Good analysis.

:haha: Have you seen the acreage downtown? Please realize that the East Village is a small space, with limited opportunities for development. Go to the library, 8th floor reading room and look out. It's not big at all. And you think putting in a stadium, which would take up huge blocks of land, would result in more projects like 15th & Island?

Lololololololololz.

Downtown is gentrifying just fine. It's push eastward is inevitable. We don't need another stadium (versus a ballpark - two different animals in terms of their relationship to the urban fabric of a city) to keep up the cranes.

Also, an aside. I doubt we will see another project like 15th & Island anytime soon. That project was specifically developed on one of San Diego's few "mega-blocks." Most of the East Village is intersected by fault lines and smaller blocks. And with Civic SD under threat from the legislature, approving such a large project could become very difficult once the NIMBY doors open at City Hall.

I don't think there will be an Egyptian theme. The architect does more modern designs, usually very sleek and high quality. All I can really find is a photo of the model here:

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...d6&oe=56319CE1

This is from the architect's facebook page

Regarding the Hillcrest project, there was an entitled development called "The Memphis" that was going to complement "The Cairo" and "The Egyptian," but the economy stalled before it could be built.

This new project by Segal is called "Mr. Robinson" and it doesn't have any significant Egyptian themes as far as I can tell. I'm a huge fan of his work, and his position/opinions on development in San Diego - so this is an exciting project for me personally. :D

More news about the proposed Carlsbad mall.

The new Granville community plan has been approved. The area was rezoned from industrial to mixed use and will allow up to 8,000 units in buildings up to 5 floors next to transit. I don't see why taller buildings weren't possible at that site, but more housing is great news. I just wish people builders could build based on FAR and not height limits. This produces fat stucco boxes, but oh well.

[URL]http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jun/10/grantville-zoning-transit-smart-growth-development/[URL]

I have and I know what is there. You seem to be saying that parking lots are the only development sites. Am I correct?

When I walk the East Village I see block after block of underdeveloped land. I see single story warehouses that are cross fit gyms and I see boarded up former retail corners.

My take is if San Diego is going to accommodate all of the expected population that is coming, each and every one of these parcels is going to need to be redeveloped.

Yes. You seem to be omitting where the stadium was going to go if it went downtown. It was going to replace the bus garage.

Now that a massive project that could replace the entire garage at once is off the table, the likelihood that this garage is moved in the next 20 years is slim to none. I am not sure what the view is out your window or how much you paid for your place but having that at your doorstep is not a selling point.

The gentrification, for me, is a separate issue from the density. Does that make sense?

I think anything that is less than 6 stories is the wrong type of density and I think that high rise development around the (open air) stadium would have been much, much more likely to happen.

Now, my inference is you're going to see more mid-rise development as you push farther out. Still progress for sure but not enough density to slow the sprawl like I would like to see.

I would hope that we can agree that building density along the existing mass transit infrastructure is imperative to the growth trajectory of the region.

Worst case is smaller projects can be combined but I hear you on the NIMBY nation. At least we know we agree on that.

But even if smaller blocks can't be combined, you can do pretty big projects on smaller parcels. Just look at The Mark. If you remove those crappy townhomes and the community pool at ground level, the tower sits on less than half a city block. Next door, just the Strata Apartments building sits on an even smaller parcel it appears.

They don't need 'mega blocks' to develop towers...

Well if you say so SDCAL - I made no mention of an economic argument and in your reply, you ask a single question, and then spend the rest of your post on economic arguments...

As far as that question, such as it is, not sure what you want here. Are you asking for a spike in facial tissues sales? Increase in calls to suicide prevention lines? Greater reports of dogs being kicked? How do you quantify a loss of community?

Major league sports, particularly the NFL, play a role in community building that museums, symphonies and other tax-payer subsidized institutions simply don't. If you don't want to acknowledge that, well then we just disagree.

Cities that have gone through it seem to feel an acute loss as evidenced by their vigorous, and expensive, efforts to get a team back. If you are convinced that San Diego will somehow be the sole exception, have at it.

Even Seattle, which seemed to have a "lett'em go" attitude when the Sonics left for Oklahoma City, clearly regrets it given the efforts there to build a new arena. Of course, some people are just fine with them losing their team, so I don't pretend these extensive efforts to get a team back reflects everyone's view.

