Airport & Sushi
 

I have been to Nobu at the Hard Rock in Vegas. Certainly great sushi, but somewhat pricy and long waits if you don't have reservations.

Despite my handle I am a 28 year San Diego resident. Personally I will be disappointed if Lindbergh is replaced elsewhere and I have created a petition to keep it right where it is: http://SaveLindbergh.org Please sign it if you agree.

G.

PS: I have money down on a 2br/2ba at Turnberry Towers in Vegas that I intend to use for vacations and occasional rentals. My price is 125K less than the current pricing. Looking for a partner (25% to 50%) if anybody is insterested.

Vegasbound, if you support Lindbergh where it is... I hope you support California High Speed Rail? If constructed it will help mitigate the need to expand the airport as it competes very well in-state air travel and flights in the 250-600 mile range.

I like flying but I would without question take HSR to places like LA, SF or Sacramento because door to door travel would be the same or better... and certainly have less hassles.

YES HSR, YES on a new airport. San Diego has the potential to be the gateway to Asia on the west coast. It doesn't take much to outdo San Francisco. All you have to do is build an international facility better than theirs and then our weather will attract airlines since it is so consistent whereas San Francisco has fog issues. Then downtown can go up. And right in the middle would be the link to all of California in a terminal for HSR to whisk passengers throughout.

"Yes" on a new airport and "yes" on Lindberg staying right where it is seems to conflict with each other. Are you supportive of a new airport alltogether... augmenting Lindberg? Is that what you mean?

Why would you want to keep Lindbergh where it is? The reasons on your website are dumb.

Yeah, I htink it is a misleading too.... after re-reading it. I don't think a centrally located ariport would add to commute link trips to the airport... or for people wanting access to it. If at all, the Miramar location would decrease them since that location was considered to be the central location to the SD region.

So, does anybody think that the power plant downtown next to Electra will ever be shut down and redeveloped into more condos or something?

yeah, its ugly

Especially next to such a lovely tower!

I'd definately think so. Once Sempra, or whom ever owns that property, does a analysis of what it would take (cost) to relocate the current facilities elsewhere versus possible return... and the numbers work out and they can still provide the necessary service... yeah, I'd think they'd come up with something. It' just a matter of time, I'd think.

^Let's hope it isn't too much time.;)

I am curious to know what you think it is worth.

Do you realize what it would take to relocate that facility?

Where are you going to find a suitable replacement site in downtown? If you could find one, wouldn't you have to pay a similar price for the land at the new site?

Who said a power plant that supplies power to downtown has to physically be located downtown?;)

Absolutely. No, those things did not escape me. The same questions hold true for each undesirable, but necessary utility, located downtown. At the end of the day... it's just a matter of time.

It isn't a power plant, it is a transmission station. The Electra Building was the old power plant.

I am sure that there are miles of cable criscrossing downtown to that site. It would take decades and multi millions of dollars to buy easements and reroute the power lines to a different location downtown.

Unless someone knows of some advanced technology, electricity still needs to be tranferred by wires. I don't think they have some sort of wireless technology yet.

FYI - residential highrise dirt in downtown may actually have a zero or negative value right now. Most residential builders that I have talked to recently say that the revenues for new condos may not exceed the costs to build a new highrise. Office may be different.

Combing the internet today....
 

Found some links to some up coming / proposed projects that i have not heard of yet.... Maybe you have....

County of San Diego
Health and Human Services Administration
Headquarters and Parking Garage
40,000 SF + 768 cars
Little Italy, San Diego, CA




http://www.davisdavisarch.com/images/hssa_1_09.jpg

http://www.davisdavisarch.com/images/hssa_1_2_09.jpg

http://www.davisdavisarch.com/images/hssa_info2_09.jpg

Waterfront Park and Underground Parking,
County Administration Building
Downtown, San Diego, CA
On the boards, in association with
Hargreaves Associates, San Francisco

http://www.davisdavisarch.com/images..._admin1_09.jpg


MARRIOTT HOTEL TOWER 3

Building Area: 353,000 SF; 24 stories

http://www.mc-architects.com/images/...tel_FULL_1.jpg

CAMPBELL LANDING HOTEL

Building Area: 1.2 Million SF; 40 stories

http://www.mc-architects.com/images/...tel_FULL_1.jpg

40 stories, Is that higher than 500 Ft?
(Edit most building at 40 stories are between 575 to 610 ft )

Does anyone have any information on the Federal Courthouse? The last info I had seen indicated that the only 2 contractors who bid on the project said the amount allocated was too low, so they were withdrawing their bids.

office buildings at 40 floors are usually higher than 500 feet due to the high ceilings needed for the more versatile operations that go on in office buildings. Hotel and residential towers usually stay at about 10-11 feet per floor so i'm assuming this 40 floor building would be safely below the 500 foot limit for downtown.

