SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[brantw]

I love San Diego

[S.DviaPhilly]

Has anyone seen the design for the new 6 story office building they are constructing next to The Mission on 13th and J? Just curious

[SDfan]

Found some interesting transit maps on the SANDAG website:

North County: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_368_11053.pdf

Mid-County: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_368_11065.pdf

South County: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_368_11052.pdf

Simplified: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_368_11148.pdf

[bmfarley]

Found some interesting transit maps on the SANDAG website:

North County: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_368_11053.pdf

Mid-County: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_368_11065.pdf

South County: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_368_11052.pdf

Simplified: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/projectid/projectid_368_11148.pdf

SANDAG seems to think CHSRA is only going to the airport; when the Authority's preferred alternative is to downtown, where it should go.

[HurricaneHugo]

Oooohh a streetcar going down Garnett!

Also a streetcar in Santee?

Well, streetcars all over really!

Plus three new trolley lines!

It hurts knowing it'll be a LONG time before we see it happening!

[Derek]

Hopefully we will all be alive in another 154 years to see it all happen...

[SDfan]

SANDAG seems to think CHSRA is only going to the airport; when the Authority's preferred alternative is to downtown, where it should go.

Do you have an update on the CHSRA? I have no idea what is going on...

[SDfan]

Also, anyone have any news about La Jolla Commons?

Renderings: http://www.ljcommons.com/campus_renderings.asp

[kpexpress]

This would be a good start

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn60/kpexpress42/sandiegowithrailsnstops.jpg

[SDfan]

Bridge Lighting Proposals!

Videos and Pictures here:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/08/public-can-take-a-look-at-three-ideas-for/

[brantw]

Yes! Lights!!!

[HurricaneHugo]

Nice. Simple. Clean.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/photos/2010/jun/07/175647/

[SDfan]

^^ Agreed, the second proposal is my favorite too.

Article from the UT about downtown development:

Developers dreaming of upturn in downtown
Homebuilders look ahead to 2012, 2013

BY ROGER SHOWLEY, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2010 AT 12:05 A.M.

With downtown construction at a standstill, newly built condo projects slowly selling out and hundreds of resales on the market, homebuilders already are dreaming of the next upturn in development.

The interest persists because behind the current three-year glut of about 1,400 homes for sale, opportunity knocks.

Of the total for sale, about 500 units are resales, less than 200 are in new projects selling out and nearly 700 are in the Vantage Pointe high-rise on B Street, where sales have been delayed because of mortgage issues. Sales are currently running at the rate of 500 per year.

In a normal market, developers try to time the rollout of new projects to meet demand. And many see that year as 2012 or 2013 and have processed more than 4,000 units through the Centre City Development Corp., the city’s downtown redevelopment arm...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/09/developers-dreaming-of-upturn-in-downtown/

[Derek]

I think I like the Fink one best.

[Crackertastik]

The second one is far and away the best option. I think it should be subtle and blue most days, with special holidays being the exception. Love love that proposal by Fink.

On a side note, the comments are hilarious and depressing all at once.

"The bridge is fine, and we are broke!" "Fix the roads first"

I truly believe San Diego is full of morons. The damn thing is paid for by the Port Commission and private donations, and they still complain. Didn't even read the article.

But it does beg the question. Why is it so difficult to get approval for development and get support?

1. The trend of mistrust in our government, and their goal of having our interest in mind. Whether that is a legit concern or not.
2. The recent phenomenon of concern over quality of life. By recent i mean late 70s and on. From Boom years of the 50s,60s,70s of "catching up" and developing dramatically causing environmental and community degradation. People are weary of development as it relates to quality of life.
3. Our outdated and failed infrastructure. Funding is not where it needs to be, and therefore our infrastructure is outdated. Many feel development should take a moratorium until this is no longer the case. Roads, sewage, water, traffic, parking, etc.

[SDfan]

What I have to say I like about the UT article is how those involved with downtown redevlopment do not plan on scaling back the density they set forth with. It is nice to see them not willing to compromise on that issue because it really is a waste to have a seven story mid-rise in place of a twenty/thirty story high-rise. And they are right, you just can't find many other places in SD that would allow for that kind of density, so why waste the opportunity downtown? Good for CCDC.

[mello]

I'm wondering what is keeping the Ball Park Village and Lane Field from getting financing? Are hotels downtown still really hurting? I can't believe LF is still just sitting there as parking lots, god that is embarrassing.

[dubai_property]

But i do not think that San Diego property is not a good project to invest your money.

[kpexpress]

I'm wondering what is keeping the Ball Park Village and Lane Field from getting financing? Are hotels downtown still really hurting? I can't believe LF is still just sitting there as parking lots, god that is embarrassing.

The people at CCDC say that banks aren't lending on hotel projects due to the recent collapse of that market (W, and The Se San Diego both went back to the banks within the last year). ouch.

[brantw]

It seems like the biggest projects going on right now ARE parking lots...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/18/parking-in-hillcrest-you-bet-your-asphalt/

Embarrassing indeed. :(

[mello]

The people at CCDC say that banks aren't lending on hotel projects due to the recent collapse of that market (W, and The Se San Diego both went back to the banks within the last year). ouch.


It seems like nothing can get going in this county. Ball Park Village, that huge resort planned for years now at the mobile home park on Mission Bay, The Gaylord Chula Vista Project, Lane Field.

I also remember walking by a site for a proposed 12 or 15 floor hotel in Oceanside near the pier, does anyone know if that ever started construction?

And any info on that Mission Bay project would be appreciated - renderings?? How many rooms... Etc. Thanks.

[HurricaneHugo]

Well, at least the City Council approved the study on raising the CCDC's cap, a hurdle that the new Chargers stadium NEEDED to clear.

http://www.10news.com/news/23998684/detail.html

:D

[SDfan]

It seems like nothing can get going in this county. Ball Park Village, that huge resort planned for years now at the mobile home park on Mission Bay, The Gaylord Chula Vista Project, Lane Field.

I also remember walking by a site for a proposed 12 or 15 floor hotel in Oceanside near the pier, does anyone know if that ever started construction?

And any info on that Mission Bay project would be appreciated - renderings?? How many rooms... Etc. Thanks.

Pretty much all of the Oside projects are put on hold for now, but once the economy spurts up again they should all start construction. Luckily many prominent projects were already finished before the economy tanked.

As for the mission bay project, I've never even heard of it.

[brantw]

19-story building would save millions over 34-story version :(

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/06/24/cityhallrendering_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

The proposed San Diego City Hall that will likely go before voters in November is much smaller and less expensive than the version first contemplated three years ago.

The project is also expected to save more taxpayer money than originally thought, a factor that supporters hope will sway skeptical voters frustrated with past financial decisions from city leaders.

After eight months of negotiations with a developer, Mayor Jerry Sanders plans to announce a deal today that caps taxpayer costs at $293.5 million — far less than the initial $432 million estimate. He said the deal will allow the city to consolidate operations at a central location and save millions that could channeled to fire service, parks and libraries.

The proposal calls for a 19-story City Hall totaling 576,000 square feet at C Street and First Avenue, where Golden Hall sits just west of the current City Hall. It includes two levels of underground parking, a one-stop shop for city services on the first floor and a 400-seat City Council chambers. The rest of the building would be occupied by about 2,300 city office workers.

The original proposal by Portland, Ore.-based Gerding Edlen called for a 34-story structure with 1 million square feet. The developer had also hoped to obtain nearby city properties for a retail project, but those plans were scrapped because of the recession.

Sanders said the new proposal is a practical solution to the current City Hall, which opened in 1965 and is considered by many to be a money pit.

“With this template that we have now, this is certainly not a Taj Mahal,” he said. “It’s a very functional building that I think will serve the city well and it saves us money every single year.”

Charles Black, the city’s lead negotiator with the developer, said the current proposal is smaller than the original because the city workforce has been reduced by roughly 1,400 positions, which means less space will be needed.

“We wanted to configure a project that made the most sense for the city,” Black said.

City officials project the new City Hall will save $28 million during the first 10 years because the city won’t need to make repairs at the current facility and eliminate leases for office space to house its workers throughout downtown. The savings include the cost of financing and paying back municipal bonds to fund the project. After 50 years, the savings over and above the debt service are expected to swell to $237 million. An earlier estimate on the taller building predicted a 50-year savings of $232 million.

The other option is to stay in the current building — which needs $37 million in mechanical, electrical, roof and plumbing repairs to get through the next decade — and continue paying $13 million annually in leases. A review by two auditing firms showed that the “hold steady” option would still require the city to build a new complex in 10 years.

So the question before voters will be whether it makes financial sense to build a new City Hall when the city continues to cut services or wait until the city emerges from its budget woes before moving forward.

The choice comes as the city considers several other major downtown projects, including a new main library, a Chargers stadium and a convention center expansion.

Sanders said he plans to campaign on behalf of a new City Hall and tell voters it will free up millions of dollars over the next decade that could be used to restore cuts, such as the recent decision to idle up to eight fire engines a day.

“It’s not whether we tear (the current City Hall) down,” he said. “It’s when we tear it down. So I think it makes much better business sense to do it now.”

So far, much of the opposition to a new City Hall has focused largely on putting the project up for a public vote. That issue became moot this year when four City Council members said they wouldn’t support the project without a public vote, guaranteeing that no deal could be passed without voter input.

The most outspoken opponent of the project has been Councilman Carl DeMaio. He has urged city leaders to look at short-term, low-cost solutions such as renegotiating leases because he doesn’t believe the city can afford spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a major civic project.

Officials in the Mayor’s Office say they have repeatedly tried to renegotiate leases, many of which expire in 2014, with minimal success.

The proposed ballot measure for a new City Hall will go before a council committee Wednesday with an eye toward full City Council approval in July.

If voters support it in November, construction is scheduled to begin in January 2012 and doors would open in July 2014.

[HurricaneHugo]

I hate this city.

[Derek]

I hate this city.

x2.



I love it, but hate it at the same time. It's horrible. :(

[spoonman]

What a turd...

