SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[Derek]

Like I've said before, I'm going down with the ship!


I would too, but I like the weather better up there. :D

[Fusey]

Like I've said before, I'm going down with the ship!

You're a braver man than I. ;)

I'm spending up until July in Honolulu (for work), but after that I'm heading to Europe for at least a couple of years. If I come back to the US, San Diego will be on my short list of places to live despite the crazy nimbys. Pardon the pun, but it is one fine city. Finest? Only if you work in marketing.

[mongoXZ]

Which is why I'm heading to Vancouver in two years. :)

Oh yeah Mr "San Diegan for Life"?

What happened to Chicago? Did it have to do with losing the 2016 Olympics in the 1st round?:haha:

[Derek]

Oh yeah Mr "San Diegan for Life"?

What happened to Chicago? Did it have to do with losing the 2016 Olympics in the 1st round?:haha:



:P



Things changed. Hell, I'm from New York! I'm just looking from a little bit of change. :)

[brantw]

Does anybody know of some new parking lots going in?

[staplesla]

The City Council Tuesday unanimously authorized the San Diego Housing Commission to acquire a 130-room downtown hotel to be preserved as affordable housing for low-income seniors.

The San Diego Housing Commission will purchase the Sandford Hotel, at 1301 Fifth Ave., for about $6.8 million and spend an estimated $5.3 million on renovations.

"It makes sense to preserve much-needed affordable housing for low-income seniors in our urban core, where there is public transit as well as access to health care and other social services," said Richard Gentry, head of the Housing Commission.

The Centre City Development Corp., San Diego's downtown redevelopment arm, will lend $6 million to the Housing Commission to purchase the building.

Rehabilitating the Sandford, which was built in 1914, will take about nine months, according to the Housing Commission. The project will include a seismic retrofit, repairs to exterior walls and windows and new carpet, paint and bathroom fixtures inside the single-room occupancy hotel.

http://www.10news.com/news/22651668/detail.html

[sandiego_urban]

Just checking in, haven't logged onto this site in a long time...

[kpexpress]

http://voiceofsandiego.org/opinion/article_a222a462-15cf-11df-9273-001cc4c002e0.html

With the arrival of well-paid consultants, it appears that a publicly financed football stadium for the Chargers is closer to becoming a reality than ever. Regardless of where you stand on the question of building a stadium, it is important for all San Diegans to realize that using downtown redevelopment money is the wrong way to do it.

Unlike regular taxes collected by the city from residents, which can be used at the discretion of local elected officials, redevelopment dollars are governed by state law. The law makes clear that the "fundamental purpose of redevelopment is to expand the supply of low- and moderate-income housing, to expand employment opportunities for jobless, underemployed, and low-income persons, and to provide an environment for the social, economic, and psychological growth and well-being of all citizens."

One of the few things that pointy-headed academics agree on is that building sports stadiums is an incredibly ineffective way to achieve these redevelopment goals. One expert has written that "most academic studies measuring economic impact of sports facilities (not teams or sporting events) fail to find enough net gain to a community to justify the often large public outlays." A book on the subject, titled appropriately Major League Losers, begins:

Too many community leaders do not understand -- or they choose to ignore -- the reams of information describing the minuscule impact of teams on local economics and the ways in which the four major leagues control the number of teams and manipulate revenue-sharing programs to victimize taxpayers and sports fans.

Proponents of a new football stadium point to the gentrification that followed Petco Park as evidence for the redevelopment potential of sports facilities. Yet we should remember that what transformed downtown wasn't Petco Park -- it was $1 billion in ancillary development that Padres owner John Moores agreed to invest in the East Village as a condition for getting public money for his stadium. Given the small area available for a football stadium, city officials and Chargers executives have ruled out a similar deal this time around.

Mayor Jerry Sanders has endorsed the use of redevelopment dollars to build a stadium because, he has claimed, doing so would spare the city's General Fund, the account that pays for police, firefighters, parks and libraries. The mayor is wrong.

Funding a stadium would require the city to extend the life of its downtown redevelopment project areas, allowing downtown property taxes -- known as tax increment -- to go into a separate account reserved for large capital projects. If the project areas were allowed to expire, 22 cents of every tax increment dollar would go straight into the city's general fund, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars over the life of the extension.

A similar amount would go to the county, to pay for important social programs, the Sheriff's Department, and other public services. The rest of the money would be shared by other local governments and the state, to help fund education and public safety, among many other important programs.

Unless you think a football stadium is a worthier use of taxpayer money than the services funded by the city, county, and the state, redevelopment money is the wrong financing route.

So what would be a better way to pay for a new stadium? If San Diego voters believe that the Chargers are an important city asset, one that deserves public investment, they could pass a general obligation bond to fund stadium construction, in the same way that they pass bonds to pay for new school facilities.

Because bonds are repaid through separate property taxes, this is the only route that both protects the city's General Fund and preserves existing redevelopment dollars for use on what the state law has intended.

Vladimir Kogan is a Ph.D. candidate at UCSD's Department of Political Science and a research fellow at Stanford University's Bill Lane Center for the American West. He can be reached at vkogan@ucsd.edu.

[Derek]

Unless you think a football stadium is a worthier use of taxpayer money than the services funded by the city, county, and the state, redevelopment money is the wrong financing route.



Hmm...well...I love the Chargers more than my money, so let's do this thing! :jester:

[eburress]

Keeping the Chargers in San Diego is a worthwhile investment, financially and also for the city's morale. If downtown redevelopment money is what is going to fund this venture, then I am perfectly fine with it.

[ShekelPop]

I love the Chargers along with all of you but I fall in line with the op-ed writer. Moving the Padres resulted in a huge net gain for the city, moving the Chargers will not have the same long term economic benefit, at least in my opinion. I feel this way only looking at the relative cost. The value from the padres redevelopment was enormous, i dont think we can realize the same effect through subsidizing the chargers development. Rather, it simply uses up a ton of capital for very little gain. I mean there'd be no net job growth created by building a new stadium downtown for them. We'd be moving mission valley jobs into downtown. So what? I know we want to keep the team, but I don't want the city to become the sucker in Mark Fabiani's shell game. If they want to produce a study that proves me wrong, then great, but I'd rather be sure its worth the investment.

