Qualcomm Not going Anywhere
 

They are about to acquire NXP and congress and special council on foreign commerce is about to halt this deal. Qualcomm is an integral part of the 5G Control Grid and Military Industrial Complex. Read the Wall Street Journal Article from yesterday on this. This Broadcomm thing ain't happening. We are fine.

*crosses fingers*

Regarding the California Theatre: Many in Comments section of that article are speculating the "developer" isn't actually trying to build anything just get the entitlements then flip the "development" to someone who actually might build. What do you guys think? It seems like that Northern Part of Downtown has had a lot of this (Two towers have been approved for Cortez Hill for almost 3 years and no construction, 1st and Cedar approved, and I think there was one other fairly tall approved tower as well).

Can someone shed light on this practice and if it is common in other cities or more of a San Diego phenomenon?

7th and Market: Why doesn't Cisterra and whoever else is involved just cave to the whims of the Unions? It seems like if they would have done that two years ago the tower would be 2/3 finished by now and they would be on their way to recouping their investment. When your money just sits and sits doesn't it hurt your bottom line. I can't believe some compromise can't be met on this one.

I agree. I remember when this project was first announced it was announced at the same time as the Park/Market development that will have the UCSD satellite campus and the Ritz was supposed to be ahead of that one. Now the Park/Market is under construction and crickets chirping at the ugly surface lot where the Ritz is planned.

Maybe because it’s city owned land it is subject to more lawsuits?

I wish there was a better way to track the legal process, like some website or something where we know the court dates and outcomes.

What I can piece together from the scant information online is this:

Oct 2017: https://www.google.com/amp/www.sandi...story,amp.html

UT reported the developer won the lawsuit but that it could be appealed

Today, March 7th 2018: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...307-story.html

This article has to do with another hotel project, but it mentions this:

“In downtown alone, there are hotels accounting for more than 2,500 rooms in the planning stage, including a Ritz Carlton that has been approved but is being held up because of ongoing litigation.”

So I’m guessing they (the union groups or whoever) did appeal the lawsuit they lost in October? Does anyone have any info on when the appeal will be heard, if that’s the case?

I apologize if this has already been mentioned here, but Hughes Marino has a couple good teasers on its website about Horton Plaza and Spawar:


Horton Plaza

Bids to purchase Horton Plaza are due in early February. At least two of the bidders are going all-out with amazing new plans that would render the existing Horton Plaza unrecognizable—and give it the shot in the arm that Ernie Hahn did back in the early 80’s when he originally built it. New plans show incredible high-rise residential, hotel and office—with integrated retail and pedestrian thoroughfares. The confidential renderings that I’ve seen are exciting—and I‘m looking forward to seeing who wins!

Spawar Redevelopment

The Spawar Complex along the I-5 freeway (across from Old Town) is soon to be a major redevelopment opportunity. The Navy has 62 acres—47 of which are along the freeway and the balance across PCH Highway to the west. It’s some fantastic land—with direct access to the Old Town train and trolley station. It could be redeveloped into millions of square feet of new commercial space—or maybe a soccer stadium? Or Sports Arena? Entertainment venue? Or??? Stay tuned for more information!

http://hughesmarino.com/san-diego/bl...t-dual-agency/

This will sound pessimistic, but that SpaWar land is probably already at the highest and best use for the site. It provides good paying jobs and has a lot of history in the community.

I would change my tune, if there wasn't a 30ft height limit for that entire area. At a height limit of 30ft, what can be built there that is of value? Some concrete tilt-up low rise offices? Squander the space on low density housing like Liberty Station?

Just noticed an article on Two America Plaza. According to Hughes Marino the site was put on the market in July 2016, with speculation that Irvine Co. may purchase, as they own OAP.

Two America Plaza to Be Sold
The site to the north of One America Plaza, originally planned to be a 14-story hotel, is coming to market. Odds favorite will be the Irvine Company to purchase it given the complexities associated with the two-block parking garage and mechanical systems bridging both parcels. With the hot market and loose lending for development, the property is likely to be developed as a residential rental and hotel. Fingers crossed for more office though!

