,” said Lynn Jacobs, who heads the state Department of Housing and Development. “That’s not only a criteria to get points (for state financing), but it’s also the future of planning in California, given the state’s greenhouse-gas-reduction and sustainable-planning requirements.

“This project is a little bit ahead of the game.”

When San Diego affordable-housing developer Affirmed Housing Group learned more than three years ago that national developer KB Homes was likely to abandon plans for its 184-unit condo development, it seized on the opportunity to develop the East Village site, and the city’s downtown redevelopment arm was willing to oblige.

It turned out to be a fortuitous move, given the troubles faced by two high-profile condo projects nearby — Smart Corner and the 679-unit Vantage Pointe, both of which have struggled to sell units and are having to rent out many of the condos.

The Centre City Development Corp., which had approved design plans for the KB project, ultimately authorized a deferred, low-interest loan of $34 million, the largest one-time subsidy it has allocated for an affordable project. The CCDC loan, along with other state subsidies and contributions from tax-credit investors, allowed Affirmed to offer rents as low as $535 a month for a two-bedroom apartment.

To qualify for residency in the high-rise, individuals and families can earn anywhere from 25 percent to 60 percent of median income. At the upper income range, that translates to $49,560 for a family of four.

Officials with the CCDC, which oversees downtown renewal, point out that dense high-rises such as Ten Fifty B go a long way toward meeting a state-mandated requirement that at least 15 percent of market-rate units in the downtown redevelopment area be affordable to low- and moderate-income households. As more condos were developed in the past several years, it became increasingly challenging to meet that goal, said Jeff Graham, vice president of redevelopment for the CCDC.

More than 3,200 affordable units downtown have been financed using property tax revenue generated by redevelopment, and the CCDC has helped finance 900 additional units outside its core area.

“In 2002, we were at 24 percent affordable housing, and we’re now at 19 percent, so that’s one reason to keep it downtown and also to create a balanced area,” Graham said. “We don’t want downtown to be just for wealthy people in expensive condos. It just makes for a healthier neighborhood.”

In an effort to keep Ten Fifty B’s construction and operating costs manageable, the project used recycled construction materials and energy-efficient lighting, as well as rooftop photovoltaic and solar hot-water panels. More than half the units have balconies, and large, landscaped terraces on the seventh and ninth floors are equipped with barbecues, fire pits and play areas for children.

“We used many aspects of KB’s initial design but made significant alterations to the building,” said Affirmed President James Silverwood. “We increased the number of units by reducing the square footage of each unit, and we reduced the height of each floor by 8 inches, which created enough room in the building to insert an additional floor.”

As the project’s opening nears, anticipation is building among the hundreds of applicants awaiting word on whether they will be able to call Ten Fifty B home.

Many of the prospective tenants work downtown, and some have been forced to double and triple up in apartments because they cannot afford market-rate rents, said Gianna Solari, vice president of Solari Enterprises, property manager for the project.

“We’ve leased up a lot of units in our experience, and there’s more excitement for this building than we’ve seen in the past,” Solari said. “The applicants are eager to get in and start their lives there.”

[brantw]

New Courthouse Update

Watched the crane go up today at the site of the new courthouse. They have been making a lot of progress there, pretty recently. It was fun to be so close to this crane. Sorry for the crappy lighting, but I was kinda looking into the sun when I took these with my iPhone.

It looks like they are done with the parking garage that went down 2 stories or so.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/4524492214_9c7e72776a.jpg

This crane is massive, and they don't even have the top on it yet. I have never been this close to one of these things. This thing is gigantic, and must be somewhere between 200 - 300 feet.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4523861937_71c01d0cdb.jpg

Here they are lifting up the last piece.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4523862233_9ae6ff7703.jpg

The crane itself is a welcome site to the sky-line.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4023/4524492622_0673d85924.jpg

This is what the base of the one putting it together looks like, in case anyone cares.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4068/4523862139_5ff8444157.jpg

[mongoXZ]

I like that 777 Beech proposal. I'm sure the El Cortez residents don't.

[ShekelPop]

I like that 777 Beech proposal. I'm sure the El Cortez residents don't.


Thanks for posting the pics! I had no idea 777 is still alive! Ay, I've never been a fan. I could see the appeal, but I don't think it'll age well as it'll be stuck with this modernist angular nonsense that they've proposed. I also find it unfortunate that it gets in the way of the El Cortez. If it actually looked like a real building I wouldn't mind as much. So be it I guess.

[tdavis]

San Diego port and city leaders on Thursday said they will retool their ambitious, $228 million blueprint for the downtown bayfront now that the state has blocked the first phase of an overhaul that local officials spent 12 years and as much as $15 million to craft.

The state Coastal Commission late Wednesday stunned backers of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan when it deadlocked 5-5 on the initial phase, scotching plans to build a paved esplanade at the foot of Broadway, where a nearly 2-acre oval park had originally been contemplated.

“It’s frustrating,” San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said. After all the time and money invested in the project, “to have it scuttled by a few (commissioners) is disturbing.”

City and port officials say they will basically have to start the planning process from scratch, and that it will take at least two years to revise the waterfront master plan for the stretch of bayfront from Lindbergh Field to Seaport Village.

Robert “Dukie” Valderrama, chairman of the San Diego Unified Port District board, worries that the delay will jeopardize financing for the revamp, which was to include money from the Centre City Development Corp., the city’s downtown redevelopment arm.

“It just really hurts that we have to wait,” Valderrama said. “Times are just going to be tougher.”

Critics believe that city and port officials have themselves to blame for the project’s unraveling — a view shared by several state commissioners.

Commissioner Esther Sanchez, an Oceanside councilwoman, chided the port Wednesday for dropping plans for the oval park. She said the esplanade would have fallen short of what the community deserves — a sizable gathering spot where Broadway meets the water, on what has long been labeled San Diego’s “front porch.”

Port officials say the oval park never got past the concept stage. They say there’s no way they could resurrect the idea, even if they wanted to, because of the cruise-ship terminal under construction on Broadway Pier.

Part of the paved esplanade would have been used as a pickup and delivery point for vehicles serving the two-story, $21 million terminal, which the Coastal Commission approved in 2009.

A large green space at that same spot wouldn’t work, port spokesman Ronald Powell said.

“You’re going to have big ships rolling in there,” Powell said. “Once you do that, you can’t have a big park at the mouth of it.”

The first phase of the North Embarcadero overhaul would have transformed the asphalt parking lots near Broadway, and parallel to Harbor Drive, into a broad walkway with gardens, artwork and benches. Other phases would have included pier and wharf improvements.

Port officials say many of those proposals may be included as they revise their master plan — a two-year process that will require multiple public hearings and an environmental impact report.