[mongoXZ]

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/02/24/cityhall_t600.JPG?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3
City Hall project will get public vote
Four San Diego council members now support that step before moving forward
BY CRAIG GUSTAFSON, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2010 AT 12:56 P.M.

No matter what negotiations over a new San Diego City Hall yield, it will go before voters for final approval.

Four City Council members — Carl DeMaio, Kevin Faulconer, Donna Frye and Sherri Lightner — have all committed to a public vote on the project. That means it can’t get the five votes needed to move forward unless it includes a requirement that it must appear on the ballot in a future election, possibly as soon as November.

Faulconer, who had previously voted to move forward with the project without a public vote requirement, provides the swing vote on the issue. Mayor Jerry Sanders also supports a public vote but has limited power to force one.

The City Council entered into exclusive negotiations with Portland, Ore.-based Gerding Edlen for the $432 million project in October. DeMaio, Frye and Lightner voted against the negotiations because it didn’t include a public vote.

In a joint statement Wednesday, the council members explained their decision.

“Put simply, we will not vote to move forward with any project resulting from negotiations with Gerding Edlen for building a new City Hall unless the project is put to voters for approval,” the statement said. “It should be noted that our requirement for a public vote on the project does not indicate our support for, or opposition to, the project itself, but simply states one necessary condition for our support.”

The developer negotiations are expected to finish by April at a cost of nearly $705,000. The money pays for environmental experts, construction consultants and financial gurus.

The project calls for a 34-story City Hall with an underground garage at C Street and First Avenue, just west of the current building. It would consolidate city offices now spread throughout downtown and eliminate several city leases. The city is negotiating to ensure that building a new structure would save money over maintaining the current City Hall and paying leases on offices that don’t fit in it.

After constructing the City Hall, Gerding Edlen hopes to build retail, housing and a parking structure around it to generate profits.

[bmfarley]

The City Council Tuesday unanimously authorized the San Diego Housing Commission to acquire a 130-room downtown hotel to be preserved as affordable housing for low-income seniors.

The San Diego Housing Commission will purchase the Sandford Hotel, at 1301 Fifth Ave., for about $6.8 million and spend an estimated $5.3 million on renovations.

"It makes sense to preserve much-needed affordable housing for low-income seniors in our urban core, where there is public transit as well as access to health care and other social services," said Richard Gentry, head of the Housing Commission.

The Centre City Development Corp., San Diego's downtown redevelopment arm, will lend $6 million to the Housing Commission to purchase the building.

Rehabilitating the Sandford, which was built in 1914, will take about nine months, according to the Housing Commission. The project will include a seismic retrofit, repairs to exterior walls and windows and new carpet, paint and bathroom fixtures inside the single-room occupancy hotel.

http://www.10news.com/news/22651668/detail.html

I recommend linoleum throughout and drains at the low point in each room. just saying.

[eburress]

I love the Chargers along with all of you but I fall in line with the op-ed writer. Moving the Padres resulted in a huge net gain for the city, moving the Chargers will not have the same long term economic benefit, at least in my opinion. I feel this way only looking at the relative cost. The value from the padres redevelopment was enormous, i dont think we can realize the same effect through subsidizing the chargers development. Rather, it simply uses up a ton of capital for very little gain. I mean there'd be no net job growth created by building a new stadium downtown for them. We'd be moving mission valley jobs into downtown. So what? I know we want to keep the team, but I don't want the city to become the sucker in Mark Fabiani's shell game. If they want to produce a study that proves me wrong, then great, but I'd rather be sure its worth the investment.

Though there are clear economic benefits to building a stadium and keeping the Chargers (several articles have been posted here), my contention is that the benefits of doing so go beyond just the economic (e.g., emotional, morale, national relevance).

[mello]

Ok so what does you guys think the chances of the new city hall ballot initiative passing? And do other major cities put everything up to a vote? If Chicago, Minneapolis, Miami, Houston etc. put issues like this on a ballot for the citizens to decide or do they just go ahead and build things without voter consent?

[mongoXZ]

:previous:
The councilmembers who recommended to put this on the ballot (Frye, DeMaio among others) are the ones originally opposed to it. They're pretty confident that it won't get past the voters.

I'm not so confident that it would pass. Too many uninformed idiots in this town who'll shoot down anything within their reach.

[mello]

:previous:
The councilmembers who recommended to put this on the ballot (Frye, DeMaio among others) are the ones originally opposed to it. They're pretty confident that it won't get past the voters.

I'm not so confident that it would pass. Too many uninformed idiots in this town who'll shoot down anything within their reach.


That is funny I saw you on the comments section of the tribune battling it out with the nimbys on the new city hall article. So I wonder what happens if it doesn't pass, that just means the development is dead?

[Derek]

That is funny I saw you on the comments section of the tribune battling it out with the nimbys on the new city hall article. So I wonder what happens if it doesn't pass, that just means the development is dead?



I wouldn't doubt it. :(


God help this city...

[staplesla]

In normal times I think this would have been passed by the voters, but given the state's economic crisis and the political bickering across the nation I think most people are hell bent on voting against all incumbents and voting down measures like this out of emotion, instead of thinking rationally.

[LaPLayaHeritage]

http://tinyurl.com/ChargersStadium

Hi All, Linked above is our Amended Ballot Proposal for a New Chargers Stadium and Event Center. Please read and review. If you would like this Ballot measures to be part of the November 2, 2010 election, please email the City of San Diego with your comments.

jerrysanders@sandiego.gov, donnafrye@sandiego.gov, carldemaio@sandiego.gov, cdemaio@sandiego.gov, sherrilightner@sandiego.gov, martiemerald@sandiego.gov, kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov, benhueso@sandiego.gov, toddgloria@sandiego.gov, anthonyyoung@sandiego.gov, Cityattorney@sandiego.gov, jgoldsmith@sandiego.gov, atevlin@sandiego.gov, cityclerk@sandiego.gov, emaland@sandiego.gov, gbraun@sandiego.gov

[HurricaneHugo]

Well my campus has gone to shit rather quickly...

I'm praying that the protests dont turn violent like the ones in Berkeley.

[bmfarley]

Well my campus has gone to shit rather quickly...