[sandiegodweller]

It seems like nothing can get going in this county. Ball Park Village, that huge resort planned for years now at the mobile home park on Mission Bay, The Gaylord Chula Vista Project, Lane Field.

I also remember walking by a site for a proposed 12 or 15 floor hotel in Oceanside near the pier, does anyone know if that ever started construction?

And any info on that Mission Bay project would be appreciated - renderings?? How many rooms... Etc. Thanks.

None of those things are being built because there is negative demand for the foreseeable future.

Do you really think San Diego County (especially Downtown San Diego) needs anymore condos, office space, commercial space or hotels right now (or anytime in the next decade)?

[SDfan]

I'm not that upset. At least its symbolic of smaller city government and the design is still great. Plus, its replacing the shiza hole we have now, and its more likely to pass.

I approve.

[SDfan]

None of those things are being built because there is negative demand for the foreseeable future.

Do you really think San Diego County (especially Downtown San Diego) needs anymore condos, office space, commercial space or hotels right now (or anytime in the next decade)?

You really think it would be a decade before any major residential, commercial, or hospitality space is built downtown, let alone in the entire county?

[sandiegodweller]

You really think it would be a decade before any major residential, commercial, or hospitality space is built downtown, let alone in the entire county?

I've been saying this since 2006 that I beleive that no major projects will be built in Downtown San Diego until after 2017 at the soonest.

The only big projects that MIGHT be built in downtown San Diego will be government subsidized (stadium, courthouse, city hall, library, convention center). No private money is going to build a new office tower, condo tower or hotel anytime soon (unless they have some huge money to launder).

What new hotel, condo or office building (built since 2000) is thriving right now? What type of real estate is underserved right now and doesn't need some strong recovery to even stabalize?

Countywide, maybe?

I don't think anything will get built at the Ponto site in Carlsbad for years. La Costa and Aviara are stagnant.

Ocenaside is a pipe dream for both the luxury hotel (Malkin) and the luxury condos (Citimark).

I think that Manchester will be giving up control of his resort in Carmel Valley soon. That will be another white elephant property (along with the W and Se').

Chula Vista bayfront is a pipe dream for the foreseeable future.

Kilroy MIGHT break ground on their site in Del Mar but they have private money.

[brantw]

The $26.8 million pedestrian bridge over Harbor Drive, designed as an iconic gateway into the city, is running more than a year behind schedule.

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/06/25/UTI1527766_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

Among other problems, the span was built 7 percent heavier than called for, requiring recalibration of the cables that will hold it up. Engineers on the project say such fluctuations are not uncommon.

The project — which will connect Petco Park to the Convention Center — broke ground in October 2008 and was supposed to be done in 12 months. Instead, it’s now scheduled to be finished by November.

“It should have been completed by now,” said San Diego Councilman Kevin Faulconer, who represents downtown. “It’s been very frustrating, not just to me but to my constituents.”

Downtown redevelopment officials say it’s a complicated, unusual project, which doesn’t foster quick construction. It’s a 530-foot curved, self-anchored suspension bridge — one of the few of its kind in the nation. Some parts had to be custom made and couldn’t be acquired quickly.

For instance, a special stainless steel able to avoid rust in marine climates was needed.

In hindsight, the original construction time frame was “much too ambitious,” said Derek Danziger, a spokesman for the Centre City Development Corp., the nonprofit city agency behind the project.

“We quickly realized it was going to take longer than a year,” he said. “It’s not a typical Caltrans overpass over the freeway.”

The bridge will ease access from the new Hilton hotel and a 2,000-space parking structure to the ballpark, over a six-lane road and several rail lines. Now, one has to walk several blocks to get to a crosswalk.

The lead engineering firm says forces beyond its control have led to delays.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind structure,” said Joe Tognoli of T.Y. Lin International. “It’s a lot more complex than one might think.”

Work on the project has slowed to such an extent that some residents have wondered whether an engineering miscue occurred. But nothing is wrong with the bridge, Tognoli said.

The heavier bridge weight is not a concern or unusual for such a project, he said. Pouring concrete is an inexact science. It’s easy to be off by one-eighth of an inch, either way.

So the cable system holding the bridge will have to be tweaked to make the bridge hang properly. “This is very typical,” Tognoli said. “It’s an aesthetic issue, really.”

William Ibbs, an engineering and project management professor at the University of California Berkeley, agreed that the weight difference is hardly unusual.

“No, it’s not surprising,” he said. “The engineer you cite is right.”

David Allsbrook, who heads public works for CCDC, said it’s too soon to say whether the agency will seek financial recourse against contractors for the delays.

The delays haven’t been the only controversy with the bridge. Some objected to the $26.8 million price tag. When the bridge was envisioned in 2005, the cost was pegged at $12.8 million. But as the project moved along, the estimates started soaring. Rising construction costs were blamed.

City leaders wanted a striking structure given the high-profile location. And they didn’t back off, even when the costs rose. Despite the holdups, the project is still on budget.

David Hazan, president of the East Village Association, says he believes in giving people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to delays such as these. They can and do happen, he said.

“It’s going to be worth the wait.”

Others agree. This was a gutsy project, which was supported by much of the downtown community, said Gary Smith, president of the San Diego Downtown Residents Group. So the delays aren’t shocking, given the project’s scope, Smith said.

[HurricaneHugo]

OMG a delay in a construction project?!!

you don't say?!!

[OneMetropolis]

I hate this city.


Already been there.

[mello]

I've been saying this since 2006 that I beleive that no major projects will be built in Downtown San Diego until after 2017 at the soonest.

The only big projects that MIGHT be built in downtown San Diego will be government subsidized (stadium, courthouse, city hall, library, convention center). No private money is going to build a new office tower, condo tower or hotel anytime soon (unless they have some huge money to launder).

What new hotel, condo or office building (built since 2000) is thriving right now? What type of real estate is underserved right now and doesn't need some strong recovery to even stabalize?

Countywide, maybe?

I don't think anything will get built at the Ponto site in Carlsbad for years. La Costa and Aviara are stagnant.

Ocenaside is a pipe dream for both the luxury hotel (Malkin) and the luxury condos (Citimark).

I think that Manchester will be giving up control of his resort in Carmel Valley soon. That will be another white elephant property (along with the W and Se').

Chula Vista bayfront is a pipe dream for the foreseeable future.

Kilroy MIGHT break ground on their site in Del Mar but they have private money.

What is this Kilroy project in Del Mar you are speaking of?

What about the proposed Hotel/Time Share at the very Northern end of Encinitas on the bluff above Ponto? Do you think that will start anytime soon? Are all of those big resorts built on the Orange County coast in the last 5 to 6 years hurting too?

I'm really interested in this SD Dweller, I didn't know the 4 Seasons, La Costa, and the Grande Del Mar were doing poorly.

Oh and did Sony every build that midrise up in Rancho Bernardo or did that die?

Thanks guys. I live in Brooklyn now so I'm not up to date on what has been happening in the County.

[psychotron]

Oh and did Sony every build that midrise up in Rancho Bernardo or did that die?
It's done and occupied. Nice addition to the area. Pics aren't mine...

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/03/06/UTI1473168_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3
http://aucoti.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/sony-hq.jpg?w=499&h=363

[mongoXZ]

Did I read this correctly? Our city council approved to break ground on the new library? O-------M--------G!!
http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/05/25/centrallibrary__t352.jpg?980751187beea6fc26a3a9e93795d379f58af1c4

City leaders plan to break ground next month on a new $185 million main library in downtown San Diego despite concerns that the project could leave taxpayers on the hook should private donors fail to raise enough money to pay for it.

The City Council voted 6-2 Monday to move forward with library construction under the promise that a fundraising campaign will be able to collect the additional $32.5 million needed to finish the job. If donors don’t emerge, the city would have to either use taxpayer money to fill the gap or leave the library’s interior unfinished.

The financial risk to taxpayers was the chief concern among opponents, including former City Attorney Michael Aguirre, who questioned the wisdom of committing to a brand-new library when the city has been forced to make significant cuts to public safety, parks, beach maintenance and existing libraries. But it wasn’t enough to dissuade a council majority from proceeding.

Library supporters, including former Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs, who has pledged $20 million to the project, promised the money would be raised to complete the project. While the city is taking a $32.5 million risk, they said the city would lose $80 million in outside money committed to the project if it didn’t approve the plan Monday.

Former professional basketball player Bill Walton, a San Diego native whose mother had a 21-year career as a city librarian, said there is no greater mission and no grander goal than building a new library.

“The argument against this library is that it’s too expense and that we can’t afford it,” Walton said. “In reality, we can’t afford not to do this. We can either start building this library today or start building prisons tomorrow.”

Aguirre, who lost a re-election bid in 2008, said the city doesn’t have enough money to keep its current libraries open and questioned whether it was legal for the city to start construction on a project that wasn’t fully funded. He also criticized Jacobs for his donation, a comment that drew boos from the crowd.

“You’re hurting our city because you are helping to push this city into doing something that is financially irresponsible just like you did with the ticket guarantee,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre was referring to the city’s past deal with the Chargers that called for taxpayers to ensure the sale of 60,000 seats for the team’s home games at Qualcomm Stadium. The deal cost the city $36.4 million between 1995 and 2003.

The new library would be built at the corner of Park Boulevard and J Street in the East Village. It would be a nine-story domed centerpiece and twice the size of the existing 1954 library on E Street. Two floors would be used for a charter school serving about 400 students.

Funding for the library would come from several sources, including $80 million in city redevelopment funds, $20 million from the San Diego Unified School District and a $20 million state grant.

The rest would be covered by private donors, who have already pledged nearly $41 million. That includes $10 million to pay for the library’s operating costs for the first five years.

The city has enough money for the first phase of the library but needs an additional $32.5 million by January 2012 to start the second and final phase. The library is projected to open in July 2013.

Council members Carl DeMaio and Sherri Lightner voted against the project, saying the city couldn’t afford to build a central library at a time when the 35 branch libraries have seen their hours reduced significantly because of budget cuts.