Waterfront activist Diane Coombs, co-chair of the Navy Broadway Complex Coalition, said open-space advocates plan to hold their own forums to gauge public opinion on a revised master plan.

“Let’s tell the port and the CCDC and the mayor what we want, rather than them telling us what they want to impose,” Coombs said.

The port and other local agencies began planning the overhaul 12 years ago. Powell estimates that the port and the CCDC have spent $12 million to $15 million since then on studies, consultant fees, engineering plans and related expenses.

Port officials scoff at the notion that they don’t value green space. They boast that there are 17 parks on the tidelands they manage in San Diego, Coronado, National City, Chula Vista and Imperial Beach. But port officials acknowledge that any master-plan revision will need to address Coastal Commission concerns about a lack of prime parkland.

Coombs believes the esplanade idea underscored the port’s skewed priorities, saying it was designed more with cruise-ship passengers in mind than San Diegans.

Fred Maas, the CCDC’s board chairman, called the collapse of the initial phase a “travesty.” He hopes community leaders will craft a plan that can draw broader support, because “clearly we all care about our city.”

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/04/15/sailschart_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/16/trimming-their-sails/

[Mariobrotha]

Is it really so hard to have the oval park AND a drop off curb? Can't the remaining part of the Broadway pier, that isn't built on, serve as that plaza/walkway?

[SDfan]

Here is UT article discussing the conversion of Plaza de Panama into a public square from the parking lot it is now:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/20/park-plaza420/

And here is an article on a possible roofed stadium for downtown:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/20/roofed-stadium-makes-sense/

[Derek]

Roofed????? Uh......

[Derek]

Actually after reading the article I kind of like it. :laugh:


As long as the damn thing is retractable. :P

[Crackertastik]

Roofed...Yes. Don't think of it as a dome like roof, but a roof like Warsaw is getting for their new stadium for Euro 2012. It actually should be called a "Retractable Membrane" cuz the roof would be canvas.

I love the idea for increasing the function and use of the site for conventions and basketball, soccer, etc. but i do say that with a huge BUT

i would say i love the idea BUT it must be done so that the location (downtown) is viewable from inside the stadium providing fans views of the surrounding city or waterfront.

I would say i love the idea BUT it must be done to minimize its appearance so that fans can still enjoy the san diego environment with an outdoor feel when the roof is open (rain or shine) for san diego charger football games.

[HurricaneHugo]

Love the idea probably won't happen.

[Derek]

Love the idea probably won't happen.



Sad but true... :(



Excellent points though crackertastik!

[ShekelPop]

excellent point, sort of like Qwest field with a retractable roof (or in other words, what the cowboys have with that huge window)? maybe a hybrid of those ideas? anyone else have any other examples?

Roofed...Yes. Don't think of it as a dome like roof, but a roof like Warsaw is getting for their new stadium for Euro 2012. It actually should be called a "Retractable Membrane" cuz the roof would be canvas.

I love the idea for increasing the function and use of the site for conventions and basketball, soccer, etc. but i do say that with a huge BUT

i would say i love the idea BUT it must be done so that the location (downtown) is viewable from inside the stadium providing fans views of the surrounding city or waterfront.

I would say i love the idea BUT it must be done to minimize its appearance so that fans can still enjoy the san diego environment with an outdoor feel when the roof is open (rain or shine) for san diego charger football games.

[Crackertastik]

it is going to be quite a challenge id say, but if pulled off, might be the coolest stadium in the USA

very small footprint
downtown location so views need to be incorporated from inside
downtown so preferably an activated ground floor for the area
san diego so the facility needs to have a multitude of function to fly meaning a roof is likely necessary
san diego so it needs to be big enough to house a super bowl and bowl games



all i can say is ... GOOD LUCK ARCHITECTS!!

[Crackertastik]

i was looking at the new meadowlands stadium for ny and saw pictures of the lost manhattan ny jets stadium that was to be in manhattan if NY won the olympic bid. that stadium was extremely compact, on a 10-12 acre site much like this san diego stadium would be. it had a retractable roof and was quite amazing looking.

thatd be a good model to improve upon for the chargers and san diego.

[staplesla]

i was looking at the new meadowlands stadium for ny and saw pictures of the lost manhattan ny jets stadium that was to be in manhattan if NY won the olympic bid. that stadium was extremely compact, on a 10-12 acre site much like this san diego stadium would be. it had a retractable roof and was quite amazing looking.

thatd be a good model to improve upon for the chargers and san diego.

Do you have a link or photo of what it looks like?

[eburress]

Here it is. Pretty spiff!

http://www.tradeshowexecutive.com/data/images/Convention%20Corridor.jpg

[brantw]

Awesome.

[Derek]

Too bad that didn't happen. :(


It would be nice to have a "New York" team actually in New York...(Besides Buffalo, the only New York team in my book.)



The Jets should just change their name to the New Jersey Jets. It kind of rolls of the tongue...


Or the New Jersey Jets of New York. :laugh:

[OneMetropolis]

Meanwhile Los Angeles has proposed a new football stadium in it's downtown w/ a retractable roof and all. Things are going to heat up now.

[staplesla]

Bayfront Projects Stalled

San Diego’s North Embarcadero — the long sweep of bayfront between Lindbergh Field and Seaport Village — has always been a work in progress.

Except right now. There’s not much work and few signs of progress.

That was underscored this month when the California Coastal Commission rejected a San Diego port proposal to build a broad esplanade at the foot of Broadway. Some commissioners chided port officials for not including a large park as part of the project, as was originally envisioned.

To port and city officials, it was a major setback in the effort to revamp the water’s edge. The San Diego Unified Port District now plans to rework its $228 million blueprint for the bayfront, a process expected to take at least two years.

To open-space activists, it was a positive step in their bid to carve out more park land in an area better known for its blocky buildings and pockmarked asphalt.

Other major projects targeted for the North Embarcadero are in limbo because of the weak economy, legal challenges and other issues. They include two blockbusters on Broadway: Lane Field and the Navy Broadway Complex.

Shaun Sumner, a senior asset manager with the port, said the now-stalled North Embarcadero Visionary Plan included public space and road improvements intended to tie the neighborhood together. He said the initial phase of redevelopment would have lowered the elevation of a portion of west Broadway next to Lane Field.

Sumner said he believes the grounding of the plan cheats private developers and the public.

“Public infrastructure is the glue that holds this all together,” he said.

Lane Field developer Jerry Trammer worries that the lack of upgrades will make it even harder to obtain funding for his project.

San Diego Councilman Kevin Faulconer, whose district includes the downtown area, had backed the rejected revamp. He said the city and the port district now have a chance to refine it through extensive public feedback.

“We need to make the waterfront much more people-friendly,” Faulconer said.