I'm praying that the protests dont turn violent like the ones in Berkeley.
I am stunned with what has occurred. It's quite embarassing for UCSD, San Diego, and California.

The word "responsibility" comes to mind when giving the events some thought... and specically, where and how did these people learn responsibility for their actions.

Their parents? Society as a whole?

[bmfarley]

In other events, something San Diegans can learn from.... Florida is back on track to implement HSR (high speed rail).

A tv station traveled to Spain to report on what HSR is and how it works there. The Florida system would be very similar to the one in Spain. Relative to San Diego.... the same is true with the California version... it would be very very similar.

I viewed a short video provided by that news station and found it portraying the system very accurately. Here it is:

http://www.wftv.com/rail/22662547/detail.html

[kpexpress]

Keeping the Chargers in San Diego is a worthwhile investment, financially and also for the city's morale. If downtown redevelopment money is what is going to fund this venture, then I am perfectly fine with it.

If this gets built using redevelopment funds (governed by state laws) I hope that all the fans enjoy heading to the games on crumbling roads and infrastructure that rival Baghdad.

[HurricaneHugo]

I can't even feel potholes on my gas-guzzling Hummer!:cool:

[dl3000]

Well my campus has gone to shit rather quickly...

I'm praying that the protests dont turn violent like the ones in Berkeley.

Now now I don't recall the ones in Berkeley being about racist bullshit, I can't believe those idiots were provoking people so publicly with that show.

[tdavis]

Now now I don't recall the ones in Berkeley being about racist bullshit, I can't believe those idiots were provoking people so publicly with that show.

FYI - I received an email from the Empowering Spirits Foundation about the UCSD issue. There is an upcoming press conference to address hate crimes in SD. Here is the event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=312294928649&index=1

[mongoXZ]

If this gets built using redevelopment funds (governed by state laws) I hope that all the fans enjoy heading to the games on crumbling roads and infrastructure that rival Baghdad.

Ugh. You're beginning to sound like a typical San diego NIMBY. Potholes this potholes that. Fact of the matter is that the infrastructure will always need fine-tuning. The city's streets will never be in 100% pristine condition.

Didn't someone earlier post a number for people to contact to repave a specific pothole they're obsessing over?

[tdavis]

Didn't someone earlier post a number for people to contact to repave a specific pothole they're obsessing over?

Just fill out the request online - http://apps.sandiego.gov/streetdiv/

I've lived in 7 cities across 3 countries, SD has the best roads of all the cities I've lived in.

[DIESELPOLO]

Though there are clear economic benefits to building a stadium and keeping the Chargers (several articles have been posted here), my contention is that the benefits of doing so go beyond just the economic (e.g., emotional, morale, national relevance).

Burress, the whole idea of the stadium going downtown i would argue doesn't have an emotional benefit but rather that emotions are partially what drives people to support things of this nature. Strong emotions would surely not want the Chargers to leave SD, but are they threatening to leave the city if they don't get a new stadium? And the national relevance of the stadium move? That I don't understand- you'd have to elaborate.

Its like a corporation that you want in your city, but jeez, should a city really be saddled with building the equivalent of Qualcommom's corporate HQ?

[dl3000]

FYI - I received an email from the Empowering Spirits Foundation about the UCSD issue. There is an upcoming press conference to address hate crimes in SD. Here is the event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=312294928649&index=1

Interesting. It's true the hate has to end.

And I'm for the Chargers staying, but if the city has to cover more than a third the bill (just a number I feel is the max) then the Chargers lost points with me. Despite their success, they still haven't brought us a Super Bowl and I've followed the team since '92 (that's the earliest I understood what I was watching on the games).

[eburress]

Burress, the whole idea of the stadium going downtown i would argue doesn't have an emotional benefit but rather that emotions are partially what drives people to support things of this nature. Strong emotions would surely not want the Chargers to leave SD, but are they threatening to leave the city if they don't get a new stadium? And the national relevance of the stadium move? That I don't understand- you'd have to elaborate.

Its like a corporation that you want in your city, but jeez, should a city really be saddled with building the equivalent of Qualcommom's corporate HQ?

I don't know that Spanos has publicly threatened to leave if he/the Chargers don't receive a new stadium, but I believe the assumption is that he would rather move the Chargers to the new LA stadium but is first giving San Diego the opportunity to attempt to get something done. If they are unable to do so, then he's taking the Chargers to LA.

Assuming that this is the case, the national relevance of San Diego losing the Chargers would be, among other things, lost attention or notoriety (e.g., no more Super Bowls), decreased opinion (San Diego is seen nationally as a "can't do" city), and appeal (e.g., businesses moving to a region often site sports teams as an compelling factor).

I think the corporation analogy is a very good one. Cities do go to great lengths and spend a lot of money to attract corporate headquarters, and the Chargers are a corporation San Diego can't afford to lose.

[Derek]

The Chargers are pretty much all that San Diego has besides it's weather. :P

[Fusey]

But you hate the weather, Derek. ;)

eburress brings up a good point. Many corporations look at local sports teams (along with concert halls, art museums, etc.) as a way to entertain clients. I'm not saying that that is a major reason to build the chargers a new stadium, but certainly it's an important one to consider.

[Derek]

I DO hate the weather! But, for some reason, everybody else seems to love it...:shrug:

[eburress]

But you hate the weather, Derek. ;)

eburress brings up a good point. Many corporations look at local sports teams (along with concert halls, art museums, etc.) as a way to entertain clients. I'm not saying that that is a major reason to build the chargers a new stadium, but certainly it's an important one to consider.

It's one of the reasons that cities like Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta do so well in attracting corporate headquarters.

As far as National opinion or notoriety is concerned, cities' sports teams are definitely relevant. For example, the woes of cities' sports teams are sited repeatedly in Forbes' list of America's Most Miserable Cities (http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/11/americas-most-miserable-cities-business-beltway-miserable-cities.html).

[staplesla]

My company recently moved its headquarters to Dallas from here. One of the items the exploratory committee was asked to take into account was local sport venues.

[Derek]

My company recently moved its headquarters to Dallas from here. One of the items the exploratory committee was asked to take into account was local sport venues.