“I’m afraid this project contains too many risks to our city’s general fund, too many shoes that may drop,” DeMaio said. “We cannot afford to build this project at this time. We have to get our city’s financial problems fixed first. We have to make sure that when we invest in our library system that all branches benefit equally.”

The project needed six votes for approval and Frye, who had opposed the library in the past, provided the swing vote to win passage. She didn’t explain her vote during the hearing.

Craig Gustafson: (619) 293-1399; craig.gustafson@uniontrib.com; follow Craig on Twitter at @gustafsoncraig

[sandiegodweller]

What is this Kilroy project in Del Mar you are speaking of?

What about the proposed Hotel/Time Share at the very Northern end of Encinitas on the bluff above Ponto? Do you think that will start anytime soon? Are all of those big resorts built on the Orange County coast in the last 5 to 6 years hurting too?

I'm really interested in this SD Dweller, I didn't know the 4 Seasons, La Costa, and the Grande Del Mar were doing poorly.

Oh and did Sony every build that midrise up in Rancho Bernardo or did that die?

Thanks guys. I live in Brooklyn now so I'm not up to date on what has been happening in the County.

1. KSL isn't building the Ponto site anytime soon. It is a condohotel, not timeshare. ZERO demand. They aren't even selling new units at their existing resort let alone developing a new one.

2. St Regis in Monarch Beach was foreclosed last year.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/21/business/fi-stregis-foreclose21

All of the rest (Ritz Carlton, Montage, Pelican Hill) are running with large occupanices.

3. Four Seasons Aviara is now Hyatt Aviara
www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jun/21/four-seasons-now-park-hyatt-aviara/

The Se' is in bankruptcy
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100628-709089.html

What do you think will happen?

[voice of reason]

Former professional basketball player Bill Walton, a San Diego native whose mother had a 21-year career as a city librarian, said there is no greater mission and no grander goal than building a new library.

“The argument against this library is that it’s too expense and that we can’t afford it,” Walton said. “In reality, we can’t afford not to do this. We can either start building this library today or start building prisons tomorrow.”

What a truly embarrassing and inane statement. Obviously the council liked it better than fixing the roads or fixing the budget.

I am sure the unfortunate people who bought in East Village will be glad that it fills one of many ugly voids. At least the bums will have a place to hang out during the day.

[dl3000]

Oh, voice of reason, I was starting to miss you...

...NOT.

The library is one of the great American social inventions and is still relevant. I seriously doubt you have any civic pride or a concept of keeping adolescents out of trouble. Go get a cabin in South Dakota.

[HurricaneHugo]

Glad the City Council approved it!

See what things happen when Aguirre is gone!

[sandiegodweller]

When the Pony Express rider first alerted me that the library was approved, I jumped into my horse and buggy and rode down to the local telegraph office. I made sure to let all the homeless people and latchkey kids that they would have a place to hang out!

On a serious note, who will actually travel to downtown to go to this library? The system already has branches throughout the county. Will someone from outside of downtown bypass their local branch to go here (the outskirts of East Village civilization)?

I understand civic pride but this seems like a strange project to showcase it. It will serve a tiny fraction of the county.

Also, I am not belittleing the fundraising efforts. I know that they did a good job in a tough economic time.

Mark my words, this thing will get partially built and then run into budget problems. It will be finished half-assed and partially staffed. Within a few years it will resemble the exisiting library.

It will be ironinc when they have to upgarde their wi-fi service in a few years to accomodate people reading on their ipads, kindles and phones.

[brantw]

What a surprise!

Burdened by crushing debt, the owner of the high-end boutique hotel Sè San Diego has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The move by 5th Avenue Partners, which owns and operates the 184-room hotel, was designed to prevent the hotel’s main lender WestLB AB Bank from appointing a receiver Monday to take over the company’s assets. As of May, Fifth Avenue Partners owed the German-based lender some $73 million.

The downtown hotel, which opened in December 2008, has struggled mightily in its short existence — a casualty of bad timing and a moribund market for luxury hotels. Cost overruns, lawsuits and construction delays all meant the project, which also includes 23 upscale — and unsold — condos, opened a year behind schedule and during one of the bleakest months of the spiraling economy.

The hotel’s three-year construction loan came due in May 2009 — just five months after it had opened — and drum-tight credit markets made it impossible to refinance the loan.

Robert Rauch, a local hotel consultant, said the Sè’s troubles are hardly surprising. Not only was the hotel located far from the hub of the Gaslamp, but it also was an unknown quantity — making it a hard sell for many travelers.

“It was a property that had an inferior location and no brand and a huge amount of debt in a terrible market,” he said.

Of course, the Sè’s not alone in its struggles. Last year, owners of the W Hotel walked away from the property after determining that it was worth much less than what they owed.

While the reasons for its troubles are clear, the hotel’s future is a bit more murky, said Alan Reay, president of the Irvine-based Atlas Hospitality Group. The bankruptcy could drag on as each side tries to demonstrate to the judge that it has a better plan to operate the hotel.

For its part, Fifth Avenue Partners said in a statement that it is continuing to negotiate with its lenders during the bankruptcy process.

On Monday, the judge overseeing the case said Fifth Avenue could use its cash to continue to pay its 224 employees. The company had argued that any lapse in payment would lead to staff defections and negatively impact service.

“The hotel business is very competitive and one of the most important variables that customers weigh when choosing a hotel is the level and quality of service,” the filing said.

In the filing, Fifth Avenue said it has substantial revenue and estimated it would make almost $4.7 million over the next 13 weeks. It also estimated that its payroll for that same time frame would be around $1.9 million and its other expenses, like food and beverage costs, would be $2.5 million.

While the hotel does have relatively strong revenue, Reay said it’s unclear what the Sè is worth as the unsold luxury condos confuse its evaluation. Looking at the amount Fifth Avenue Partners owes its main lender, he estimated that the hotel rooms alone cost about $364,000 per unit.

The hotel market is seeing signs of life, Reay added, pointing to recent sales of high-end hotels in cities such as San Francisco where price ranges have ranged from $200,000 to $350,000 per room.

Rauch said the property will eventually be worth more than the loan but it’s unclear when that will happen. He estimated it could be as soon as two years but as long as five.

[Derek]

Did I read this correctly? Our city council approved to break ground on the new library? O-------M--------G!!
http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/05/25/centrallibrary__t352.jpg?980751187beea6fc26a3a9e93795d379f58af1c4

City leaders plan to break ground next month on a new $185 million main library in downtown San Diego despite concerns that the project could leave taxpayers on the hook should private donors fail to raise enough money to pay for it.

The City Council voted 6-2 Monday to move forward with library construction under the promise that a fundraising campaign will be able to collect the additional $32.5 million needed to finish the job. If donors don’t emerge, the city would have to either use taxpayer money to fill the gap or leave the library’s interior unfinished.

The financial risk to taxpayers was the chief concern among opponents, including former City Attorney Michael Aguirre, who questioned the wisdom of committing to a brand-new library when the city has been forced to make significant cuts to public safety, parks, beach maintenance and existing libraries. But it wasn’t enough to dissuade a council majority from proceeding.

Library supporters, including former Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs, who has pledged $20 million to the project, promised the money would be raised to complete the project. While the city is taking a $32.5 million risk, they said the city would lose $80 million in outside money committed to the project if it didn’t approve the plan Monday.

Former professional basketball player Bill Walton, a San Diego native whose mother had a 21-year career as a city librarian, said there is no greater mission and no grander goal than building a new library.

“The argument against this library is that it’s too expense and that we can’t afford it,” Walton said. “In reality, we can’t afford not to do this. We can either start building this library today or start building prisons tomorrow.”

Aguirre, who lost a re-election bid in 2008, said the city doesn’t have enough money to keep its current libraries open and questioned whether it was legal for the city to start construction on a project that wasn’t fully funded. He also criticized Jacobs for his donation, a comment that drew boos from the crowd.

“You’re hurting our city because you are helping to push this city into doing something that is financially irresponsible just like you did with the ticket guarantee,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre was referring to the city’s past deal with the Chargers that called for taxpayers to ensure the sale of 60,000 seats for the team’s home games at Qualcomm Stadium. The deal cost the city $36.4 million between 1995 and 2003.

The new library would be built at the corner of Park Boulevard and J Street in the East Village. It would be a nine-story domed centerpiece and twice the size of the existing 1954 library on E Street. Two floors would be used for a charter school serving about 400 students.

Funding for the library would come from several sources, including $80 million in city redevelopment funds, $20 million from the San Diego Unified School District and a $20 million state grant.

The rest would be covered by private donors, who have already pledged nearly $41 million. That includes $10 million to pay for the library’s operating costs for the first five years.

The city has enough money for the first phase of the library but needs an additional $32.5 million by January 2012 to start the second and final phase. The library is projected to open in July 2013.

Council members Carl DeMaio and Sherri Lightner voted against the project, saying the city couldn’t afford to build a central library at a time when the 35 branch libraries have seen their hours reduced significantly because of budget cuts.

“I’m afraid this project contains too many risks to our city’s general fund, too many shoes that may drop,” DeMaio said. “We cannot afford to build this project at this time. We have to get our city’s financial problems fixed first. We have to make sure that when we invest in our library system that all branches benefit equally.”

The project needed six votes for approval and Frye, who had opposed the library in the past, provided the swing vote to win passage. She didn’t explain her vote during the hearing.

Craig Gustafson: (619) 293-1399; craig.gustafson@uniontrib.com; follow Craig on Twitter at @gustafsoncraig

:banana:


This is great news!

[S.DviaPhilly]

When the Pony Express rider first alerted me that the library was approved, I jumped into my horse and buggy and rode down to the local telegraph office. I made sure to let all the homeless people and latchkey kids that they would have a place to hang out!

On a serious note, who will actually travel to downtown to go to this library? The system already has branches throughout the county. Will someone from outside of downtown bypass their local branch to go here (the outskirts of East Village civilization)?

I understand civic pride but this seems like a strange project to showcase it. It will serve a tiny fraction of the county.