The only major project under construction is a $21 million, 52,000-square-foot cruise ship terminal on Broadway Pier, at the foot of the thoroughfare. The two-story landing is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

But the Navy Broadway Complex Coalition, a group of activists, has filed a lawsuit arguing that the project is inconsistent with the port district’s master plan.

A San Diego County Superior Court judge has set a September trial date. Coalition lawyer Cory Briggs said he would like a jury to decide the matter.

Leslie FitzGerald, a deputy attorney with the port, accuses the coalition of raising irrelevant issues in court filings, such as the port’s decision to drop the idea of developing a large park next to the pier. Port officials said a park no longer makes sense because it would block vehicle access to and from the pier.

Other projects in the waterfront pipeline:

Lane Field

Location: A 5.7-acre site on the north side of Broadway between Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway.

Cost: $430 million.

Timetable: Uncertain.

Background: The former site of a storied baseball stadium — back in the Great Depression and into the 1950s — has been on the downtown redevelopment to-do list for decades.

It’s currently a parking lot. Last year, the state Coastal Commission signed off on a port district proposal to develop a hotel complex and 2-acre plaza there.

Construction won’t begin until there is enough financing and regulators approve the plan to lower a part of west Broadway.


Ruocco Park

Location: A 3.3-acre parcel on the southwest corner of Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway.

Cost: $6.1 million.

Timetable: Construction is expected to start by early 2011, with completion by early 2012.

Background: The port district is moving to turn a parking lot and the former home of the Harbor Seafood Mart into a getaway spot for downtown office workers, families and others. San Diego artist Roman de Salvo was picked to create artwork for the park.


Navy Broadway Complex

Location: A 14.7-acre site bounded by Broadway, Pacific Highway and Harbor Drive.

Cost: $1.2 billion.

Timetable: Uncertain.

Background: San Diego developer Doug Manchester has a lease with the Navy to build a Navy administration complex, along with hotels, offices and shops, in an area that currently has dilapidated buildings and government-only parking.

Legal challenges and the inability to secure financing have kept the makeover in limbo. Manchester’s longtime wife also filed for divorce last year, prompting speculation that it might further cloud his efforts to finance the development.

Navy officials declined to discuss the project last week, referring questions to Manchester’s development company. Manchester’s spokesman for the project was unavailable.


County waterfront park

Location: Around the County Administration Center, next to Harbor Drive.

Cost: Unknown.

Timetable: Uncertain

Background: The county Board of Supervisors wants to transform most of the parking lot surrounding the building into a park. There would be a 250-space underground parking lot.

A county official said the project is on hold because it lacks funding. Supervisor Ron Roberts hopes to stitch together enough money for the work by year’s end, his spokesman said.


Navy Pier open space

Location: Navy Pier.

Cost: Unknown.

Timetable: A design may be in place by late 2012.

Background: Port officials want to turn the pier next to the USS Midway Museum into a vibrant public attraction. They plan to work with Midway boosters to develop a park or other type of open space on the wind-swept landing.

Waterfront activists say the port had agreed to open a park on the pier sooner than 2012. Port officials dispute that timetable and promise to include the public in the planning process.

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/04/26/baymap_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/26/as-setback-shows-bayfront-projects-not-on-fast/

[Derek]

Bayfront Projects Stalled

San Diego’s North Embarcadero — the long sweep of bayfront between Lindbergh Field and Seaport Village — has always been a work in progress.

Except right now. There’s not much work and few signs of progress.

That was underscored this month when the California Coastal Commission rejected a San Diego port proposal to build a broad esplanade at the foot of Broadway. Some commissioners chided port officials for not including a large park as part of the project, as was originally envisioned.

To port and city officials, it was a major setback in the effort to revamp the water’s edge. The San Diego Unified Port District now plans to rework its $228 million blueprint for the bayfront, a process expected to take at least two years.

To open-space activists, it was a positive step in their bid to carve out more park land in an area better known for its blocky buildings and pockmarked asphalt.

Other major projects targeted for the North Embarcadero are in limbo because of the weak economy, legal challenges and other issues. They include two blockbusters on Broadway: Lane Field and the Navy Broadway Complex.

Shaun Sumner, a senior asset manager with the port, said the now-stalled North Embarcadero Visionary Plan included public space and road improvements intended to tie the neighborhood together. He said the initial phase of redevelopment would have lowered the elevation of a portion of west Broadway next to Lane Field.

Sumner said he believes the grounding of the plan cheats private developers and the public.

“Public infrastructure is the glue that holds this all together,” he said.

Lane Field developer Jerry Trammer worries that the lack of upgrades will make it even harder to obtain funding for his project.

San Diego Councilman Kevin Faulconer, whose district includes the downtown area, had backed the rejected revamp. He said the city and the port district now have a chance to refine it through extensive public feedback.

“We need to make the waterfront much more people-friendly,” Faulconer said.

The only major project under construction is a $21 million, 52,000-square-foot cruise ship terminal on Broadway Pier, at the foot of the thoroughfare. The two-story landing is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

But the Navy Broadway Complex Coalition, a group of activists, has filed a lawsuit arguing that the project is inconsistent with the port district’s master plan.

A San Diego County Superior Court judge has set a September trial date. Coalition lawyer Cory Briggs said he would like a jury to decide the matter.

Leslie FitzGerald, a deputy attorney with the port, accuses the coalition of raising irrelevant issues in court filings, such as the port’s decision to drop the idea of developing a large park next to the pier. Port officials said a park no longer makes sense because it would block vehicle access to and from the pier.

Other projects in the waterfront pipeline:

Lane Field

Location: A 5.7-acre site on the north side of Broadway between Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway.

Cost: $430 million.

Timetable: Uncertain.

Background: The former site of a storied baseball stadium — back in the Great Depression and into the 1950s — has been on the downtown redevelopment to-do list for decades.

It’s currently a parking lot. Last year, the state Coastal Commission signed off on a port district proposal to develop a hotel complex and 2-acre plaza there.

Construction won’t begin until there is enough financing and regulators approve the plan to lower a part of west Broadway.


Ruocco Park

Location: A 3.3-acre parcel on the southwest corner of Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway.

Cost: $6.1 million.

Timetable: Construction is expected to start by early 2011, with completion by early 2012.

Background: The port district is moving to turn a parking lot and the former home of the Harbor Seafood Mart into a getaway spot for downtown office workers, families and others. San Diego artist Roman de Salvo was picked to create artwork for the park.


Navy Broadway Complex

Location: A 14.7-acre site bounded by Broadway, Pacific Highway and Harbor Drive.

Cost: $1.2 billion.

Timetable: Uncertain.

Background: San Diego developer Doug Manchester has a lease with the Navy to build a Navy administration complex, along with hotels, offices and shops, in an area that currently has dilapidated buildings and government-only parking.