But the Rangers aren't any good... :P

[staplesla]

But the Rangers aren't any good... :P

Haha. We were instructed to rank each city based on the available sporting options for wining/dining clients in each city, not the level of the talent.

I personally was sad to see everyone move from CA, but the committee failed CA and SD on almost every other category as well - cost of housing, rent, taxes, cost of doing business, average commute times, etc.

[kpexpress]

Ugh. You're beginning to sound like a typical San diego NIMBY. Potholes this potholes that. Fact of the matter is that the infrastructure will always need fine-tuning. The city's streets will never be in 100% pristine condition.

Didn't someone earlier post a number for people to contact to repave a specific pothole they're obsessing over?

I think our streets are "crumbling" in more ways than just potholes. I really don't care about potholes, they're annoying, but I really don't drive that much. Our INFRASTRUCTURE is horrible. Our streets lack life, humanity, trees, plants, bike lanes, decent sidewalks (not for just walking), activity, local shops, etc. PRISTINE is the last word I can think to describe the overall street/sidewalk/streetwall condition that exists in the Centre City.

I'm no NIMBY, but I hope that the Stadium does not get built in the East Village using money that's protected by state law. I don't see it as a viable investment to spur development in the EV. ALso, I don't think that building an enormous stadium is the type of development that best fits in that corner of the Centre City. I've always imagined it an expansive dense low rise/row home community with families. The scale just doesn't fit.

[bmfarley]

But the Rangers aren't any good... :P

Hey, I am a Rangers fan. I even have a jersey... the only MLB in my closet. For football.. the Dallas Cowboys.

[eburress]

Hey, I am a Rangers fan. I even have a jersey... the only MLB in my closet. For football.. the Dallas Cowboys.

I knew I liked you!! :)

[HurricaneHugo]

I never liked that guy anyways. :yuck:

[Crackertastik]

Thought you guys would dig this story...a little jab in the face of those that cannot imagine innovative uses for traditional use buildings. In this case (libraries). The same goes for our other civic buildings, what a downtown stadium might entail, etc. Think outside the box, demand excellence and function above all, and good design can occur that makes all these types of projects very valuable to our city.

http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture-society/new-libraries-revitalize-cities-8596/

[mongoXZ]

I think our streets are "crumbling" in more ways than just potholes. I really don't care about potholes, they're annoying, but I really don't drive that much. Our INFRASTRUCTURE is horrible. Our streets lack life, humanity, trees, plants, bike lanes, decent sidewalks (not for just walking), activity, local shops, etc.
You've obviously haven't been to many cities have you? Have you been to Phoenix? Houston? Dallas? Atlanta? Florida cities?:yuck: The lunar landscape is more vibrant and inviting than those places.

I'm not saying SD is perfect but trust me, we're better off than 90% of the cities out there and I'm not even counting foreign countries either. Our city center is the envy of most of the nation. Here's a recent East Coaster's photo thread on our city. I'm pretty sure he was impressed.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=4729714#post4729714


I'm no NIMBY, but I hope that the Stadium does not get built in the East Village using money that's protected by state law. I don't see it as a viable investment to spur development in the EV. ALso, I don't think that building an enormous stadium is the type of development that best fits in that corner of the Centre City. I've always imagined it an expansive dense low rise/row home community with families. The scale just doesn't fit.
You seem hellbent on hoping the stadium will never get built even if it were free. Even with the stadium's large footprint in the East Village there is still a lot of room to build those "dense lowrise row homes" you speak of. Core, Columbia, City College area, across the 5 into Sherman Heights, South Park, Barrio Logan etc. Not to mention there's still a lot of buildable lots in East Village remaining.

For football.. the Dallas Cowboys.
:dead:

[BrandonJXN]

Hey...YOO HOO...Diegans...even though we are both sharing in the best weather in the country, lets see some updates! I live in a desert. I want to see the ocean and palm trees and new development.

I miss SD. I used to go to Roosevelt Jr. High School (next to the zoo). Anything new in Hillcrest?

[OneMetropolis]

Hey...YOO HOO...Diegans...even though we are both sharing in the best weather in the country, lets see some updates! I live in a desert. I want to see the ocean and palm trees and new development.

I miss SD. I used to go to Roosevelt Jr. High School (next to the zoo). Anything new in Hillcrest?

Well ThreeHundred to be honest, with the recession and everything, there's not much going on.

[SDfan]

I guess the urban community project in Otay has a name and a website:

"Millenia" ~ http://www.milleniasd.com/

[Crackertastik]

That is a very nice development. Very Urban feel to it, in the heart of sprawl cit out in east chula vista. I like it a lot and hope it gets built.

[sdFan09]

That was an awesome photo thread. The poster made a comment that there are no major squares downtown, which I have also noticed. Does anyone know why, besides a for a lack of planning, no public squares were built downtown? A place like Union Square in SF could be a great addition to our DT.

[staplesla]

The California Coastal Commission asked the Unified Port of San Diego, city and Coastal Commission staff to come back in April with revised plans to move forward with the first phase of North Embarcadero improvements surrounding the Harbor Drive and Broadway intersection. The estimated $28 million project connecting the bay front to downtown could bring approximately 400 jobs to the area.

The port’s proposed North Embarcadero Visionary Plan includes moving Harbor Drive 40 feet to the east, building an esplanade from B Street Pjier to the former Navy Pier along Harbor Drive, public art displays, tree groves and open spaces, among other developments, according to port plans.

Coastal Commission staff recommended denying a coastal development permit because of changes to original plans, which call for a large oval park at the foot of West Broadway at Harbor Drive. Staff also cited an overall lack of parking in the proposed plans, according to Coastal Commission staff reports. California Coastal Commissioners sent the project back to planners during a February Coastal Commission public appeal hearing.

“[Port] staff is going to be meeting with Coastal Commission staff to try to work out something agreeable … that would be a benefit to the area and add a nice feature and enhancement,” said Unified Port of San Diego spokesman John Gilmore.

What that final plan would look like is still unclear.

As the project inches forward, funding falls to the city and the port. The Unified Port of San Diego and the City of San Diego’s Redevelopment Agency through the Center City Development Corporation (CCDC) plan to split the cost for the project, according to port officials.