Also, I am not belittleing the fundraising efforts. I know that they did a good job in a tough economic time.

Mark my words, this thing will get partially built and then run into budget problems. It will be finished half-assed and partially staffed. Within a few years it will resemble the exisiting library.

It will be ironinc when they have to upgarde their wi-fi service in a few years to accomodate people reading on their ipads, kindles and phones.


The funding for the project has been raised, the rest of the monies needed is to fill the library once completed. The construction company said if costs go up they will cover it. Also there is enough money to run the library for 5 years once complete.
I understand some of your points, but thats whats wrong with this city, an AMAZING project passes and people find a way to trash it and find the negatives. Why would you assume the homeless would come down to hang around the library when there will be a vacant building to stand around where they're at now? I am not trying to disagree with what you wrote, but your post does belittle the fundraising efforts that went in to this library. This is great for downtown and East Village!!!!

[Dale]

Good God! this is a long time coming. Happy for SD.

[Marina_Guy]

Something about the Seattle Library... Libraries are public spaces and this is one of the few new public buildings San Diego is going to build. Finally, something to be proud of.

=====

After Seattle

By discarding every preconception about a public library building, they created the first 21st-century library
By Brian Kenney -- Library Journal, 08/15/2005


Few public buildings, and no libraries, have ever received the sort of acclaim that Seattle's central library garnered even before it opened in May 2004. "The Seattle building is thrilling from top to bottom," wrote Paul Goldberger in The New Yorker. Herbert Muschamp, in the New York Times, agreed: "In more than 30 years of writing about architecture, this is the most exciting building it has been my honor to review." The accolades hardly stopped there, and by year's end the library had won an armful of awards, including the American Institute of Architect's Honor Award for Outstanding Architecture.

Certainly the library was poised for attention. Designed by Dutch star architect and theorist Rem Koolhaas, the building is his largest U.S. project to date. And it is startling. It looks like a mantle of steel and glass was thrown over a random set of Lego® blocks—several of which seem to be fighting to get free.

National media attention. A new icon for Seattle. Suddenly, public libraries were on the map—and not because teens were looking at Internet porn. What Bilbao has become to museums, Seattle is becoming to libraries. It's no wonder even your dentist was asking, "What's up with that Seattle library?"

Despite all the coverage, the most important questions, at least for librarians, were barely asked, never mind answered: How does this building work as a library? Does it serve the information needs of Seattle's citizens? As a library, is there anything new here?

The quick answer to all three questions is yes. Seattle's new building succeeds as well as a library as it does a work of art. When the building falters, which it does occasionally, it can be forgiven. That's what happens when you take risks, especially multiple ones. What Seattle's team of architects and librarians did was no less than to deconstruct the public library—laying out its various services and collections—then put it back together, seemingly unburdened by history. As Ginnie Cooper, executive director of the Brooklyn Public Library, put it, "From now on, anyone who builds a public library will have to first come to Seattle and study this central library."

According to Seattle city librarian Deborah Jacobs, Seattle's design responds to three fundamental questions. "As the library's role changes, how do you protect the interest of public spaces?" asks Jacobs. "How do you plan for technology? How do you design a building that can house one million books that grow at immeasurable rates?" It is in its answers to these issues—as relevant for a small branch library as a central urban one—that Seattle has the most to teach us.

Creating the public space
This is the third central library to be built on the same site, a steeply sloping block between Fifth and Fourth avenues in downtown Seattle. The roots of this building go back to 1998—the dot-com years—when Seattle voters passed a $196.4 library bond (see "Seattle's Fast Facts," p. 37).

Enter from Fifth Avenue, the upper part of the slope, and you are in the Living Room—one of the most exhilarating public rooms in the nation. Facing south, the light-infused atrium rises up eight stories. On a Thursday morning in May, nearly 60 visitors wait for the library to open at 10 a.m. As they cross the threshold, their reaction is akin to tourists entering one of the great European cathedrals: their eyes are drawn upwards in wonder, to the dazzling glass and steel skin, then the sky. There are information and circulation desks, self-check stations, a bank of computers, and a large number of surprisingly comfortable cubist chairs. Opposite the seating, visitors can browse a selection of popular magazines as well as the library's fiction collection. A coffee stand—not Starbucks but run by FareStart, a program that empowers the homeless—and a gift shop are nearby.

Other libraries have great reading rooms, such as New York Public's Humanities and Social Sciences Library at 42nd Street and the Phoenix Public Library's Burton Barr Central Library—but Seattle's Living Room is entirely different. It's not about research, nor does it require visitors to engage in any explicit library-related task. It's about pleasure. One can enjoy a coffee with a friend, flip through a recent issue of GQ, review a stack of mystery novels or DVDs, or just stare into space. It comes closer to the ancient Greek agora—an open space in a town, a meeting place—than perhaps any other public room in America. Many libraries talk about being at the center of their community, but Seattle went and created a center for its community.

At the back of the Living Room is the Starbucks Teen Center, a reference desk and a bank of computers with a limited book collection. While set apart through color and other design elements, it remains very open to the larger Living Room. A different model than most teen spaces, it's more an entry point to the building than a room unto itself.

Poke around in the back of the fiction collection and—surprise!—there's a fiction/readers' advisory desk. Why these librarians with all their knowledge are hidden away, or even sitting behind a desk at all, is a mystery. This ambiguous relationship with public service (do we want a desk or don't we?) surfaces repeatedly throughout the building.

Room for Socrates
The Living Room is actually on level three. If you enter the building on Fourth Avenue, at the bottom of the slope, you come in on level one, a more understated space seemingly tucked under the edifice of glass. On the left, with plenty of windows looking onto the street, the children's center beckons. It is smart placement, both in ease of access and in guaranteeing that Seattle's children know they have a home in this huge building.

To the right of this entrance sits a circulation desk, striking because of a large conveyor system that moves materials overhead and through the ceiling. The library uses RFID tagging throughout its system to manage materials, and the conveyor moves items to an automated sorting room on the second floor (see "Feeding the Beast," below). Behind the desk are aisles filled with materials on hold, accessible to patrons, who can borrow them quickly through self-check. A Learning Center shares the floor; it contains the literacy, English as a second language, and world languages collections.

Rising from the center of level one and extending up through level three is the 275-seat Microsoft Auditorium. It is classic Seattle, bold and ingenious, using the natural slope of the terrain. Partially open (you can peer into it from the Living Room above), this prominent space for public discourse—think again ancient Greece but colder—reinforces the idea of the library as the community's center.

A chartreuse escalator (all vertical movement in the building is color-coded chartreuse) takes you from level one up to the Living Room. The second level, closed to the public, houses the loading dock, technical services, and the automated sorting room. New items can enter the library, be cataloged and processed, then sorted and sent to the central library or the branches with efficiency unimaginable in older buildings.

Straight up, with a twist
Tucked above the Living Room sits the Mixing Chamber, or what everyone else calls a reference center. Once Seattle's patrons locate the 19,500 square foot Mixing Chamber, they will certainly not forget it.

The room features computers dedicated to the catalog and subscription databases, a general reference print collection, and a long, minimalist reference desk that seems almost an afterthought. Is it necessary? "Perhaps not," admits Craig Kyte, manager of general reference services, who foresees a day when librarians just work the floor. "But we are grappling with how to identify librarians to the public."

Deeper into the room is an eye-popping field of over 135 public access, Internet-enabled computers. "We talked about what sort of whiz-bang effect we wanted for our technology," Jacobs says. "In the end, we decided the most significant thing we could do was supply enough." Reference librarians will get it: finally, a computer for everyone. Midafternoon on a Friday the computers operate at nearly full capacity.

The goal of the Mixing Chamber is ambitious: to deliver multidisciplinary reference help that will satisfy nearly all queries, eliminating the need for patrons to bounce from department to department. It is staffed by a mix of librarians from general reference as well as specialists culled from throughout the building. While there are four specialized service points in the book collection upstairs (Business; Science, Newspapers, Magazines; Art & Music; Genealogy & History), staff in the Mixing Room try to move the question and not the user.

Everyone on a reference desk is equipped with a Vocera® Badge, a sort of hi-tech walkie-talkie. Those working in the Mixing Chamber who need help on a business query can say "call business" and connect with a business librarian for collaboration. If a particular book is needed, a dumbwaiter brings it down to the Mixing Chamber. General reference also receives queries through virtual reference software and the telephone—these can also be bumped along to subject specialists.

Is the model working? Putting aside some initial difficulties with establishing a wireless network for Vocera, "It's become clear that many questions can be resolved in the Mixing Chamber, saving users time and removing much of the confusion," says Kyte.

Spiraling the books
How do you present your nonfiction collection in a logical way, while allowing for unpredictable growth spurts? Seattle's answer is the Book Spiral, another design as bold as it is ingenious. The spiral presents the collection in one continuous Dewey run on series of gently sloping ramps—a parking garage for books.

The spiral is a wonderful management solution. Four levels high, it can house up to 1.4 million books, allows the library to place 75 percent of its nonfiction collection on open shelves, and has tremendous flexibility—the collection can expand and contract as needed. As with much of Koolhaas's design, it seems so simple you wonder why no one ever thought of it before. But to get it right actually took months of testing; the library constructed prototypes to ensure that the design was both ADA-compliant and inviting.

The spiral is far more that an effective book warehouse. It is also a book lover's dream, a Barnes & Noble on steroids, except here old and new live together. The aisles are wide and well lit. There are tables, and on Saturday at noon dozens of people are scattered about the spiral, reading. Book storage—a prosaic activity in most libraries—here becomes an experience, a destination.

While a boon to serendipitous discovery, what's the Book Spiral like when you have 15 minutes to find a book on science experiments with water? Admittedly, the floor mats are labeled with the Dewey numbers (very cool), and the elevator stops are also Dewey-coded. But locating a specific call number within four floors of books, especially when each spiral is elliptical, remains a challenge, no matter how logical—at least in theory—the layout may be. It doesn't help that the building opened with poor signage, especially for the Book Spiral. The library is still revamping its way-finding.