As far as Qualcomm as a catalyst, it was never intended to be. That stadium was built on a 1960s model of "drive to game, hang in parking lot pre-game, watch game, drive home." Don't even need a thesis to tell you that this is a model unlikely to spur adjacent development, nor did I claim it did.

What I do claim is that a new stadium can spur development in Mission Valley and suggest you look at what the Patriots did with Foxboro where they also replaced a 60s model stadium with a 21st Century one surrounded by development... on the same site.

As far as taxes? What I said was we seem to have a plan that won't require a tax increase (look it up!), not that no public money would be used. But as usual, you see what you want, what is actually written notwithstanding...

BTW - I interned for Segal when I began my career in development. For those of you who like his work, let me know if you'd like an introduction... :cheers:

It's called "Mr. Robinson" and it's a Jonathan Segal project. So, no it won't be Egyptian.

Here's a link to a pretentious video about it... :rolleyes:https://vimeo.com/122464704

Segal's work is outstanding. His work should be a model and wakeup call to other developers creating stucco boxes. I'm not in the developer or architect, but maybe Travis could share if it really costs that much more to develop something like Mr. Robinson vs a stucco box? I'm genuinely curious.

We should just let Segal have the El Cajon Blvd Corridor from Park to I-15 where he could build about 12 more "Mr. Robinsons"! Starting with the empty lot next to Sprouts on Park and move East. Maybe the forumers should start making a list of infill parcels on a website like that streets of San Diego. I would assume developers already have someone scoping out land.

Has anyone seen any new renderings of the Little Italy Mercato development on India and Date? Looks like a 5 and 7 story building with a fulltime urban food market. Is this trying to be a Pikes Place kind of thing, it says it will also have a Piazza... This seems like a game changer for Little Italy but it has gotten little attention in this thread, they are excavating for underground garage now.

I saw renderings for the Little Italy project a while back. One block of Date will be closed off and will be a space for a street market. Below the street will be underground parking.

I was down in Little Italy the other day and I have to say it had an excellent amount of activity and development. The Date project will definitely help to finish off the area along with a couple of other projects. It is great that Little Italy has become a significant destination downtown to balance things a bit with Gaslamp and East Village.

This is such exciting news! I'll take the 8000+ units over slightly taller mid-rises any day.

I don't think San Diego would ever approve a community plan with the potential for real high-rise development (15+ stories) outside of where they are allowed now. The best we can hope for is 7-8 stories, max. And that's being liberal. We are going to develop into a 3-6 story middies community.

I say bulldoze Grantville and give it to Segal to rebuild. It seems like the new community plan allows for exactly his kinds of projects.

Planners to mull Mira Mesa megaproject

Stone Creek project would house 15,000 people on 300 acres

By Roger Showley3:31 p.m.June 12, 2015

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/...ojects-design/

http://media.utsandiego.com/img/phot...053cbc530c46a8

This article covers the Civic San Diego happenings of four downtown buildings.

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Downtown rental towers vary in approach
By Roger Showley6 a.m.June 13, 2015

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/...?#article-copy

^^ Just read that article excited about the height at 7th and Broadway that is much needed right there and will add bulk to the an area that hasn't seen a tall in years. 7th and Market will probably block that one from being seen from Petco... And what is up with 11th and Broadway? That project is lagging hard.... Also have the two towers approved and ready just North of Symphony towers by El Cortez started construction yet?

Isn't the Broadway project between 7th and 8th? The beer co is on 6th and Broadway I don't think the article was correct.
Pinnacle is doing 11th and Broadway and ive heard they won't start on that until they finish phase 2 on 15 and island.
The hotel Churchill project is under construction now. I guess they "found" 6 million more dollars to renovate it.

The project is between 7th & 8th.

This article suggests the construction to connect Park Boulevard and Harbor Drive could be completed in 2018.


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DOWNTOWN RAIL CROSSING SET FOR OK

Cost estimate nearly doubles to $13.8 million; 2018 completion likely
By Roger Showley5:07 a.m.June 10, 2015

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/...ng-set-for-ok/