The first phase of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan is part of an overall Port Master Plan aimed at developing the bay front along Harbor Drive and port tidelands with public spaces and furniture, marine terminal uses, tens of thousands of square feet of park space and other amenities resulting from a years-long public design and planning process.

The big plan also calls for projects like the Broadway Cruise Ship Terminal, a Navy complex, redevelopments of Lane Field just north of Broadway and the addition of the new 3.5 acre Ruocco Park, all near the intersection of Harbor Drive and West Broadway.

Michael McDade, former chair of an initial planning group comprised of local government agencies called the North Embarcadero Alliance, said this current phase would boost the state and national economy.

“[The North Embarcadero Visionary Plan Phase one] is in San Diego but it’s not for San Diegans. This is a major public entity for the United States and for California in particular. Millions of people will visit this park,” McDade said to commissioners at the meeting.

He added that if stalled, the project could “go away.”

But plans keep changing, said Point Loma resident Katheryn Rhodes. Rhodes appealed to the Coastal Commission about the project. Some California Coastal Commissioners also took issue with the project because of what some called piece-meal planning. Amendments to the plan are made implicitly through approval of other projects such as the Cruise Ship Terminal approved last year. The terminal could preclude the oval park at the foot of Broadway to make room for traffic.

“It looks like the Coastal Commission is holding [Unified Port of San Diego’s] feet to the fire and not letting them do this whole piece-meal thing,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes also pointed to a “presumed active” fault system beneath Port Tidelands. If ever confirmed, the fault system could preclude certain types of development, she said. However, port and city authorities show no signs of testing for fault activity.

The California Coastal Commission is set to decide on the project when commissioners convene April 14 through 16 at the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, 800 South Victoria Ave., in Ventura.

Details of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan Phase one can be found at the Unified Port of San Diego’s Web site www.portofsandiego.org.

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-03-06/politics-city-county-government/ccc-to-port-of-san-diego-come-back-in-april#ixzz0hWIQx6SY

[dl3000]

That was an awesome photo thread. The poster made a comment that there are no major squares downtown, which I have also noticed. Does anyone know why, besides a for a lack of planning, no public squares were built downtown? A place like Union Square in SF could be a great addition to our DT.

I was thinking the same thing. I think Horton Plaza and the Square in front of it sort of replaced anything that could have been like it. If there was no horton plaza, the department stores and shops would have been dispersed in the immediate area and there would have been a Union Square type thing. That would have been better than Horton Plaza imo but whatever. The NBC could have had a decent square thing. I have just resigned to the fact that San Diego simply lacks those sort of big city elements and probably won't ever have them. :(

[CoastersBolts]

To at least somewhat rectify the problem at Horton Squares, a major restaurant or retailer should be placed in the space formerly occupied by Planet Hollywood. It seems as though that would make people want to go into that area and not be scared away by the copious amounts of homeless who loiter in that area.

[dl3000]

This is true, however, one should note that no matter where one goes, there are "copious amounts of homeless" especially in the previous example of Union Square. If I had a dollar for every time I was asked for money in a 4 block walk I would have made a considerable amount of cash.

[alasi]

Actually, there used to be a Dept store(I think it was Robinson's) in that spot,but that didn't stop the homeless.

[HurricaneHugo]

So...how 'bout them Chargers??

[Derek]

Chargers? Meh. The management is annoying me. Badly. I can't believe LT signed with the Jets...

[ShekelPop]

Thought this was really interesting. This year's ULI's annual student urban design competition used a hypothetical development area in San Diego's East Village.

The site the teams had to study and propose development plans for is an area bounded by Park, C St., Market and the 5. The competition selected four finalists. I looked through some of the entries (for greater detail see: http://www.udcompetition.uli.org/finalists).

I think some of these are the more noteworthy images from the proposals so far. The winner is selected in April. Even though this is purely a design exercise, its nice to see some new conceptual drawings for that area.

Harvard Team Area Massing
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4443842966_a931f63f6b.jpg

Harvard Team Promenade Rendering
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4443843074_b70ba39079.jpg

North Carolina Team Area Massing
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2798/4443843156_edc916c3c0.jpg

North Carolina Team Central Park Rendering
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4443843204_dd8966f153_o.jpg

U Penn Public Square Rendering
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2795/4443071019_87b7e49201.jpg

[Derek]

That looks amazing. Wow. Too bad it's just for fun. :(

[spoonman]

Looks way too suburban for that area. All of the building appear to be no taller than 4 feet, and they don't have real looking streets.

Where is the mixed use?

Whatever, it's not real...

[Derek]

It doesn't look suburban to me at all. :shrug:

[dl3000]

There isn't much density. I agree with spoonman, it looks like the same density as the Qualcomm Complex in Sorrento Valley with less parking lots and more park. Perhaps all the proposals coming from the east coast assumes that even downtown is somewhat suburban. They probably know very little about what San Diego is all about short of the romanticized beach town with awesome weather and some census data. It's not like they took a field trip out here to see East Village.

I remember being in an airport planning class, the team that chose San Diego recommended fucking North Island...silly, and that was in Berkeley so SD is a little closer to be more familiar.

[Crackertastik]

i like how the UPenn idea is to expand student housing for the city college. Im not sure they understand what the SDCC is. It's like providing a ton of housing for LACC. Each of the 4 ideas were dull and lacked any sort of WOW factor or new ideas.

I'd like to see a project of that size in San Diego try new ideas. I read one recently about market centered projects. An urban anchor market as the center of the development.

At least TRY something new. These plans were dull, and lacked diversity.

[mongoXZ]

Trolley may head to La Jolla

http://www.signonsandiego.com/weblogs/the-ride-transportation/2010/mar/22/trolley-may-head-la-jolla/
STEVE SCHMIDT
MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2010


As my colleague Nathan Scharn reported over the weekend, regional planners are laying the financial groundwork for extending the San Diego Trolley from Old Town to UCSD and University Towne Centre.

The San Diego Association of Governments and the Metropolitan Transit System have been kicking around the idea for years. In a recent report, SANDAG staffers pegged the cost of the 11-mile project at $1.2 billion. They are hoping to secure at least half the money from the feds, with much of the rest coming from TransNet, an existing half-cent sales tax.