The spiral suffers most when it comes to service. The four service desks, one on each level stacked above each other on the Fourth Avenue side, are a disaster. Understandably, librarians need to be available to help patrons with such an enormous nonfiction collection. Library planners seemingly felt they couldn't truly collapse all reference collections and services into the Mixing Chamber. Business and genealogy in particular have strong and vocal user groups. But these desks, located on the side of each level, are difficult to find. Cementlike, they are astonishingly high; librarians must actually climb up a couple of steps to get behind them. Their look and feel—authoritarian and remote—clash with the spirit of the building.

Ascending the Book Spiral, one reaches the Reading Room—another gift to residents. Like the best of the great reading rooms, this calm, technology-free oasis with dazzling views supports sustained research and contemplation.

The economic edge
As great a building as this is for Seattle's readers and researchers, learners and dreamers, its impact is even bigger. For libraries to be able to stake their claim in today's civic enterprise, it helps if they can flex their economic muscle.

A year after its opening, the library's foundation and Seattle's Office of Economic Development sponsored a study to assess the new building's effect on the local economy. In its first year of operation, the study reports, the library was visited by over 2.3 million individuals, 30 percent from out of town— and more coming. Seattle's library is becoming a destination point for a global community.

The study also says that, in its first year, the building was responsible for $16 million in new economic activity. Over the next 20 years, the life of the bond issue, the central library is expected to generate $320 million. The study also finds that the library could help reposition the downtown as a cultural center as well as improve and promote the city's identity.

These are great numbers for Jacobs and staff. But if they are leveraged successfully, they could be even better news for library users, translating into longer hours and more materials. In Seattle, a great library should only become even greater.

[sandiegodweller]

Sounds like a wonderful meeting place in Seattle. You would think that since it is so succesful in terms of attendance and economic stimulus to the neighborhood, it would be able to stay open.

Can you imagine how many weeks the new San Diego Library will need to be closed in order to bridge the San Diego budget gap?

I can GUARANTEE that the San Diego Library won't attact 2.3 million visitors per year anytime soon.



Seattle Public Library announces the sort-of-annual closure week

June 15, 2010 at 1:19 pm

In West Seattle news, West Seattle online

Once again this year because of budget cuts, the Seattle Public Library system will shut down for a week at summer’s end. They’ve just sent out an announcement saying the dates are August 30th-September 5th, right before Labor Day, so they won’t reopen till Tuesday 9/7. Read on for the full details:
The Seattle Public Library system will close Monday, Aug. 30 through Sunday, Sept. 5 due to citywide budget cuts. Please note Monday, Sept. 6 is the Labor Day holiday and all libraries will be closed. Regular Library operations will resume Tuesday, Sept. 7.

All city departments have implemented cuts to help address a total $67 million gap in the 2010 city budget. The Library is funded from the city general fund.

The systemwide closure is one of a number of measures the Library is implementing to achieve $3 million in cuts for 2010. The closure will save approximately $650,000.

The closure will mean salary reductions for nearly 650 employees who will not be paid during that week. The remaining savings is being met through cuts to branch hours, management and administration, the budget for books and materials, staff computers and staff training.

Services unavailable:

Most Library services will be unavailable during the one-week closure and will have the following impacts:

· No materials will be due and no fines will be accrued.

* The last day to check out Library items before the closure is Sunday, Aug. 29. The Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., will be open until 6 p.m. that day and another 11 branches will be open until 5 p.m. Visit www.spl.org or call 206-386-4636 for more information on Library locations and hours.

* No book drops will be open. The Central Library book drops will close at 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29 and will reopen at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7.

- Book drops at branches that are open on Sundays will close at 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29. The book drops will reopen at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7.

- Book drops at branches that are closed on Sundays will close at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28. The book drops will reopen at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7.

* Limited access to the online catalog. Patrons will be able to search the catalog and check their Library record but will not be able to place holds on items. No staff will be working to process the thousands of books and materials that customers normally put on hold.

* Limited access to the website (www.spl.org). The online calendar, databases, downloadable books and media, digital special collections, podcasts, SPL Mobile app and blogs will be available, but other online information and features will not be available. No staff members will be working to maintain the site or troubleshoot problems.

* No Library computers will be available. Patrons will not be able to reserve a computer for the week the Library system is closed.

* No access to Wi-Fi.

· No book group kits will be sent, received or returned during the one-week closure. Kits will be sent to libraries as usual on the last Wednesday of the month, Aug. 25. Kits not available then will be sent as soon as possible after Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6.

* No programs or events in Library meeting rooms.

* No TeleCirc, the Library’s telephone circulation service that provides patrons with information on their Library account.

* No Quick Information telephone service.

* No Text a Librarian, e-mail a librarian or chat with a librarian.

* No mail will be received during the closure. The Library will have the U.S. Post Office hold all mail until the Library reopens. There will not be staff available to accept deliveries.

* No Mobile Services.

* No parking in library garages. The Central Library, Capitol Hill Branch and Ballard Branch garages will be closed.

Neighborhood Service Centers located at the Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill branches will provide assistance by appointment only. The Lake City Neighborhood Service Center and parking garage will remain open. It is co-located with the Lake City Branch, but has a separate entrance.

Some electronic services available

Some electronic resources will be available for patrons to access remotely during the closure. Patrons should understand that staff will not be available to provide assistance to use these online services. The online services available by going to www.spl.org will include:

· Calendar of Events. Patrons will be able to see information about upcoming Library programs.

· SPL Mobile page. Patrons will be able to view information about using the Library’s new app for Web-enabled phones, called SPL Mobile.

· Online databases. Patrons will have access to more than 70 premium databases, including Britannica Online, ChiltonLibrary.com, Consumer Reports and Morningstar Investment Research Center.

· Downloadable media. Patrons will have access to more than 50,000 items in the digital collection, including 42,000 e-books and audiobooks, 3,000 downloadable music titles and 5,000 downloadable movie titles. There will be links to instructional videos on how to download digital media.

· Digital collections. Patrons will have access to three special collections that have been digitized: Photos from the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Collection, the Northwest Art Collection and The Seattle Historical Photograph Collection.

· Adult blog Shelf Talk and teen blog Push to Talk.

· Library podcasts.

Aug. 30 through Sept. 5 was the week selected for the closure because general Library use at that time is not as high as other times during the year, school is not in session and there are fewer Library programs scheduled.

City Librarian Susan Hildreth said she understands how difficult the closure will be for patrons who depend on and need Library services, particularly during this prolonged recession. “Unfortunately the Library has limited options when dealing with cuts of this magnitude,” she said. “Without the closure, we would have had to cut more operating hours or further reduce the book budget.” Hildreth explained the majority of the Library’s $50 million budget pays for direct public service – Library personnel to run the libraries. The remainder of the budget pays for books and materials, and fixed costs, such as telecommunication and Internet services and utilities. “There weren’t any easy choices,” she said.

Hildreth encourages patrons to start planning now for the closure. “For those who aren’t familiar with our digital collection, this is a good time to learn how to download books, movies and music, since they will be available during the closure,” she said.

[SDfan]

CCDC updated its website:

http://www.ccdc.com/

[HurricaneHugo]

Man...yuppies and hipsters found out about my favorite mexican food place (La Fachada in Sherman Heights).

Never seen so many white people and asians in the ghetto.

[Mariobrotha]

^^ :haha: sorry... that was totally because of me. I worked at the Science Center in Balboa Park (hipster/yuppie central) and I pretty much spread the word like wildfire about that place.

[staplesla]

I'm not going to post the whole story as it's pretty long, but thought this story was interesting.

California ties for last place as the most expensive places to live, and is the 2nd most costly state to conduct business.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/37642856

[Derek]

http://sdbj.com/news/2010/jul/14/report-says-petco-park-delivers-76-percent-return-/

[sandiegodweller]

Library cost overruns could fall on taxpayers’ shoulders

BY BY JEFF MCDONALD, STAFF WRITER
SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010 AT 8:57 P.M.

Much has been made of the $32.5 million gap in funding for the long-planned downtown San Diego library — a hole private fundraisers are trying to plug but taxpayers eventually might have to fill.

But there’s another financial risk that hasn’t been front and center in the library debate: potential cost overruns.

The $185 million library contract has been portrayed as a fixed price. But buried in the hundreds of pages of supporting documents related to the construction is a 30-page document labeled “Exhibit A,” which lists things that could go wrong that would not be covered by the builder, Turner Construction.

Instead, those added expenses would have to come from the same tapped-out sources — private benefactors or the city, which has an ongoing budget deficit and has required repeated cuts in services in recent years.

Most of the exclusions are standard protections imposed by construction professionals, experts say. Several of the conditions could lead to lengthy delays or cost increases and stall the planned opening in 2013.

Among those is a provision stating that any changes that result from updating the project’s outdated approval under the 2001 building code will be the city’s responsibility.

Turner also is not liable for added costs associated with complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act or any archaeological discoveries or historical artifacts.

The company also is excluded from covering independent seismic reviews, fire marshal inspections, third-party smoke-control testing, soil contaminations, hazardous-materials excavation, underground storage tanks, and utility, plan-check, permitting and other fees.

“We try to pick up in the documents what we have seen in the past through experience,” said Ron Rudolph, a Turner vice president. “Ninety percent of the time (cost overruns) happen because specifications and drawings aren’t perfect and we try and fill in the gaps.”

Rudolph said constructing the library under the 2001 building code also presents no concern.

“The updates currently under way are not all that different,” he said. “This building is an extremely well-built building.”

The City Council late last month approved construction of the new central library at Park Boulevard and J Street, a now-vacant lot that for years housed the old Police Department garage. Construction on the nine-story building is scheduled to start this month.

The library was approved 6-2, with council members Carl DeMaio and Sherri Lightner opposed. Neither would discuss the potential cost overruns, but Lightner said in a statement, “I remain concerned that the council voted to approve the library before all funding had been identified.”