^^ Where is Campbell Landing? I think that Marriott tower is an old, possibly dead proposal.

im pretty sure campbell landing is the site that Manchester wanted to build some time ago that got tied up in litigation with the port. that followed with the port buying out his option for like 3 million to get rid of him (or some nonsense like that). whatever the case, its long dead. it was a Martinez-Cutri design.

Campbell Landing is the Hilton that is under construction right now next to the Convention Center.

The Marriott tower 3 proposal has been around forever. I remember asking members on this board about that project about a year ago, and the verdict was that it was long dead.

I believe the Campbell project is actually the new Convention Center Hilton going in, as it is being built on the former site of the "Campbell Shipyards".

I think the Health and Human Services project looks great. It will bring more business activity to a leisure area.:tup:

"Despite my handle I am a 28 year San Diego resident. Personally I will be disappointed if Lindbergh is replaced elsewhere and I have created a petition to keep it right where it is: http://SaveLindbergh.org Please sign it if you agree."

I don't agree and, having just flown to Chicago this weekend I can tell you why.

The terminal was like a sardine can without anywhere to sit on a typical business day. The gift shop had a line out into the terminal with people trying to buy water. The line was so long that passengers coming off the escalator into the terminal were having to say excuse me as they moved themselves and their luggage through the line.

When we got onto the runway, we had to sit and wait for 30 minutes to take off and the pilot told us outright it was becuase there is only one runway and they had to wait for several planes to land

Based on conversations on the plane, a large number of passengers were people flying from San Diego to Europe, but had to go through Chicago (United's Hub) because there is no direct from SD.

As someone who has to fly alot I find it an insult you'd even put this stupid petition out here. Just because our airport is "cute and close to the city" does not mean it's practical. It's a pain in the **** a$$, pardon my French. Sorry to sound rude, but it gets worse each month and I'm sick and tired of people who fly like once a year on small hops to Phoenix or Las Vegas rooting for Lindbergh to stay because it's so "quaint" or "convinient there on the water by downtown". Ask any aiprot or airline, the real money is generated from business travel and business travellers HATE flying from SAN and it is hurting our county economically because the airport is not pratical for the frequent or long-haul traveller.

So, obviously, no I won't sign this nonsense!

Building Area: 1.2 Million SF; 40 stories

http://www.mc-architects.com/images/...tel_FULL_1.jpg

40 stories, Is that higher than 500 Ft?
(Edit most building at 40 stories are between 575 to 610 ft )[/QUOTE]

I like the height but have to say not liking the design

It looks like a Casino-hotel in some B-list gambling resort like Laughlin, Nevada or atlantic City :slob:

thank goodness someone had the good taste to cancel it!

I hope not - - they have a model on the map with the cardboard models at ccdc and it really stands out as a nice addition, hope it moves forward

^That's exactly what I was thinking...Atlantic City all the way. The sight of it conjuers up cheesy Italian names in my head...

By the way, I got "skyscraper envy" flying into Chicago over downtown the other day. They have some relly nice buildings, and not just the iconic Sears and j hancock blds, but some cool looking ones i never saw before They are building a Mandarin-Oriental Condotel that is going to be fantastic. I like that alot of their buildings aren't so cluttered with balconies, they look so much cleaner and sleaker. I guess since our climate is different and most of our highrises are residential as opposed to office/commercial, we have to deal with the balcony-ladened towers :-(

It's a federal courthouse people...it will happen...it just may take a little longer

Poor Miami. They must be sick of balconies by now

Hahaha that is so right - I can just picture old ladies walking around the lobby with their cans of coins for the slots and the signs for a $2.99 prime rib and seafood buffet :-)

:cheers:

SDCAL..I didn't realize you just joined this month. Welcome:tup:

Thanks!! It's a great site

I like this!

Lindbergh gone, put a dutch flats memorial to lindbergh and whatnot, and then build the shit out of that thing and have a nice big airport elsewhere with a direct feed into the HSR system. That is my ideal.

I like the height but have to say not liking the design

It looks like a Casino-hotel in some B-list gambling resort like Laughlin, Nevada or atlantic City :slob:

thank goodness someone had the good taste to cancel it![/QUOTE]






It wasn't cancelled. It is under construction right now (with a different developer and architect).

http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=437

Some clarification on my original thought about the Campbell site and the Port's dispute with Manchester and why the design in the recently posted photo never materialized. This article from a february issue of CityBeat has some detail on why that original plan fell out:
from San Diego CityBeat discussing friction between John Moores and Manchester...