The agency is looking at three possible routes, as outlined here (http://www.sandag.org/uploads/meetingid/meetingid_2534_10878.pdf) (check out agenda item #8).

[HurricaneHugo]

Yeah, now that I'm about to graduate. :hell:

[voice of reason]

Graduating from college, I remember it well. I was a protesting, hippie, radical student.
When I got my first paycheck from my first real job, I remember being shocked and saying,
'why is all this fucking money being taken from my check?'

Now you get a real job and pay for my fucking health care, its my right to have it and I might ride the trolley to La Jolla once a year so pay for that too.
I am retired so pay up chump.

[Derek]

Why not extend it to Hillcrest and North Park first? You know, places where it would actually be used.

[kpexpress]

Why not extend it to Hillcrest and North Park first? You know, places where it would actually be used.

I've always hoped that we could build an independent system serving Hillcrest, North Park, South Park, and Golden Hill. Like a street car system or something

[Derek]

That would work too. Too bad it makes too much sense...

[IconRPCV]

I have always imagined the trolley going up the 163 from the Smart Corner station in downtown through the park on to the Fashion Valley mall and up to the Mesas would be a great idea. People would use it to hop between uptown and downtown, tourists would love it too.

[IconRPCV]

On another note, does anyone know what is being built at the corner of 8th and Market?

[tdavis]

On another note, does anyone know what is being built at the corner of 8th and Market?

Soil removal, then back to a parking lot.

[kpexpress]

8th and Market I believe is owned by Oliver McMullin, from what I've heard the tower that they want to build there will be bigger than The Mark.

[staplesla]

8th and Market I believe is owned by Oliver McMullin, from what I've heard the tower that they want to build there will be bigger than The Mark.

If you are referring to the old parking lot on the south side of Market between 7th and 8th, it is soil remediation, then returning back to a parking lot. There are no plans for a building at this time.

http://www.ccdc.com/events/resources/advertisement%20-%2010-19-09%20-%20FINAL%20%283%291.pdf

[bmfarley]

Proposed Hotel Tower recieves CCDC Design Review approval:
http://www.ccdc.com/events/resources/Item%205%20-%20Columbia%20Tower3.pdf See pages 31-38 for renderings.

[kpexpress]

Proposed Hotel Tower recieves CCDC Design Review approval:
http://www.ccdc.com/events/resources/Item%205%20-%20Columbia%20Tower3.pdf See pages 31-38 for renderings.

Yeah we approved this project last month at CCAC.

[HurricaneHugo]

Well, they all can't be 40 story towers!

[eburress]

Awwww - what a cute little tower! :)

[SDfan]

Excellent filler. And it would be nice to see another Hyatt downtown.

[staplesla]

The city of San Diego and San Diego County are on the verge of joining forces in an effort to build a new downtown stadium for the San Diego Chargers.

The possible stadium would be built about four blocks from Petco Park, and now a plan is in the works to get the project done using some tax dollars but not at the expense of public safety and basic city services.

Well aware of the political battle over the building of Petco Park, several elected officials have moved cautiously in whatever might be done about a new stadium for the Chargers. Just a few months ago, a consultant was hired to explore what worked in other cities and to see what would be best for San Diego. Officials found the key word to be cooperation.

The idea of building a new Chargers home next door to where the San Diego Padres play has several benefits, and sources told 10News the city and county have been working closely behind the scenes to make it happen. The infrastructure has already been upgraded and redevelopment money makes it attractive for outside investors and to neighboring governments.

"We look at the Chargers as a regional asset. Most of the fanbase comes from outside of the city of San Diego, so we would hope other agencies, particularly the county of San Diego, would be part of the process and will be partners with us," said Darren Pudgil, spokesman for San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders.

"Is the county working with you?" asked 10News' Steve Fiorina.

"Certainly open to it, yes," said Pudgil.

The financing package is still to be ironed out, but it would not include any money from the city's general fund, 10News learned.

"We are focusing on redevelopment dollars. We wouldn't use any general fund dollars that would take away from police, fire, libraries or the park & recreation programs," said Pudgil.

It is an exciting prospect for the Centre City Development Corporation, as it looks at how well earlier projects of this nature paid off.

Derek Danziger of the CCDC said, "Horton Plaza in the mid-1980s was a huge success story as a public-private partnership. Not only did it bring shopping and retail back downtown, but it stimulated the entire growth of the Gaslamp Quarter and the residential community within Marina District. You move to 2004, Petco Park. We had $311 million of assessed value expected. It's now $2 billion worth of development that's happened around there, with another $2 billion in the pipeline, completely transforming the entire neighborhood … really looking forward to what a stadium could mean to the East Village neighborhood."

CCDC would run out of money in the mid 2020s, but is also taking steps to increase its spending cap which would make things easier.

The Chargers, the city, county or CCDC have not committed to this proposed plan, observers believe the stars appear to be aligning.

http://www.10news.com/news/23031113/detail.html

[Derek]

I want renderings!

[2SQ]

Hi all, first time poster, long time lurker on these boards. This was posted just over a week ago on KGTV's Ch.10 website. This was kind of under the radar, so I'm not surprised not so many know about this:

Asian-Themed District Planned For Downtown

POSTED: 6:11 pm PDT March 23, 2010
UPDATED: 6:16 pm PDT March 23, 2010

SAN DIEGO -- A project for an Asian-themed district in downtown San Diego is now under way.

The color, tradition, the food -- soon, San Diegans may not have to go far to find the ambiance of a Chinatown. There are a few lanterns already up downtown, and banners have been designed.

"Our mission is to preserve Asian heritage in San Diego," said Bennett Peji of the Asian Pacific Historic Collaborative.

Centered at 3rd and Island avenues, the district will stretch about eight blocks. The $2.5 million project is funded by redevelopment dollars, and its intention is to make over an area rich in Asian heritage, dating back to the settlements of Chinese fishermen in the mid-1800s.

"The Chinese were the first to go, followed by Japanese in 1880-90s and then Filipinos in early 1900s," said Murray Lee of the Chinese Historical Museum.

One building, which served as a grocery in the late 1800s, remains standing on 3rd Ave. The hope is places like that can be part of a renaissance.