The council decision capped a 35-year effort to develop a new central library for San Diego. Darren Greenhalgh, the city engineer overseeing the project, said there was ample consideration of the potential expenses before the council approved the project.

“Furthermore, by bringing Turner into the design of the project early on, risks of errors or omissions have been greatly reduced, which means the likelihood of cost overruns are reduced, as well,” Greenhalgh said.

He said the city did thorough site research and is confident there will be no major surprises when crews excavate. A 2,500-gallon fuel spill from 2006 has been fully remediated, Greenhalgh said.

Richard Rider of San Diego Tax Fighters said he was stunned to learn the extent of the potential cost overruns. Rider said key officials deliberately avoided talking about added liabilities in the run-up to the council vote.

“The city is operating under what I call the hole-in-the-ground strategy,” he said. “You start a project, then discover ‘unforeseen costs,’ but you can’t stop now because you’ve already dug a hole in the ground.”

Brian Perlberg, a senior attorney for the Associated General Contractors of America trade group, said it is not unusual for builders to require a property owner to assume the risk for possible costs outside the developer’s control.

“For things in which the owner is in a better position to know or mitigate, it makes sense for them to take on that risk and not hold the contractor responsible,” Perlberg said.

“How is a contractor supposed to know if there are Indian burial grounds underneath the site?” Perlberg said. “He doesn’t.”

[brantw]

Took some photos of the pedestrian bridge today. Most of the suspension cables are already in place.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/4813351841_7e79c64719_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4813975942_d30f1c0052_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4813353271_be3a187846_z.jpg

[Derek]

Too bad it couldn't be completed for Comic-Con. It would've been nice to see thousands of people using that bridge. :)

[staplesla]

As expected, the SANDAG board of directors this morning selected the route for a $1.2 billion extension of the San Diego Trolley north from Old Town to the UCSD campus and University Town Centre.

The new 11-mile trolley route is expected to be in operation in early 2015. Conservative estimates expect 20,000 riders per day, comparable to the Green Line which services San Diego State University and the Mission Valley shopping centers.

The board had three potential routes before it – narrowed down from nine options during a lengthy public “scoping” process -- but only one was considered viable.

The new rail line will run north from Old Town within the existing rail right of way, which officials say will cut off a year of development and construction. Stops are planned at Tecolote Drive, Clairemont Drive and Balboa Avenue.

At Gilman Drive, the trolley line will veer west of I-5, away from the train corridor, to a stop at Nobel Drive, followed by an on-campus stop near UCSD’s Price Center. At Voight Drive the trolley crosses back over I-5, then across Genesee Avenue before ending at a University Towne Center transit center.

The board’s unanimous vote and the near unbridled enthusiasm from a host of speakers --including Supervisor Ron Roberts and San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders -- this morning reflect the universal enthusiasm for this route.

Still, some tweaking was proposed before the vote. Several speakers encouraged trolley planners to look closely at adding a stop at the Veterans Hospital near the UCSD Campus. The proposed route passes about a block from the busy regional hospital. Officials said that would add $5 million to build a station.

A second proposal encouraged looking closely at developing a connection to the Coaster train which circles around the Golden Triangle to the east before veering west to a Sorrento Valley stop.

Elyse Lowe, executive director of Move San Diego, endorsed the trolley selection but said serious consideration is needed to the bus routes that serve the densely populated coastal area.

Among the next steps will be the application to the federal government for half the cost of the project, $600 million. The balance will be paid from TransNet, a fund generated through a ½ cent sales tax earmarked solely for transportation projects.

Where does the project go from here? Environmental impact studies are targeted to 2011, engineering design by 2013 and the first trolley should be moving up the coast in 2015.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/23/trolley-ucsd-utc-gets-green-light/

[S.DviaPhilly]

THE BLACK SHEET THAT'S COVERING THE NEW THOMAS JEFFERSON LAW SCHOOL IS STARTING TO COME OFF!!!!! THE BUILDING LOOKS AWESOME!!!!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e338/Spiewak/ThomasJeff.jpg
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e338/Spiewak/ThomasJeff2.jpg

[staplesla]

A British design team’s concept for lighting up the San Diego-Coronado Bridge has been chosen by a special Port of San Diego panel, beating out the two other finalists for the project.

The London-based group led by Peter Fink got the nod. It proposes illuminating both the deck and the pillars below it with power provided by electricity generated from wind turbines.

The pillar lights would change colors to reflect days of the week, holidays and the changing seasons, while the lighting on top would vary based on traffic conditions along the bridge.

“I’m happy,” said Robert Mosher, 89, who originally helped design the bridge and sat on the panel. “I thought it was the best.”

He said the eight-member panel had been sworn to secrecy about the recommendation, which it made Friday after holding a lengthy meeting. Mosher hadn’t even told his wife, he said when contacted Monday evening.

Port commissioners are expected to vote on the recommendation at their September meeting, said agency spokesman John Gilmore.

Final approval doesn’t mean the 2.1-mile, 40-year-old bridge would be glowing any time soon. The port still needs to secure money for the project — as much as $5 million.

The port and the state Department of Transportation have jointly agreed to spend $50,000 on the design phase. They hope to get funding for the construction through grants and donations.

Fink couldn’t be reached by phone or e-mail.

Gilmore said the panel, made up of experts in art, architecture and green energy, gave each design considerable study. One panel member called the Fink design a “celebration of the bridge,” Gilmore said. Another called it “distinctive.”

The Fink team’s concept wasn’t the favorite of San Diego Union-Tribune readers, though. In an online poll, it finished second to the proposal from the Bideau Co., a French design firm, which wanted to use LED lights to create a zigzag shape that’s found on Kumeyaay pottery.

Nearly 60 percent of Union-Tribune readers chose the Bideau approach as their favorite. The Fink team garnered 25 percent of the votes.

The third competitor, the Ned Kahn/Patrick McInerney Associates/ARUP Lighting team, received about 8 percent for its vision of projecting different intensities of light across the bridge to showcase the structure’s connection to nature.

McInerney, a Coronado native, was upset with the panel’s choice. He said the recommended design is outdated.

“It’s chucking a lot of energy onto the structure and lighting it,” McInerney added. “I think it’s another missed opportunity.”

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/26/brit-teams-light-touch-picked-by-bridge-panel/

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/06/09/lights2_t593.jpg?f53c1bb70f629018cec0bd6246c82dae770b93ac

[HurricaneHugo]

The best one won IMO. :)

[Bootstrap Bill]

Oh, voice of reason, I was starting to miss you...

...NOT.

The library is one of the great American social inventions and is still relevant. I seriously doubt you have any civic pride or a concept of keeping adolescents out of trouble. Go get a cabin in South Dakota.

What's the point of having a city funded warehouse for books when we have the Kindle, iPad and other similar devices that can download just about any book you can think of in seconds?

True, they're not perfect - yet, but give them some time. In a few years, we'll probably have services that do for books what NetFlix does for movies. All the ebooks, magazines, etc. you can read for one small monthly fee, yours to enjoy anywhere you want on a device that will probably cost less than $50.

Will you still want to go to the library?

What about the poor? A few hours of collecting cans will pay for all the reading they could possibly want.

[Crackertastik]

A library is not simply a collection of books. Open your eyes.

Also ask yourself this. What is the point of a museum when you can go on the internet and look at Monet all day long. Or travelling to other places when you can go on the internet and look at pictures? There is something to be said about the setting and physicality of enjoying something. Libraries are just as functional and necessary to enjoying the written language as a museum is to art or as travelling is to seeing the world.

[Bootstrap Bill]

A library is not simply a collection of books. Open your eyes.

Also ask yourself this. What is the point of a museum when you can go on the internet and look at Monet all day long. Or travelling to other places when you can go on the internet and look at pictures? There is something to be said about the setting and physicality of enjoying something. Libraries are just as functional and necessary to enjoying the written language as a museum is to art or as travelling is to seeing the world.

A book is a book, whether it's electronic or in print.

A painting has to be experienced in person. You won't get the same thing at home.

Of course, there are other reasons to go to the library, but for the average person who just wants to check out a book, why bother when you can do it with your own portable device?

The need for socialization will still exist long after printed books no longer exist. Maybe the city should build a museum or planetarium instead?

[OneMetropolis]

A book is a book, whether it's electronic or in print.

A painting has to be experienced in person. You won't get the same thing at home.

Of course, there are other reasons to go to the library, but for the average person who just wants to check out a book, why bother when you can do it with your own portable device?

The need for socialization will still exist long after printed books no longer exist. Maybe the city should build a museum or planetarium instead?


Wow, your ideals about written text remind me of a book I read called "Fahrenheit 451". I sure hope that dosen't tanspire.

[Bootstrap Bill]

Wow, your ideals about written text remind me of a book I read called "Fahrenheit 451". I sure hope that dosen't tanspire.


Wasn't that about the government burning books?

I believe at some point in the future, books will make the jump from the printed page to some download format (PDF?). We've gone from clay tablets to papyrus to Gutenberg's press. This is just the next step. When will it happen? Maybe the next couple decades?

[voice of reason]

Maybe the city should fix the roads or pay its bills instead of building the library?

It does have one of the lowest credit ratings in one of the states with one of the lowest credit ratings in a country that just had its credit rating lowered because of out-of-control spending.

Spend Away!

[eburress]

A book is a book, whether it's electronic or in print.

A painting has to be experienced in person. You won't get the same thing at home.

Of course, there are other reasons to go to the library, but for the average person who just wants to check out a book, why bother when you can do it with your own portable device?

The need for socialization will still exist long after printed books no longer exist. Maybe the city should build a museum or planetarium instead?

Beyond that, books are printed by the thousands. There is only one of Monet's "Weeping Willow."

[sw5710]

Does San Diego have a 500 foot limit for all buildings?

[Derek]

Does San Diego have a 500 foot limit for all buildings?



Yes.



Characters. <------Added to make my post 10 characters. :P

[brantw]

Does San Diego have a 500 foot limit for all buildings?

Please don't remind us.

[Bootstrap Bill]

Please don't remind us.