Legal challenges and the inability to secure financing have kept the makeover in limbo. Manchester’s longtime wife also filed for divorce last year, prompting speculation that it might further cloud his efforts to finance the development.

Navy officials declined to discuss the project last week, referring questions to Manchester’s development company. Manchester’s spokesman for the project was unavailable.


County waterfront park

Location: Around the County Administration Center, next to Harbor Drive.

Cost: Unknown.

Timetable: Uncertain

Background: The county Board of Supervisors wants to transform most of the parking lot surrounding the building into a park. There would be a 250-space underground parking lot.

A county official said the project is on hold because it lacks funding. Supervisor Ron Roberts hopes to stitch together enough money for the work by year’s end, his spokesman said.


Navy Pier open space

Location: Navy Pier.

Cost: Unknown.

Timetable: A design may be in place by late 2012.

Background: Port officials want to turn the pier next to the USS Midway Museum into a vibrant public attraction. They plan to work with Midway boosters to develop a park or other type of open space on the wind-swept landing.

Waterfront activists say the port had agreed to open a park on the pier sooner than 2012. Port officials dispute that timetable and promise to include the public in the planning process.

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/04/26/baymap_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/26/as-setback-shows-bayfront-projects-not-on-fast/



Big surprise there. :rolleyes:

[brantw]

Nooo!!

[staplesla]

It may not be long before commuters can take the San Diego Trolley from the Mexican border or Santee all the way to UCSD and University City.

During the month of May, the San Diego Association of Governments is seeking public input at five "project scoping meetings" on plans to extend the trolley line north from the Old Town Trolley Center.

"There's three alternatives that we are taking forward to scoping," said Leslie Blanda, SANDAG Project Development Program Manager. "It's a very high priority for our board. The challenges that lay ahead are pretty straight-forward alternatives."

The 11-mile extension would run north along the existing railroad right-of-ways until reaching UCSD's Gilman Drive, then circle through the campus and back out to the University City area.

Current proposals call for trolley stations at Tecolote Road, Clairemont Drive, Balboa Avenue, University Center Lane, UCSD east and west sites, Executive Drive and a major transit center at University Towne Center.

Blanda said SANDAG hopes the funding will be split between the local voter-approved TransNet Early Action Program and Federal Transit Administration New Starts Fund. The latter funding will be applied for once a final alternative route has been settled upon.

"We believe we will be very competitive for New Starts funding," Blanda said. "We've been very successful in the past."

New Starts funding was received for both the Mission Valley East line and the Sprinter, Blanda said.

To date about $32 million has been spent on the project for planning, preliminary engineering and right-of-way acquisition. Total cost is estimated at $1.2 billion, including the cost of railroad right-of-way acquired to date at $20 million.

While much of the route is along existing train routes, some alternatives would require some bridges and tunneling at the north end of the line.

"All the alternatives have some potential to affect the environment," Blanda said, adding that the scoping meetings are part of the process to mitigate those concerns and draft an environmental impact document.

If all goes according to schedule, commuters could be riding the new extension in 2016.

More information on the project is available at www.sandag.org/midcoast (http://www.sandag.org/midcoast).

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/28/trolley-scoping-meetings/

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/04/28/trolleynorth_t600.JPG?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

Public Scoping Meetings:

Wednesday, May 5, 2010
SANDAG Board Room (7th Floor)
401 B Street, San Diego, CA 92101
4 to 7 p.m.
Bus stop/Transit stations located at 4th/B St. & 5th Ave. Trolley Station

Tuesday, May 11, 2010
University of California, San Diego (UCSD)
Price Center East Ballroom
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093
3 to 6 p.m.
Bus stop located at Gilman Dr./Myers Dr. on UCSD campus

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center
Garfield Theater
4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037
4 to 7 p.m.
Bus stop located at Executive Dr./Regents Rd.

Thursday, May 20, 2010
Clairemont High School Cafeteria
4150 Ute Street, San Diego, CA 92117
4 to 7 p.m.
Bus stop located at Clairemont Dr./Ute Dr.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Caltrans District 11 Office
Garcia Conference Room
4050 Taylor Street, San Diego, CA 92110
4 to 7 p.m.
Bus stop/Transit station located at Taylor St./Juan St. & Old Town Transit Center

[HurricaneHugo]

I'm assuming it'll be tunneled as it goes through UCSD?

[mongoXZ]

Ya know, I don't like how the proposed routes hook back southward. What if they want to expand north (which they should). Why not have it go east towards UTC and then back north into UCSD?

And also I had no idea the Coaster went that far inland close to Miramar Air Station. How weird.

[dl3000]

Ya know, I don't like how the proposed routes hook back southward. What if they want to expand north (which they should). Why not have it go east towards UTC and then back north into UCSD?

And also I had no idea the Coaster went that far inland close to Miramar Air Station. How weird.

Yeah the rails have to cut inland (you can see it under the 805 sometimes) and then come back out in Sorrento Valley. Reason is because the hill University City/UCSD is on is too steep and obviously Santa Fe didn't want to put the money into a tunnel when it was built. Probably a great long term initiative would be to tunnel under University City and cut that loop much shorter. Adds a lot of time to the trip.

And regarding your other question, maybe they want the two UCSD stations consecutive to make it more straightforward to passengers. Just a guess as I totally see your point in questioning the southward hook. I'm thinking if they plan to expand they would go east to Mira Mesa from there.

[HurricaneHugo]

It'll be a long time before it gets expanded again...

[brantw]

There's a new Ace parking lot going in on the corner of Kettner and A st where the old elementary school used to be. It's the biggest project around, aside from the new court house and cruise ship terminal. :(

[Derek]

They tore down a school for a parking lot?

[brantw]

Yes, it was Ace. They've been tearing down our schools! :grrr:

[Derek]

Like for real?? Or did they replace the school and this one was old and abandoned??

[IconRPCV]

It was an old private school that went out of business several years ago and was sitting vacant. It was an issue with the neighborhood because the homeless had turned the facility into their nightly home.

[tdavis]

Yes, it was Ace. They've been tearing down our schools! :grrr:

This was an old private school that closed down years ago, and has been falling down. It needed to be torn down.

[bmfarley]

Yeah the rails have to cut inland (you can see it under the 805 sometimes) and then come back out in Sorrento Valley. Reason is because the hill University City/UCSD is on is too steep and obviously Santa Fe didn't want to put the money into a tunnel when it was built. Probably a great long term initiative would be to tunnel under University City and cut that loop much shorter. Adds a lot of time to the trip.

And regarding your other question, maybe they want the two UCSD stations consecutive to make it more straightforward to passengers. Just a guess as I totally see your point in questioning the southward hook. I'm thinking if they plan to expand they would go east to Mira Mesa from there.
I would like to see a tunnel through University City for that same reason; to cut down on trip time to San Diego. This would really help the Coaster and Commuters. Others would benefit too; Amtrak and Freight. And, perhaps an undergound station could service UCSD one the west, or the Offices on the east, but probably not both. Of course, it would not hurt if the Coaster operated electrified trains and already had more ridership to justify such a large costly project.