Project leaders would like to move in restaurants and shops to go with several museums. Leaders also said it won't be merely a "Chinatown."

"Shows three cultures working in harmony," said Peji.

A Chinese dragon, a Japanese fish and a Filipino water buffalo will all appear on a yet-to-be designed gateway and will serve as a meshing of Asian cultures and a first for a major city.

"To show that we have and will continue to work together," added Peji.

The question now is if a display of heritage transform into a vibrant area.

Parking remains a barrier, but sources told 10News three investors are already in talks to open Asian-themed businesses.

Most of the renovations like Asian-themed streetlights, paving and landscaping will be put in later this year.

The gateway will be in place by the end of next year.


http://www.10news.com/news/22925514/detail.html

[mongoXZ]

Welcome 2SQ, I just hope they don't call it "AsiaTown":haha:

Land deal buoys convention center
Agreement may be catalyst for $753 million expansion

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/04/02/100402convenexp_t600.jpg?42b0fb247f69dabe2ae440581a34634cbc5420f3

http://media.signonsandiego.com/img/photos/2010/04/02/100402convexpan_t352.jpg?980751187beea6fc26a3a9e93795d379f58af1c4
BY CRAIG GUSTAFSON, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2010 AT 12:05 A.M.

EARNIE GRAFTON / UNION-TRIBUNE

A complicated land deal has been reached that bolsters hope for a $753 million expansion of the San Diego Convention Center, a move viewed as crucial to preventing blockbuster events such as Comic-Con from fleeing to a different city.

Officials with the Port of San Diego and the convention center have agreed to work together for the expansion and a long-desired hotel after negotiating a deal with a private business group that controls the 7-acre bayfront plot in downtown San Diego where the two projects would be built.

The deal, which the Port Commission is expected to approve Tuesday, would remove a major barrier for the proposed expansion. Officials say the larger center, projected to open in 2015, would maintain San Diego’s status as a dominant player in the convention circuit.

“This is the first step that you have to do,” Mayor Jerry Sanders said. “You have to get everybody on the same page … and then we can go through and start refining costs, start refining what the design is going to be. But you can’t even do those things until you get this initial thing done.”

The expansion has been sought for nearly a decade. The center began operating at capacity in 2001, shortly after completion of its $216 million first expansion, and has turned away nearly 400 events in recent years. More than 80 percent of those events could have been accommodated if the venue had been larger.

The problem has been made vividly clear in recent months as Comic-Con organizers consider whether to move their pop-culture phenomenon out of San Diego, their longtime home, and send their 126,000 attendees to larger venues in Anaheim or Los Angeles for 2013 and beyond.

Carol Wallace, the center’s chief executive officer, said the port vote couldn’t come at a better time.

“The clock is ticking, as you’ve seen played out on all the comments about Comic-Con leaving San Diego because the center is too small,” she said. “This would show that we are moving forward and that San Diego is serious about an expansion of the convention center.”

If approved, the deal would essentially start what center officials say is an 18- to 24-month process in which they’ll seek public comment and opinion, study the expansion’s effect on the environment, design the building and, most important, figure out how to pay for it.

The proposed expansion calls for a contiguous third section to be built behind the existing center near the waterfront. It would provide an additional 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, a third ballroom and 100,000 square feet of meeting rooms.

Those figures would give the center a total of 815,000 square feet of exhibit space, roughly the same as Anaheim’s center.

A mayoral task force recommended the expansion in September after issuing a report that showed the center generated $18 billion for the local economy and raised $364 million in tax revenue over the past 20 years.

Even longtime critics of civic spending, such as taxpayer advocate Richard Rider, say the project warrants closer examination because it would actually generate revenue for the city and help pay for public safety, parks and libraries.

The biggest challenge so far has been to acquire the land for the expansion.

The nonprofit that runs the convention center agreed in November to buy out the current leaseholder for $13.5 million. The property is controlled by Fifth Avenue Landing LLC, a company run by Ray Carpenter and Art Engel. They had tried for years to build a 250-room hotel on the site without success.

The deal calls for the center to pay $1 million upfront to the businessmen to secure the property. Over the next four years, it will pay $500,000 each year and then make a balloon payment to close the sale in the fifth year. The center has the option to back out at any time if its expansion plan falls through.

The port, which approved the original lease to Fifth Avenue Landing because it administers the land for the state, has final say over the new agreement, so it has been negotiating with the company over the terms. The subjects of those talks haven’t been revealed although it’s no secret that port officials want a hotel, one with perhaps as many as 500 rooms, on the property as part of any expansion.

The proposal before the port Tuesday does three things: It approves the lease transfer to the center; it gives Fifth Avenue Landing a new 30-year lease to operate its water-taxi business on the property; and it couples the proposed hotel and center expansion as they move forward.

The California Coastal Commission would have to approve any project before construction could begin.

Port Commissioner Steve Cushman, who supports the proposal, said the deal is one of many moving pieces that will have to come together for the expansion to happen, most notably how to pay for it.

“It’s a necessary step. There’s no reason to cobble together funds if you don’t have somewhere to put it,” Cushman said.

Once the land is acquired, the focus will turn to finances.

The port paid for the convention center’s original construction costs of $164 million in 1989. The port also contributed to the 2001 expansion, and the city borrowed money to pay its share. The proposed expansion will likely have to go forward without help from either agency because neither can afford it.

Instead, Sanders, who will lead the effort to identify revenue sources, said he expects hoteliers and other businesses that would directly benefit from the expansion to help defray the costs. That likely means increased fees on cab rides, hotel stays and restaurant checks.

Cushman estimated that the city would need to raise between $50 million and $60 million annually to pay back loans on the proposed expansion.

Bob Nelson, the center’s board chairman, said the port vote will help spur discussion on how to finance the expansion.

“No one’s going to invest any effort or money into financing this without assurance that we’ve got a viable project,” Nelson said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/apr/02/land-deal-buoys-convention-center/

[eburress]

I'm all for an Asian-themed district in San Diego for sure, but I thought we essentially already had one on Convoy. Why not put up a neighborhood gateway there?

So ignoring that minor detail, it seems odd that this new Asian-themed district would be established within the boundaries of the existing Gaslamp district and consists of only one or two buildings with Asian significance, and a whole lot of other purposes that are thoroughly not Asian-related. It will be the smallest "district" in the history of districts and seems to me to be at best very poorly conceived.