Looks like 2AP was sold to Crown Invest LLC in 2017.

http://www.sandiegooversightboard.co...OB-2017-08.pdf

9th & Island Hampton Inn complete drawings link

https://i.imgur.com/vtGlj8k.jpg

Looks unique, i like it!

so what do you guys think of this??

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...308-story.html

This is another sleazy union/democrat move to take control over a successful enterprise. The dems/unions have tried the same BS with Civic SD and wrecking the 7th/Market project to enrich themselves.

One has to look no further than the Airport’s success AFTER being run by the Airport Authority to know the Port was previous a huge impediment to the airport’s success.

I hope Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher bill passes to put the Airport Authority back under Port of SD once again, where it belongs.

I don't know anyone who would agree that the new parking structure is anything less than a massive boondoggle. What a waste of seaside real estate and millions of dollars.

April Boling has failed.

I think it’s safe to say BOTH political parties in San Diego have hampered development in one way or another. I remember republicans on the city council trying to stop the new library from being built even when we had state funding that would have just gone to a different city if we had abandoned the project. And Democrats on the city council voted in favor of the Ritz project, it’s whoever this special interest group that keeps suing who I blame, not Democrats in general. As for the airport authority, aren’t they the ones who were in charge of the bungled 2006 move to Miramar vote? That was the most pathetic excuse for an initiative I’d ever seen. Their incompetence is a major reason the airport is stuck where it is. I do agree they’ve brought us some major international flights to their credit, but other than that I haven’t been too impressed.

You haven’t been impressed with the following?

1. Tons of new destinations
2. Total rebuild of T2
3. Double decking T2
4. New Rental Car complex
5. Plan for complete reconstruction of T1
6. New FBO for private aircraft
7. Lots of additional dining options with T2 reconstruction
8. New parking structure (I only wish it were bigger, but people like Northpark complained about having parking near the bay...sorry ppl need to park at the airport)

Not sure what else they could possibly do to make anyone happy besides move the airport. I agree that was a weak effort, but let’s give credit where credit is due. The Port did jack with the airport for decades.

I agree with Spoonman except this "plan to demolish and redo T1" better actually get going soon and not just sit there as a "plan" I will believe it when the wrecking ball comes out for that old piece of garbage.

Lorena Gonzalez is such a complete joke anyone who can't see that is blinded by ideology. What does she have to do specifically with the 7th/Market project? I'm beginning to get a little worried about that one like SD CAL is.

I look at those things as basic needs that any metro area of over 3 million people would have in an airport. I mean ours isn’t anything great on the architectural front, as NorhPark Wizard pointed out the rental car thing is kind of hideous, didn’t it get an onion? (Although I will agree the way the rental cars were before was a joke and needed consolidation at the airport). Still no mass transit or trolley line planned to the airport. I’m not saying the port will be any better, im just pretty disgusted with the entire airport situation in this city period and refuse to heap praises on an airport authority that bungled one of the most important and critical initiatives in our city’s history just because they’ve brought basic common sense improvements that should have been done decades ago.

I don’t think Lorena Gonzalez has anything to do with the Ritz 7/Market project. It’s a guy named Sergio Gonzalez. This from the UT’s article in October:

“The suit, filed by hotel union leader Sergio Gonzalez and San Diegans for Responsible Planning, a coalition of community and union members living and working in San Diego, also targeted a second downtown project that calls for a 20-story, 324-room hotel a block away. Both the city of San Diego and Civic San Diego, the city’s downtown planning agency, were named in the complaint.”

I’m nervous about this project too, but I actually found this interesting article about the history of SD’s luxury hotels and it seems to think the legal maneuvers are just stall tactics that will fail.

This article is from January of this year. It says the union group will “probably appeal” but likely lose. Well they lost the original case in October, how long do they have to appeal? The frustrating thing is how long this shit takes to travel through the courts. The original lawsuit by Sergio Gonzales was in 2016. This thing should have been up by now.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/timesof...ng-others/amp/

Now this is a perfect example of expectations versus reality. I don't consider any of the listed above "accomplishments" more than normal operational procedure. Not exceptionable. I'm not sure if this passes a SLC litmus test.

Noteworthy?

Maybe.

Worth bragging about?

Not even close.

San Diego deserves a lot better than this. I'll beat that drum all day.

Agreed. What they've done is better than lipstick-on-a-pig-level improvements, but not by much.