[dl3000]

I would like to see a tunnel through University City for that same reason; to cut down on trip time to San Diego. This would really help the Coaster and Commuters. Others would benefit too; Amtrak and Freight. And, perhaps an undergound station could service UCSD one the west, or the Offices on the east, but probably not both. Of course, it would not hurt if the Coaster operated electrified trains and already had more ridership to justify such a large costly project.

That would be so nice, but alas, we live in a world that is far from ideal. Hopefully the circumstances you mentioned come to fruition some day.

[IconRPCV]

Got transfered to LA so am moving out of SD in August. I have to say my 5 years here have given me mixed feelings about her. SD has so much potential but is so small town minded and backward in many ways. Well I will always be a Charger and Padres fan! Here is hoping I can get anywhere near what I paid for my condo.

[SDfan]

Aw! San Diego will miss you!

[bmfarley]

Got transfered to LA so am moving out of SD in August. I have to say my 5 years here have given me mixed feelings about her. SD has so much potential but is so small town minded and backward in many ways. Well I will always be a Charger and Padres fan! Here is hoping I can get anywhere near what I paid for my condo.
I made that leap one year ago. And, I was pleasantly suprised. The folks here are very nice... mostly in Hollywood area. I am now in Pasadena... nice town, but fewer folks. My advice, assuming your work place is near a Metro Rail station, try and locate your new home by one too. Lots of commuters ride them. Metrolink is pretty popular too. And, if you buy near a future station... prices are certain to rise.

[brantw]

SAN DIEGO - The Metropolitan Transit System board on Thursday endorsed a route for the proposed Mid-Coast extension of the San Diego Trolley from Old Town to University City.

The board voted unanimously to back the 11-mile "Light Rail Transit Alternative 1" as the preferred route among three analyzed by the San Diego Association of Governments, according to MTS spokesman Rob Schupp.

The path would take the trolley from the Old Town Transit Center along the east side of Interstate 5 to UC San Diego, then east along Voight Drive and Genesee Avenue to University Town Centre.

Eight new stations would be located at Tecolote Road, Clairemont Drive, Balboa Avenue, Nobel Drive, the west and east sides of UCSD, Executive Drive and UTC Transit Center, according to SANDAG.

"The extension of our trolley system north along the I-5 corridor into one of the most dynamic scientific research, health, academic, commercial and residential areas in San Diego will open up important markets for public transportation to better serve the region," said Harry Mathis, chair of the MTS board.

MTS predicts the new line would generate up to 20,000 daily boardings.

SANDAG, the agency handling the planning for the Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project, is now holding a series of scoping meetings on the proposed trolley extension. MTS runs the San Diego Trolley.

Schupp said today's vote was an opportunity for the MTS board to "weigh in" on which route it believes would generate the greatest ridership and best serve the community.
Funding for New Trolleys


SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Association of Governments was awarded $1.59 million in funding Thursday from Caltrans to be used toward the purchase of 57 light rail vehicles for the San Diego Trolley's Blue Line.

According to Caltrans, the new trolleys will increase light rail capacity and improve service.

The local funding was among $63.3 million Caltrans awarded today for 111 public transit and air quality projects throughout California. The funding comes from Proposition B, a $3.6 billion transportation bond approved by voters in 2006.

[Derek]

That's cool and everything, but they should really be expanding it into more heavily urbanized areas...

[kpexpress]

I think it's great! Hope to see some rapid buses heading to the Beach and La Jolla from some of these stops too.

I still want a street car system circling Balboa Park. I want to hop on it and head to Hill Crest, North Park and back to the Centre City.

[kpexpress]

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/10_344_Ch_Park_Gaslamp_Park_Rev_E_B.jpg

[dl3000]

What's a streetcar cost these days? Definitely cheaper than full blown light rail, and I've seen induction powered trains that are wireless (catenary-less?). Just saying, streetcars dont have real station infrastructure so it would be sweet to have a line from Balboa through the university area, hillcrest and perhaps west to washington street.

Im in far fetched dreaming mode, that would be a great corridor as far as businesses and destinations and dense residential go when you think about it, go up from the trolley at washington (don't know how it would handle the grade), up the hill through hillcrest, do a loop around the park using 6th and park boulevard, maybe tie into smart corner while the top end of the loop is closed by university for a few blocks and then uses park boulevard to get onto el cajon boulevard and makes its way out to sdsu to close it out so it ties into the trolley at 3 points. Just a dream. On second thought, since I am dreaming, underground it all. ;)

[HurricaneHugo]

You guys make too much sense for this city!

[sandiegodweller]

Why isn't the City Council looking into some eminent domain action to try to get the 7 acre site adjacent to Petco Park back from JMI?

I haven't read the agreement between the City and JMI but I would hope that there is a timeframe for something to get built on it in a reasonable period. I remember that JMI was required to construct a certain number of hotel rooms as part of the deal. I don't think that the Solamar fulfilled the requirement.

The city should try to get a partner to buy the site while values are depressed.

Moores got a huge windfall with his sale of the Padres. For him to be able to sit on that site and do nothing while no longer owning the Padres is a crime.

Of course there is no demand for any new construction right now but they City should start the process. Use the pretend Charger Stadium on the WonderBread Building site as the reason.

[mello]

Thats a great idea Dweller, I'm sure you have some connections why don't you float the idea to your insiders and email the city council?

[BrandonJXN]

What's a streetcar cost these days? Definitely cheaper than full blown light rail, and I've seen induction powered trains that are wireless (catenary-less?). Just saying, streetcars dont have real station infrastructure so it would be sweet to have a line from Balboa through the university area, hillcrest and perhaps west to washington street.



You might be thinking of the streetcars that are in Boredaux, France.

66GN7R3brYY

[brantw]

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/05/19/100519fashionmall_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3
Fashion Valley is about to get a bit more fashionable.

For the first time in more than a decade, San Diego County’s premier luxury shopping center is upgrading its exterior and common areas. The $15 million renovation is scheduled to begin July 1 and will take 14 months to complete.

Unlike the mall’s last renovation, which began in 1997 and added a second floor, this makeover is strictly cosmetic. The changes will include a new color scheme, improved lighting, updated landscaping and more lounge areas with comfortable seating, such as outdoor sofas.

Fountains are planned for the plazas outside Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s and the floors on both levels will be replaced with stone and paver tiles. Columns throughout the mall will be tiled with stone.

“We are going to touch every inch of the property,” said David Johnson, regional vice president for Simon Property Group, the mall’s operator.