Edit -> Does it seem odd that the Gaslamp District's gateway is only two blocks away?

[sandiegodweller]

I'm all for an Asian-themed district in San Diego for sure, but I thought we essentially already had one on Convoy. Why not put up a neighborhood gateway there?

So ignoring that minor detail, it seems odd that this new Asian-themed district would be established within the boundaries of the existing Gaslamp district and consists of only one or two buildings with Asian significance, and a whole lot of other purposes that are thoroughly not Asian-related. It will be the smallest "district" in the history of districts and seems to me to be at best very poorly conceived.

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

UCSD would also be a better location.

[eburress]

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

UCSD would also be a better location.

hahaha - that's what I'm saying!! There are a number of other parts of town in which an Asian District would be sooooo much more appropriate! This one-building Asian district downtown is lame. I can picture it now. "Hey honey...let's go down to the Asian District downtown and eat at Morton's Steakhouse!"

[tdavis]

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

UCSD would also be a better location.

UCSD? What a bigoted statement! Just because a bunch of Asian students attend the school doesn't make the area rich in Asian tradition. The area downtown was picked as it is symbolical of the rich Asian heritage.

Grow up!

[SDfan]

UCSD? What a bigoted statement! Just because a bunch of Asian students attend the school doesn't make the area rich in Asian tradition. The area downtown was picked as it is symbolical of the rich Asian heritage.

Grow up!

Bigoted? How about true. UCSD has a large and influential Asian population, albeit they are mostly students. The site downtown does have a rich Asian tradition, it is just hard to imagine it in what has already been established (or rather, reestablished) as an entertainment district.

I think the idea is lovely though, and I look forward to seeing the gate being put up. It is definitely time San Diego has a formal Asian thematic center.

[staplesla]

Tasteless Comment! I'm constantly in awe at the stupidity of people.

The re-development & characterization of this area of downtown has to do with the history of the area, not the people living there. What history do Asians have with the UCSD area?

[SDfan]

Tasteless Comment! I'm constantly in awe at the stupidity of people.

The re-development & characterization of this area of downtown has to do with the history of the area, not the people living there. What history do Asians have with the UCSD area?

Tasteless? Stupidity? Exclamation points!

People on this forum are rather hot-blooded. Someone is always screaming about something instead of just having a discussion. Anyways...

UCSD has a large Asian community. You don't have to be a student to see that. I was just saying that it is true UCSD does have a large and influential Asian community, regardless of the history in the Marina District and Gaslamp Quarter. Calling another forumer "bigoted" isn't fair when their suggestion is just as valid as "Manila Mesa" (shockingly, I would have expected that term to be attacked first and foremost over UCSD).

Hope you guys can take a chill pill before you reply. :rainbow:

[spoonman]

Maybe Voice of Reason will weigh in on this...haha

[staplesla]

Tasteless? Stupidity? Exclamation points!

People on this forum are rather hot-blooded. Someone is always screaming about something instead of just having a discussion. Anyways...

UCSD has a large Asian community. You don't have to be a student to see that. I was just saying that it is true UCSD does have a large and influential Asian community, regardless of the history in the Marina District and Gaslamp Quarter. Calling another forumer "bigoted" isn't fair when their suggestion is just as valid as "Manila Mesa" (shockingly, I would have expected that term to be attacked first and foremost over UCSD).

Hope you guys can take a chill pill before you reply. :rainbow:

All I said was 'tasteless comment!' Another person used the term 'bigoted.' I'm just saddened every time I see such ignorant talk. People don't think before talking/writing, and about the consequences of their actions or the people that could be offended. I'm white, and thankfully don't have to put up with the crap other races go through. But I'll defend mankind and those treated less than another any day.

[CoastersBolts]

Loud noises!

[Derek]

:laugh:

[sandiegodweller]

Why don't you figure out the defintion of "bigot" before spouting off. Simply pointing out that a certain area of the community is occupied by a racial group/race isn't "bigoted" unless it is paired with intolerance.

The whole idea of artificially creating a new district representing one race/ethnic group is a reach. If the area around 3rd and J was so historically important to the Asian community it would have sprouted organically and shouldn't need to be mandated. Instead, Asian businesses have flocked to other parts of the county.

[dl3000]

Jeez. UCSD, lots of Asians live there but not a good place for a Chinatownesque center obviously. Mira Mesa, lots of Asians live there and already establish businesses in the area, same for Convoy. 3rd and Imperial, probably very few Asians live there, some people want to honor the historic Asian presence, fine. I don't see what all the debate is about. Its just like how "real" chinatowns bleed into nearby neighborhoods. In SF a chunk of Little Italy has Asian businesses because the themed street furniture like what they have in mind for SD doesn't match the businesses it fronts. I frankly don't see it factoring much at all in the scheme of downtown.

[HurricaneHugo]

WOW that was strong!

I was at Geisel Library here at UCSD and that was pretty violent.

First I just sat and looked around just laughing, then it got stronger, my girl dove went under the table which made me think maybe I should too...

I think that's the first time I've actually gotten under a table during an earthquake...

I was waiting for the large panel glass to shatter but they didn't.

[dl3000]

Current estimate is 7.2

http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/

The map is lit up!

[voice of reason]

Maybe Voice of Reason will weigh in on this...haha

I live in Little Italy and am active in the association and management of the community.

I have traveled to 58 countries (including 6 Asian) How many have you visited or do you just 'study 'bout' them in school?

I have an Asian daughter in law.

So am I an expert, no but I probably know more about the subject that the ones dribbling pablum out the corners of the mouths of the college crowd.

You cant waive a wand and create an ethnic neighborhood. It must have some historical significance, like Little Italy.

You need people with money willing to invest and you need the local municipality supporting the idea.

The area downtown has some activities around Chinese New Year and the Sunday street market. I dont think it will ever be much more than it is, but its fun to get a bit of Asian flare once-in-a-while.

Convoy has more of a chance since it has more businesses and has some inertia.

Glad I could come to your aid.

[HurricaneHugo]

Just reading on the "asian-district."

LOL

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

Just redevelop Convoy!