Does anyone know why they have this limit? Have there ever been any attempts to lift it?

[staplesla]

Does anyone know why they have this limit? Have there ever been any attempts to lift it?

FAA ruling due to Lindbergh field being so close.

[Bootstrap Bill]

FAA ruling due to Lindbergh field being so close.

Is there any land between Orange County and San Diego that would be suitable for a large international airport? High speed rail could link this new airport to both regions and San Diego would be free to build whatever they want.

[Derek]

Is there any land between Orange County and San Diego that would be suitable for a large international airport? High speed rail could link this new airport to both regions and San Diego would be free to build whatever they want.



Yes, but they're military bases.

[Bootstrap Bill]

Yes, but they're military bases.

The military has a lot of prime real estate here in Southern California. Why can't the government sell most of that land and move the bases inland? The money made from the sale would be substantial.

Do the Marines really need their own private beach?

[wong21fr]

^Well, considering one of the Marines' primary missions is to conduct amphibious assaults, then, yes, they do need a beach.

[llamaorama]

I think the in the future there may be "libraries", which won't have a terribly large number of paper books but will act as community centers with free public access to the internet, e-book readers, etc.

Cities won't really need large libraries nor extensive chains of local branches anymore, though, especially if there are other facilities like community or rec centers with space to absorb their functions. Perhaps cities should at least keep their grand old historic main library if they have one and downsize the actual library space while turning the rest into something else, in the vein of the cities that were wise enough to preserve their fabulous old train stations but did not delude themselves into thinking that a considerable people would continue to arrive by train at them and knew to turn them into something else.

The original goal of free access to information has not died out though. A person could for free "check out" an e-book but only access this otherwise paid content from the confines of the library, on the library's secure e-book reader device which would not allow piracy of the materials. Obviously most people would simply buy the content on their own device so this would not harm book publishers no more than lending a small number of dead tree copies of their materials does now.

Generally a service to children and the poor, but there are always times when ordinary people might need to look up a technical manual or academic journals which you don't want to go out and buy.

[OneMetropolis]

Wasn't that about the government burning books?

I believe at some point in the future, books will make the jump from the printed page to some download format (PDF?). We've gone from clay tablets to papyrus to Gutenberg's press. This is just the next step. When will it happen? Maybe the next couple decades?


Yeah, basically same concept, but yeah. A new central library for this city is a dream come true.:banana:

[OneMetropolis]

New Central Library Breaks Ground
http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/07/28/library_t593.jpg?f53c1bb70f629018cec0bd6246c82dae770b93ac

http://www.sandiego.gov/public-library/graphics/newmain3a.jpg
Howard Lipin pv["p.a_4"] = "Howard Lipin";
John McAllister, president of The Friends of the San Diego (http://topics.signonsandiego.com/topic/San_Diego) Public Library looks at a model of the library before the start of the groundbreaking ceremony in East Village.




DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO — In a flutter of confetti, the new downtown library got under way Wednesday, even as supporters mapped plans to raise the final millions to bring the long-delayed project to fruition in three years.
“This library will benefit generations of San Diegans to come,” said Mayor Jerry Sanders (http://topics.signonsandiego.com/topic/Jerry_Sanders), who acknowledged previous mayors, library commissioners and major donors in attendance at the ceremonial groundbreaking.
The nine-story, $185 million building at Park Boulevard and J Street (http://topics.signonsandiego.com/topic/J_Street) will replace the current Central Library, which opened in 1954 at Eighth Avenue and E Street. The new building, with 491,000 square feet, will have dedicated parking and a signature, open-air dome by project architect Rob Quigley.
Financing is coming from downtown redevelopment property taxes, state bond funds, private donors and the San Diego Unified School District. The district will cover costs of a planned two-story charter high school within the library.
So far, the San Diego Public Library Foundation has raised $40.8 million, including $10 million for operations, with $20 million pledged by Qualcomm (http://topics.signonsandiego.com/topic/Qualcomm) Inc. founder Irwin Jacobs (http://topics.signonsandiego.com/topic/Irwin_Jacobs) and his wife Joan. Another $32.5 million is needed by January 2012 to complete the project.
Foundation officials said they were confident they could meet the deadline now that construction is beginning.
City officials said general contractor Turner Construction Co. will begin actual construction next week with completion projected for mid-2013.

Article Site:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/28/city-breaks-ground-new-library/

so what will become of that derelict building that used to be the Central Library.

[HurricaneHugo]

Does San Diego have a 500 foot limit for all buildings?

:tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum: :tantrum:

10 char

[Crackertastik]

Maybe the city should fix the roads or pay its bills instead of building the library?

It does have one of the lowest credit ratings in one of the states with one of the lowest credit ratings in a country that just had its credit rating lowered because of out-of-control spending.

Spend Away!

maybe home owners should help in eradicating Prop 13, so our cities can pay for its infrastructure. Or since we have prop 13, and prop 215 which limits taxation to mitigate prop 13 and its clusterfuck, all our property owners can establish assessment districts or melo-roos taxes to pay for them.

That is what pays for infrastructure. Not, development dollars. They are completely independent of each other. The need for infrastructure disproportionately hits our budget without these fixes. We will never be able develop anything, build anything without those fixes. Streets and infrastructure will forever need fixing and development will always take a back seat with your strategy.

Wake up

[brantw]

One of the major backers of a new San Diego City Hall has asked Mayor Jerry Sanders to veto the city’s plan to ask voters to approve the project on the November ballot.

Shirley Horton, president of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, a pro-business group that advocates for economic growth, sent a letter Thursday to Sanders explaining the dim prospects of the ballot measure’s success.

She said the group would typically spend six months to a year to plan a campaign push in favor of the project but will only have three months. It would also be “extremely difficult” to raise the money needed to campaign effectively given the economic climate, she said.

“The cost-benefit analysis of the proposed Civic Center redevelopment is complicated, and does not easily lend itself to the 20-second sound bite dynamic of a political campaign,” she wrote. “... As a result of these realities and the expected shortage of financial resources, we are not optimistic about the prospects of organizing an effective campaign prior to the November election.”

The $293.5 million project calls for a 19-story City Hall totaling 576,000 square feet at C Street and First Avenue, just west of the current building. It would include two levels of underground parking, a one-stop shop for city services on the first floor and a 400-seat council chambers. The rest of the building would be occupied by about 2,400 office workers.

The City Council approved the City Hall ballot measure on July 19. By rule, Sanders has 10 days to veto it, which means he must make a decision by Thursday.

Sanders has pushed hard for the project and has long promised that the public would get to vote on it.

Article here (http://www.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/all-in-favor-politics/2010/jul/29/backers-new-sd-city-hall-want-pull-plug/)

[brantw]

LOL.... sorry for so many posts on this, but I just had to laugh:

San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has vetoed plans for a public vote on a new City Hall in November, a stunning blow for a project the mayor has shepherded for the past two years.

Sanders, who has repeatedly said the project would save taxpayer money by replacing its outdated civic center, said the developer behind the project and major supporters have asked him to prevent it from reaching the ballot because they don’t believe there is enough time or money to launch an effective campaign to win voters over.

The $293.5 million project is now in limbo because the City Council would have to schedule a special session to override the mayor’s veto and move ahead with a public vote. The council has already called a special meeting for Friday morning to discuss a separate ballot measure that would increase the city’s sales tax rate, but it’s too late to add a discussion on City Hall to the agenda because of public noticing requirements.

The decision comes in a political climate where many people have expressed anger about the reduction in city services — particularly fire protection — and questioned the city’s priorities in pursuing big-ticket items like a new City Hall and a downtown library, which is now under construction.

Also, commercial real estate experts have increasingly questioned whether the project will produce the projected savings.

One potential silver lining for advocates of the sales tax increase is taking the City Hall project out of the discussion may help them sell the tax proposal if it goes before voters in November.

The veto doesn’t kill the project altogether as the council could choose to approve it without a public vote. That could be a tall order, however, because four of the eight council members have said they wouldn’t support the proposal unless voters have a say.

The decision by Sanders came a few hours after a major backer of the new City Hall asked him to pull the plug on the project.

Shirley Horton, president of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, a pro-business group that advocates for economic growth, sent a letter Thursday to Sanders explaining the dim prospects that the ballot measure had to succeed.

She said the group would typically spend six months to a year planning a campaign push in favor of the project but would only have three months if it were to proceed. It would also be “extremely difficult” to raise the money needed to campaign effectively given the economic climate, she said.

“The cost-benefit analysis of the proposed Civic Center redevelopment is complicated, and does not easily lend itself to the 20-second sound bite dynamic of a political campaign,” she wrote. “... As a result of these realities and the expected shortage of financial resources, we are not optimistic about the prospects of organizing an effective campaign prior to the November election.”

The project calls for a 19-story City Hall totaling 576,000 square feet at C Street and First Avenue, just west of the current building. It would include two levels of underground parking, a one-stop shop for city services on the first floor and a 400-seat council chambers. The rest of the building would be occupied by about 2,400 office workers.

The project would allow the city to avoid $37 million in repairs at its current 45-year-old City Hall and eliminate about $13 million annually in office leases that are needed because city workers are spread throughout downtown. The mayor had estimated the city would save about $24 million in the first 10 years of the project and as much as $232 million over the next 50 years.

The projected savings have come under increasing question by commercial real estate experts and City Councilman Carl DeMaio, who cast the lone vote against the ballot measure.

Sanders has pushed hard for a new City Hall and long ago committed to a public vote. Just last month he promised to campaign on behalf of the proposal and tell voters that it would free up millions of dollars over the next decade that could be used to restore recent cuts, such as the decision to idle up to eight fire engines a day.

“This is certainly not a Taj Mahal,” he said then. “It’s a very functional building that I think will serve the city well and it saves us money every single year.”

If the project proceeds, construction would begin in January 2012 with the goal of opening by July 2014.

Article here (http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/29/mayor-vetoes-public-vote-city-hall/)

[HurricaneHugo]

This city is seriously pathetic.

[Derek]

This city is seriously pathetic.