The food court also will be gussied up, with a new roof and skylights as well as new seating. Also, the 81,000-square-foot space occupied by Saks Fifth Avenue will be redeveloped and used by specialty stores. Saks said this month that it will leave the mall by mid-June.

The potential new tenants for the Saks space have not been announced. A new Disney Store is scheduled to open this fall on the second floor near Tiffany & Co.

Johnson said the renovation is critical to maintaining Fashion Valley’s reputation for ritzy retailers. Fashion Valley aggressively added high-end stores such as Hermès, CH Carolina Herrera, Henri Bendel and Kate Spade.

“It has not been touched for many years,” he said of Fashion Valley. “It’s time to refresh the center and really mirror the luxury shopping experience it offers.”

George Whalin, president of Retail Management Consultants in Carlsbad, agreed that the mall “was looking a little rough around the edges.” Plus, he said, a new look typically draws in shoppers.

“It just makes sense because you’ve got to make people want to come back,” Whalin said.

One of the key components will be the addition and expansion of comfortable seating areas — a hot trend in mall development.

Johnson called those areas “living- room vignettes” that give people places to relax with the goal to make Fashion Valley not just a destination for shopping but a destination in itself.

“We really want to enhance it and make it a garden in the city,” Johnson said.

Whalin said malls are focusing on comfort for a simple reason.

“The goal is to keep you there longer,” he said. “The theory is the longer you stay, the more you will spend.”.

Jesse Tron, a spokesman for the International Council of Shopping Centers, said malls try to keep current by renovating their properties every 10 to 12 years. As the economy soured, fewer mall operators and developers built new spaces and instead focused on renovating their properties — if they could pay for it.

“Some redevelopment has been put on hold because of lack of credit,” Tron said.

Tron explained the standard industry cost for a mall renovation is about $40 per square foot. Fashion Valley has about 290,000 square feet of common area in addition to the Saks space it needs to reconfigure.

Johnson said the renovations will start in the food court and continue throughout the second floor. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. will be the general contractor and the project will require an estimated 15 local subcontractors and 225 workers.

Suzanne Mulvee, a real estate strategist for CoStar’s Property and Portfolio Research group, said Fashion Valley’s upgrades make strategic sense.

While the retail market was pummeled during the recession, it has rebounded in recent months. Mulvee said overall retail sales are up 7 percent and the luxury retail market, which Fashion Valley specializes in, has seen its same-store sales jump by 12 percent.

“These improvements mean they are in a position to take advantage of rising lease rates, which we expect to see in 2011 and 2012,” she said.

[mongoXZ]

New Charger Stadium Rendering:
http://www.10news.com/2010/0519/23608472_640X480.jpg

http://www.10news.com/news/23608654/detail.html#

Git Er Done.

[SDfan]

Fashion Valley ~ Yay! Maybe we can get a fossil in there, finally.

Chargers Stadium ~ Looks cool, if they can get that navy to aqua seat color scheme to look just as good as it does in the rendering...beautiful. I just want to see more details.

Imagine if they finally built ballpark village inbetween the two stadiums, now that would be fantastic. Can they even move forward with BPV? Or has there been a fault line discovered there?

[SDfan]

Oh, and I just noticed, but the stadium kind of looks like it was designed by an architect from Sea World. :)

San Diego, sticken to its roots!

[HurricaneHugo]

Seats should be powder blue!

[Derek]

Seats should be powder blue!



This.



But I actually like the rendering. I'll be patiently waiting for more.

[eburress]

^^ Not too shabby!! It might be time to start feeling proud to live here again! hahaha

[HurricaneHugo]

And I like how it looks like a mini Q. :)

[eburress]

I think it would be cool if they could somehow work in some retail (fan shops, restaurants, etc) into the exterior of the stadium so that it would be "alive" even when games aren't being played. Doing so might also ensure its street-front isn't nearly as imposing as some stadiums'.

[dl3000]

Those glass walls look sweet and I like how the seats look. Notice how there is no scoreboard/jumbotron on the endzones so there can be views into downtown and the bay. Pretty cool. Parking has me wondering though.

[kpexpress]

scratch the idea of incorporating retail and restaurants into the stadium and let all that sort of activity bleed over in the city grid that rounds the stadium. The city planning commission needs to split up those superblocks into smaller quarter size blocks with retail, nightlife, restaurants and housing (particularly on the north and southern sides of the stadium) include many small scale pedestrian only streets that people exiting the stadium can funnel into and spend money with fantastic view corridors to the entrances and other focal points of the stadium. The East and West sides of the stadium (neighboring blocks) need to have taller hotels and housing to smooth out the height of the stadium and further incorporate it into the smaller scale east village. Parking? Are you serious? Kiss all parking goodbye.

I also would hope that the field is sunken into the ground a bit and the street wall along K street would be low enough to allow random people on the streets could see some of the action, I would love to see street festivals on there every sunday and away games projected on a double facing (inside and out) jumbotron.

I think that in order for this to be successful an agreement with the developers needs to be struck that demands that the previous JMI BallPark Village to be built out and the neighboring blocks surrounding this proposed charger stadium.

I would love to see other study models HOK had done to arrive at this design. Is there better out there?

[OneMetropolis]

New Charger Stadium Rendering:
http://www.10news.com/2010/0519/23608472_640X480.jpg

http://www.10news.com/news/23608654/detail.html#

Git Er Done.

not bad. not bad at all.

[OneMetropolis]

Too bad that it would never be built.

[kpexpress]

wow i thought for sure that as soon as the chargers released a rendering of the stadium in the east village it would start a whirlwind of debate and discussion.....damn may grey

[HurricaneHugo]

This is a whirlwind for this thread lol

[sandiegodweller]

wow i thought for sure that as soon as the chargers released a rendering of the stadium in the east village it would start a whirlwind of debate and discussion.....damn may grey

OK, I'll start.

The stadium looks good, I like the design. How wmuch will the PSL's be for the 50 yardline Plaza seats behind the Charger bench?

They should choose lighter colored seats so they don't get hot.

I hope they have lots of bathrooms.

Where will they put the steakhouse and sushi restaraunts?

I don't see a massive HDTV scoreboard hanging over the field. How will I be able to enjoy the game?

Will they name it Father Joe's Stadium?

The multiple Affordable Housing projects surrounding the site that have been constructed in the past few years will be prime property. Maybe the tenants can sublease their homes on game days for folks who want to party before the game.

If I park in Lemon Grove to avoid traffic, which trolley will I need to take?

On a serious note, beisdes a pretty rendering, what has changed in the 72 hours since this was revealed?

Once they identify a way to pay for land acquisition, remediation of toxics, relocation of the MTS, a location for the MTS and construction of the stadium then we might have a project to discuss. Until then, what it there to say?