On the Waterfront 02-14-07
by Carl Luna
"In 1999, the two men became embroiled in a convoluted tussle over the Campbell shipyard property. Located right next to the convention center, it was the natural site for Manchester to next expand into. But Moores’ JMI Realty had already entered into a preliminary agreement with the Port District to build a hotel on the property. Then the Port District deselected JMI and switched award of the project to the Manchester Financial Group. A JMI spokesman at the time said that JMI’s only interest in the property was to get a hotel built on the site to generate transit occupancy tax revenues needed to offset financial obligations generated by Petco Park. But the series of legal and environmental hassles that followed ultimately resulted in the Port of San Diego paying Manchester a hefty $5 million (including a $3 million profit) to buy out his interests in the development deal. Meanwhile the hotel project remained derailed and the TOT dollars desired by JMI never materialized... "

full text available: http://www.sdcitybeat.com/article.php?id=5378

So is the Cambell Shipyard property the Hilton? And who controls that property right now?

After some googling, the leaseholder on the Campbell Yards, Hilton site, is One Park Boulevard, and according to an older tribune article, the company is "a partnership of Hilton Hotels and ING Clarion Partners". So it seems neither Manchester OR Moores ended up involved with the final project.

I remember a project called One Park Boulevard, was to be 500ft.

^It was located directly at one of the ends of the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge.

Some good stuff in here...especially item 4!
http://www.ccdc.com/news/resources/NewsDigest42507.pdf

New Office proposal
 

3. 6th AVENUE OFFICE - Design Review Approval Granted by Board
(East Village)
The Board granted design review approval of ENDEV’s 6th Avenue Office project,
a 13-story tower to include 12 stories of commercial office space over groundfloor
retail at 453 and 459 Sixth Avenue in East Village. Designed by Fehlman
LaBarre architects, the project is a proposed redevelopment of an infill parcel
located across the street from the Gaslamp Quarter. The Board also granted a
variance to reduce tower stepbacks from 20 feet to zero feet. This project will add
a range of downtown employment opportunities. (Vote: 4-0, with Directors
McNeely, Raffesberger and Brown Absent)

That is good news! We definitely need more places for people to work downtown!

Todays Paradise in progress:

Marriott Residence Inn Construction Begins
Construction of the 12-story, 185-room hotel at Sixth Avenue and J Street will start next week with the installation of fencing and the beginning of dewatering and shoring. On street parking on the south side of J and east side of Sixth next to the project will be eliminated for the length of construction. The hotel is expected to open in the summer of 2009.

When is the other Marriott across the street expected to break ground?




Judgment favors eminent-domain plaintiff

By Elizabeth Fitzsimons
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
April 25, 2006

A business owner whose property in the Gaslamp Quarter was condemned by the city's powers of eminent domain has been awarded $1.25 million in attorneys fees.

The judge's award last Thursday was in addition to a San Diego Superior Court jury's award in October of $7.8 million in favor of the business owner, Ahmed Mesdaq.

The City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency of San Diego, voted in April 2004 to force Mesdaq and his Gran Havana Cigar and Coffee Lounge from the property at Fifth Avenue and J Street so that a developer could build a 334-room Marriott Renaissance Hotel on the site.
“The city condemned my property and promised they would break ground immediately to build this hotel,” Mesdaq said.

“They took my property, kicked me out of the place, but they never had any plans. There's no plan, there's no financing, there's nothing whatsoever.”

Under an agreement with the city, developers Ramin Samimi and Ed Himmelberg would have to pay the judgment.

The city has appealed the case. The city's attorney, Bruce Beach, was unavailable for comment yesterday. Mesdaq's attorney, Vincent Bartolotta Jr., said he was willing to reach a settlement.

“From our standpoint, it's an unnecessary and unwarranted waste of time and money, and they should sit down with us and settle this case,” Bartolotta said.

He said the city is using the property for parking and special events.

Mesdaq bought the property in 2000 for $1.3 million and put about $1 million into renovations. He refused offers to sell the property for $3 million.

Mesdaq's dispute with the city drew national attention in the debate over a government's power to take private land so that it may be developed privately by someone else.

Traditionally, eminent domain has been used by governments seeking private land for public projects such as schools and roads. In recent years, governments have used the eminent domain powers for economic development, reasoning that the jobs and tax revenue generated by the project would benefit the public.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Fitzsimons: (619) 542-4577; elizabeth.fitzsimons@uniontrib.com

About friggin' time!

Soon, I hope...it's such an eyesore on Fifth:yuck:

Those hotel lots always worried me. I am so glad something is moving.