Which is why I'm moving to Portland next summer. ;)

[eburress]

Which is why I'm moving to Portland next summer. ;)

Portland isn't the place to go if you want to avoid NIMBYs! hahaha If you want to avoid the soul-draining vacuum of the NIMBY, you should move to Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston... :)

(Portland sure is pretty though and you gotta love the NW)

[Troubadour]

If you want to avoid the soul-draining vacuum of the NIMBY, you should move to Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston... :)

But then you have to deal with psychotic rednecks. :shrug:

[brantw]

Guys, look on the bright side. We're getting a new pedestrian bridge! :tup:

[eburress]

But then you have to deal with psychotic rednecks. :shrug:

That may be the Texas stereotype, but having actually been there, you would know that you see fewer psychotic rednecks there than you do here (East County anyone?)! hahaha

Dallas and Atlanta are far more cosmopolitan and metropolitan cities than our quaint little San Diego. :)

[eburress]

Guys, look on the bright side. We're getting a new pedestrian bridge! :tup:

True true. I'm all a flutter with civic pride! hahaha

[Derek]

Portland isn't the place to go if you want to avoid NIMBYs! hahaha If you want to avoid the soul-draining vacuum of the NIMBY, you should move to Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Houston... :)

(Portland sure is pretty though and you gotta love the NW)



I enjoy the weather in the Pacific NW far more than any other place in the US. I'm going to school up there and I plan on staying there for a while. ;)


It'll be a nice change. :D

[mello]

That may be the Texas stereotype, but having actually been there, you would know that you see fewer psychotic rednecks there than you do here (East County anyone?)! hahaha

Dallas and Atlanta are far more cosmopolitan and metropolitan cities than our quaint little San Diego. :)

I'm not saying I disagree with you about the cities you mentioned being more cosmopolitan, but I would like to discuss it. What exactly makes you say that? Are you counting all that the beach communities and Tijuana have to offer in to the mix or just the city of SD? I know Dallas has Fort Worth, kind of like a whole other city to add to the mix SD has TJ and the beach towns but what does ATL really have? Buckhead, Midtown, and....

[mongoXZ]

If you consider being a cheap place to live and do business a characteristic of a cosmopolitan city then, yeah, Dallas, Atlanta, and Houston are the most cosmopolitan cities of them all.

Being cheap is pretty much the only thing those cities got going for them.

[NYC2ATX]

I think cosmopolitan-ness is really complex. Like I've been equally blown away by Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Austin, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, and many other southern and southwestern cities repeatedly over the past few years (as well as my beloved northern and eastern cities). Austin and Charlotte in particular are booming with skyline growth, and both Dallas and Atlanta have very underrated cultural scenes (remember, the big D is putting the finishing touches on a new, world-class arts district as we type). Charlotte also recently got a slew of new museums, and OKC is starting to show itself as an true player in urban renewal (the Devon Tower, Core-to-Shore).

The thing is, while I don't think any city only has cheap living going for it and nothing else, I don't think freedom to build is all that makes it either.

I was recently in Savannah, Georgia, and I found it to be a very high-class, albeit quaint destination. That has the culture and history, but it lacks the bustle. It's so difficult to pin one characteristic as the defining measure of a world-class city. It's so much more complicated than that.

[staplesla]

The Port Commission restarted the clock Tuesday on a massive upgrade to San Diego’s bayfront by agreeing to revise the proposal and add more park space. The hope is the California Coastal Commission, which rejected the project in the spring, will approve the changes.

The new plan, as presented by the Navy Broadway Complex Coalition, is to create a roughly 150-foot-wide park along Harbor Drive, from the County Administration Center to Broadway Pier, to replace an oval park at the foot of Broadway that was once envisioned as the centerpiece of the $228 million North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, in the works for 12 years.

“I think the iron is about as hot as it’s going to get, and if we don’t strike while it’s hot we’re never going to get it,” Port Commissioner Lou Smith of Coronado said.

The risk is that the Coastal Commission will reject the permit and the port’s master plan will remain outdated, Commission Steve Padilla of Chula Vista said. An alternative was to revise the plan and then submit a permit, but port commissioners worried that would add two years to the process.

Coalition members said they want the expanded park, a comprehensive public vetting and a labor agreement with living-wage rates for workers at a hotel that would be part of the project.

If their conditions are met, they said, they will lobby the Coastal Commission to approve the $28 million first phase of the visionary plan that aims to set the tone for a beautification of what’s called San Diego’s “front porch.”

“We’re not willing to give up today,” said Cory Briggs, the attorney representing the coalition. “We need to try.”

Port officials said they will host public meetings in the next few weeks to gather other ideas and then ask the Coastal Commission for approval, either late this year or early in 2011.

The shape and design of the Embarcadero, from Seaport Village to Lindbergh Field, has been an issue in San Diego for more than a century, as early planners envisioned a European-style esplanade full of gardens, playgrounds and stately buildings. Despite its prime location, it became an industrial zone and today is marked by parking lots, Navy buildings and aging hotels.

Commissioner Scott Peters of San Diego said the visionary plan, if carried out with whatever changes are added, is worth fighting for, even with potential roadblocks ahead.

“This is the most important public open space project in all of California,” Peters said. “I’m very concerned we’ll get the money to pay for it.”

He was referring to funds set aside by the Centre City Development Corp., the city’s downtown redevelopment arm, to finance the plan’s first phase. The state might take local redevelopment property tax funds to balance its budget, and CCDC’s authority to spend money in the Embarcadero area expires in 2017. CCDC chief financial director Frank Alessi said the money appears secure in the agency’s current budget, but there’s no guarantee it will be there next year.

Another financial hurdle is a $26 million commitment by the port to buy a Navy leasehold at 1220 Pacific Highway, south of the Holiday Inn on the Bay, and needed for the planned 800-room hotel project at Lane Field, now a parking lot just north of Broadway at Harbor Drive, where the minor league Padres once played.

Lane Field developers say their hotel financing is stalled, but they are willing to revise their hotel plans to accommodate the proposed new park.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/03/bayfront-project-back-more-park-space/

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/08/03/Lane_Field_and_Embarcadero_setback_idea_8.2010_t593.jpg?f53c1bb70f629018cec0bd6246c82dae770b93ac

[Derek]

The Port Commission restarted the clock Tuesday on a massive upgrade to San Diego’s bayfront by agreeing to revise the proposal and add more park space. The hope is the California Coastal Commission, which rejected the project in the spring, will approve the changes.

The new plan, as presented by the Navy Broadway Complex Coalition, is to create a roughly 150-foot-wide park along Harbor Drive, from the County Administration Center to Broadway Pier, to replace an oval park at the foot of Broadway that was once envisioned as the centerpiece of the $228 million North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, in the works for 12 years.

“I think the iron is about as hot as it’s going to get, and if we don’t strike while it’s hot we’re never going to get it,” Port Commissioner Lou Smith of Coronado said.

The risk is that the Coastal Commission will reject the permit and the port’s master plan will remain outdated, Commission Steve Padilla of Chula Vista said. An alternative was to revise the plan and then submit a permit, but port commissioners worried that would add two years to the process.

Coalition members said they want the expanded park, a comprehensive public vetting and a labor agreement with living-wage rates for workers at a hotel that would be part of the project.

If their conditions are met, they said, they will lobby the Coastal Commission to approve the $28 million first phase of the visionary plan that aims to set the tone for a beautification of what’s called San Diego’s “front porch.”

“We’re not willing to give up today,” said Cory Briggs, the attorney representing the coalition. “We need to try.”

Port officials said they will host public meetings in the next few weeks to gather other ideas and then ask the Coastal Commission for approval, either late this year or early in 2011.

The shape and design of the Embarcadero, from Seaport Village to Lindbergh Field, has been an issue in San Diego for more than a century, as early planners envisioned a European-style esplanade full of gardens, playgrounds and stately buildings. Despite its prime location, it became an industrial zone and today is marked by parking lots, Navy buildings and aging hotels.

Commissioner Scott Peters of San Diego said the visionary plan, if carried out with whatever changes are added, is worth fighting for, even with potential roadblocks ahead.

“This is the most important public open space project in all of California,” Peters said. “I’m very concerned we’ll get the money to pay for it.”

He was referring to funds set aside by the Centre City Development Corp., the city’s downtown redevelopment arm, to finance the plan’s first phase. The state might take local redevelopment property tax funds to balance its budget, and CCDC’s authority to spend money in the Embarcadero area expires in 2017. CCDC chief financial director Frank Alessi said the money appears secure in the agency’s current budget, but there’s no guarantee it will be there next year.

Another financial hurdle is a $26 million commitment by the port to buy a Navy leasehold at 1220 Pacific Highway, south of the Holiday Inn on the Bay, and needed for the planned 800-room hotel project at Lane Field, now a parking lot just north of Broadway at Harbor Drive, where the minor league Padres once played.

Lane Field developers say their hotel financing is stalled, but they are willing to revise their hotel plans to accommodate the proposed new park.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/03/bayfront-project-back-more-park-space/

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/08/03/Lane_Field_and_Embarcadero_setback_idea_8.2010_t593.jpg?f53c1bb70f629018cec0bd6246c82dae770b93ac




It'll be at least another 6 years before anything happens with this...

[eburress]

If you consider being a cheap place to live and do business a characteristic of a cosmopolitan city then, yeah, Dallas, Atlanta, and Houston are the most cosmopolitan cities of them all.

Being cheap is pretty much the only thing those cities got going for them.

hahahaha - really?

[Crackertastik]

The change seems to be the removal of Harbor Drive along that section of the bay. Something I have been in favor of for years. This is a move in the right direction. Nice!

[SDfan]

Are they removing harbor drive? Or are they just cutting the blocks next to the bay in half for park land?

[OneMetropolis]

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/08/03/Lane_Field_and_Embarcadero_setback_idea_8.2010_t593.jpg?f53c1bb70f629018cec0bd6246c82dae770b93ac


This looks great. If they had it like this the first time we would have been somewhere right now. Now it seems not likey to happen.