[HurricaneHugo]

As for relocating the MTS site, I heard somewhere that they might buy the land of the Midway post office that is relocating to RB(?) or somewhere north.

[SD_Phil]

wow i thought for sure that as soon as the chargers released a rendering of the stadium in the east village it would start a whirlwind of debate and discussion.....damn may grey

Here's some:

1. I like the stadium, I don't love it but think it's completely adequate

2. I don't really want it so close to Petco but

3. I really get excited when I think about the kind of development that it might spur in the east village. That place needs it. SD needs an alternative to the mostly fake, showy, gaslamp.

[HurricaneHugo]

but but but but it will kill the very LIVELY east village neighborhood!

those homeless will be upset when they have to talk around the stadium!

[kpexpress]

OK, I'll start.

The stadium looks good, I like the design. How wmuch will the PSL's be for the 50 yardline Plaza seats behind the Charger bench?

They should choose lighter colored seats so they don't get hot.

I hope they have lots of bathrooms.

Where will they put the steakhouse and sushi restaraunts?

I don't see a massive HDTV scoreboard hanging over the field. How will I be able to enjoy the game?

Will they name it Father Joe's Stadium?

The multiple Affordable Housing projects surrounding the site that have been constructed in the past few years will be prime property. Maybe the tenants can sublease their homes on game days for folks who want to party before the game.

If I park in Lemon Grove to avoid traffic, which trolley will I need to take?

On a serious note, beisdes a pretty rendering, what has changed in the 72 hours since this was revealed?

Once they identify a way to pay for land acquisition, remediation of toxics, relocation of the MTS, a location for the MTS and construction of the stadium then we might have a project to discuss. Until then, what it there to say?

The seats for sure should be baby blue (charger blue) that would solve the problem.

I hope the stadium doesn't get a huge screen suspended above the field like Dallas'. I would love to see the super block just to the North divided into two blocks with a wide pedestrian street running North/South starting at the endzone of the north side of the field. If they did that, there would be a fantastic opportunity to place a dual facing mega screen along the north side of the stadium visible not only to the stadium patrons but to the thousands of people who would frequent the bars and restaurants along the pedestrian street mentioned earlier. Think gas lamp vibrancy around a sport theme. The excitement would spill out around the stadium and into the whole EV.

People need to be thinking about larger planning scope of putting the stadium there. Could be super neat and exciting, then again it could be a desolate/isolated 'sports arena'. think about it.

[SDfan]

In an off related topic, does anyone know what happend to Sunroad Enterprises? I can't find any website for them.

[sandiegodweller]

I can think of a few others that didn't make this list.

www.signonsandiego.com/photos/galleries/2010/may/25/artist-renderings/

[Crackertastik]

I can think of a few others that didn't make this list.

www.signonsandiego.com/photos/galleries/2010/may/25/artist-renderings/


Im not sure why the Library and the City Hall Renderings are on this link. The city hall will be voted on (i know it will likely fail to pass) but it isn't dead YET. and the library i thought was moving forward with the school co-op. And as far as i know the convention center expansion is on the track to be built.

Also, the Chula Vista rendering of the Charger Stadium Proposal is not a correct rendering, i do not believe. The stadium looks like a baseball field, and there is no reason for a bridge in chula vista (crossing over to the silver strand?).

This is a weird list.

[mello]

I definitely agree that the whole area needs to be redesigned in to small walkable blocks and some highrises need to be built near the stadium to make it not stick out like a sore thumb and give it a sense of scale within the downtown urban environment. It would look terrible just sitting there with a bunch of ramshackle crappy business around it.

I also wish it could be oriented better to catch views of the downtown skyline. As it sits now the view corridor will be to the North but from that far East you won't capture any tall buildings just the area East of Vantage Point... Too bad they can't tilt it so the endzone can look more to the North West instead of directly North.

And that list is whack by Dweller/Union Tribune. There are so many other projects that are definitely dead from the boom days back in 04 thru 06.

[brantw]

I know this has nothing to do with Skyscrapers, but not much else going on.

Interstate 5 would grow by as many as six lanes — including a roadway-within-a-roadway for car pools, buses and toll-paying solo drivers — under a plan crafted by transportation officials.

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/05/27/100528freewaychart_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

Four lanes would be built along the middle of the freeway between La Jolla Village Drive and north Oceanside, similar to the express-lane network on Interstate 15. Two conventional lanes could be added to the regular segment of the coastal freeway as well.

Caltrans plans to release an environmental study on the project as soon as late June and then stage a series of public hearings. Cost estimates for the expansion range from $3.3 billion to $4.5 billion.

When San Diego County voters in 2004 renewed a local half-cent sales tax to pay for transportation improvements, the expansion of I-5 was among the projects given high priority. An ordinance tied to the ballot measure called for the addition of “managed lanes,” although it didn’t specifically say solo drivers would pay a toll.

Daily traffic on the 30-mile stretch between San Diego and Oceanside averages 700,000 vehicles, from short hops to long-distance commutes. Caltrans expects that figure to swell to a million cars by 2030.

The summer-vacation season that starts today burdens the freeway even more as tourists, commuters, Del Mar horse-racing fans and others jockey for space along the main link between the region and the rest of metropolitan Southern California.

“It’s not your basic urban freeway,” said Allan Kosup, who oversees the roadway for Caltrans. “Interstate 5 is sort of a gateway to San Diego.”

Officials at Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments, the region’s long-range-planning agency, expect the expansion plan to draw much public scrutiny. They note that it would affect — at a minimum — the half-million people who live along the North Coast corridor.

The project would run through six cities and require the construction of 40 bridges and overpasses, along with noise-reduction walls next to more than 1,500 homes, including apartment complexes, according to Caltrans.

Encinitas Councilman Jerome Stocks, a member of the SANDAG board of directors, says he believes traffic-weary residents will welcome the work.

“I have people coming to me all the time and saying, ‘When are you going to fix this?’ ” he said. “The congestion wait times are out of whack.”

According to data from freeway sensors, the worst rush-hour choke points last year were on southbound I-5 at Oceanside Boulevard, northbound at Via de la Valle in Del Mar and northbound at Lomas Santa Fe in Solana Beach. The Oceanside Boulevard stretch was backed up on 132 days last year.

Charles “Muggs” Stoll, SANDAG’s director of land use and transportation planning, said residents shouldn’t be surprised by the project. “It’s something that’s long been discussed … and fits in with our overall regional transportation plan,” he said.

Half the money needed for construction would come from TransNet sales tax revenue. SANDAG wants to secure the rest from state and federal sources.

The exact cost hinges on the number of lanes built and the layout. Caltrans officials say the soon-to-be-released environmental study will lay out four options.

The most expensive would cost $4.5 billion and add four toll lanes, separated by concrete barriers from the rest of I-5, along with two conventional lanes along the existing shoulders. The least costly, at $3.3 billion, would add only the four middle lanes, separated by yellow stripes from the rest of the roadway.

Other transportation improvements are also in the works on the North Coast, including expanding the Coaster railway service.

Caltrans is in the middle of a major expansion of the Interstate 15 network that allows drivers to pay tolls on an account with a FasTrak transponder. By 2012, four express lanes will run between San Diego and Escondido. The project’s cost: $1.3 billion.

Recent U.S. Census figures show that the percentage of commuters in the county who carpool or vanpool has dropped to 13 percent from 15 percent in 2000. SANDAG officials have reported that traffic counts on I-15, including the FasTrak lanes, have dipped during the recession — a trend that other toll road operators have also noted.

The drop in traffic has raised questions about whether toll roads or high-occupancy lanes are worth building, but transportation planners say they will eventually pay off, once the economy fully rebounds.

Money raised through I-15 tolls — which average $1.20 one way — covers FasTrak operations and funds transit services along the highway, including express-bus routes.

Kosup said the I-5 expansion would require constructing “flyover” ramps that would feed into the express lanes and building replacement bridges that would span environmentally sensitive areas.

He said Caltrans is already talking to the California Coastal Commission and other agencies on ways to minimize or mitigate the project’s impact.

Dick Bobertz, executive director of the San Dieguito River Park, said his group has already struck an agreement with Caltrans that would require highway officials to restore 107 acres of wetlands as part of the project.

Caltrans officials say the ribbon of oleander plants in the I-5 median would remain, even with the addition of FasTrak lanes.

[Derek]

How about making the transition from 5 South to 56 East a little easier first, as well as 56 West to 5 North!

[HurricaneHugo]

I've always thought that an entrance/exit at Voigt Drive would be nice to avoid the clusterfuck that is LJVD getting out of UCSD.

I'm not sure how they're going to expand the 5 right there though since it's in a valley.

And can we also start putting lids on the 5!

[eburress]

How about making the transition from 5 South to 56 East a little easier first, as well as 56 West to 5 North!

This is already going to happen. Pardee Homes is paying for the construction of direct connector ramps, independent of the I-5 widening project.

[Derek]

This is already going to happen. Pardee Homes is paying for the construction of direct connector ramps, independent of the I-5 widening project.


Oh ok. :laugh:

[dl3000]

If only the money could go to some ass kickin trains.

[brantw]

Proponents and opponents of San Diego’s waterfront improvement plan, which was stalled by the California Coastal Commission, have agreed to sit down next week to seek consensus on the long-delayed, $228 million effort.

The local chapter of the Urban Land Institute announced the talks Tuesday, and David Malmuth, a San Diego developer responsible for completing landmark projects in New York City and Hollywood, will co-moderate three public meetings with former city architect Michael Stepner.

Speaking to the local chapter of Lambda Alpha International, a real estate honorary society, Malmuth said he was “enormously discouraged” by the commission’s April 14 tie vote, which derailed the $28 million first phase of improvements to the north Embarcadero along Harbor Drive. But then he approached the San Diego Unified Port District; ULI, a Washington-based think tank; and Citizens Coordinate for Century 3, a long-standing San Diego activist group that opposed the port plan.

“I think there is an opportunity for a neutral party to bring people together,” Malmuth said.

He also outlined a four-day “Art San Diego” fair that he’s organizing on the model of similar shows in Switzerland and Miami Beach. In addition, he proposed that Balboa Park celebrate the 2015 centennial of the Panama-California Exposition with a festival similar to Venice’s famed Biennale.

While he was at The Walt Disney Co. in the 1990s, Malmuth, 55, played a key role in restoring the New Amsterdam Theater as a catalyst for cleaning up New York City’s Times Square. He next worked for TrizecHahn, developer of the Horton Plaza shopping center, to upgrade the center of Hollywood with the Hollywood & Highland Center mixed-use project — home of the Kodak Theatre, host venue for the Academy Awards and “American Idol” finals. Both the New York and Hollywood efforts had languished for years.

He moved to San Diego 15 years ago and has overseen other landmark commercial projects, but none locally. However, with success achieved elsewhere, he said arts and culture can serve as an economic driver of San Diego’s future, just as they do in Miami , Chicago, Denver and other cities. That will be the focus for his new company, David Malmuth Development.

“It’s certainly good for city-building,” he said.

Malmuth said that what’s missing in San Diego waterfront planning is programming and management of activities within the open spaces that various developments would include. He spoke of dance and music performances on Navy Pier, next to the USS Midway Museum, and public access on the upper levels of any new cruise-ship terminal that might be located at B Street Pier.

But it’s the future of Broadway Pier, where a second cruise-ship terminal is under construction, that has galvanized port critics. They complain that a parklike terminus to Broadway has been lost in the current development — one of the reasons cited by Coastal Commission members in their April vote.

Malmuth said the local ULI chapter agreed to hold three public meetings to rethink the plan and come up with a “compelling vision” that most people could endorse.

“The downtown waterfront is our most precious real estate, and it presents a unique opportunity to create a special place that is cherished by all San Diegans,” said ULI Executive Director Mary Lydon. “We feel it is time to pull the community together to search for common ground and a shared vision.”

Stephen Haase, president of Citizens Coordinate for Century 3, said his group intends to participate in the workshops but expects the port waterfront plan to change direction if its proponents want the backing of C-3 and other environmental groups.

Meanwhile, Malmuth is organizing “Art San Diego,” a contemporary art fair Sept. 2-5 at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront that’s modeled on Art Basel in Switzerland and Art Basel Miami Beach. Those events draw tens of thousands of collectors and artists, and include related events for the public.

“It’s spring break for billionaires,” Malmuth said of the Miami Beach and Basel shows.

His event in San Diego, with a ticket price of $15 ($250 for VIPs), will feature more than 50 international galleries, luxury brand displays, citywide cultural programs, and wine and food events. An “Arts in the City” symposium is planned concurrently to present speakers from other cities who will lay out ways to implement an art and culture development plan.

“It won’t just be a gabfest,” Malmuth said.

He also suggested that in five years, Balboa Park should host Venice-type pavilions that show off San Diego’s international leadership in art, science and technology.

Lyz Crane, director of program development at Partners for Livable Communities, a Washington-based planning organization, said the megaprojects of the past 20 years, such as convention centers and stadiums, haven’t yielded the economic and social improvements that the arts, especially at the neighborhood level, continue to produce around the country. Festivals and special events also are problematic because of the costs of infrastructure and setup, she said.

“But there can also be benefits that come out of it if you’re improving the infrastructure because of the event and just not for the event,” Crane said.

[ChargerFan]

Caltrans: Yesterday's solutions for tomorrow's problems.