Originally Posted by Andy-4-SD (Post 9944880)

Mega life science development on University City hilltop nears approval


BioMed’s Towne Center View project calls for five, all-new buildings offering 1 million square-feet of space for roughly 3,000 workers.

Life science real estate developer BioMed Realty is close to securing the permits necessary to build a 1-million-square-foot research campus called Towne Center View on 33.5 acres of partially developed land in University City.

Thursday, San Diego Planning Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of advancing the project and its accompanying environmental impact report to the City Council. The action tees up approval of a rare mega development, in the works for more than two years, in the heart of San Diego’s research cluster.

“San Diego is our home, and it has been gratifying to work with our neighbors, community and stakeholders to bring this project forward with the goal of providing additional high-quality spaces that serve the needs of San Diego’s life sciences and technology sectors,” a BioMed spokesperson said in a statement to the Union-Tribune. “Towne Center View has been thoughtfully designed with spectacular architecture and native landscaping that respects its unique location, and incorporates environmental stewardship and climate action values of BioMed Realty and our community.”

Located north of Towne Centre Drive’s current terminus, Towne Center View calls for five, all-new buildings offering 1 million square-feet of space for roughly 3,000 workers in structures that are two to six stories high. The project site is perched atop a hilltop that is already more than 330 feet above sea level, meaning workers will enjoy sweeping views from inside and outside buildings.

Towne Center View also features 2,500 parking spaces, cafes, a market, a fitness center, sports fields and courts, rooftop terraces, conference spaces, walking trails, overlooks, bike parking and repair stations, and seven acres of open space.

The project, which requires a community plan amendment and several other permits, will produce more than 2 million square feet of development when counting the square footage of balconies, rooftop decks and parking garages.

“I think it’s a great project. I think it’s beautifully designed,” Planning Commissioner Kelly Moden said.

Founded and headquartered in San Diego since 2004, BioMed Realty Trust specializes in building research and lab space for life science and biotech firms. The company owns and operates 16.4 million square feet of real estate spread across San Diego, the greater Boston area, San Francisco, Seattle, Boulder and Cambridge, U.K. It was acquired by Blackstone in 2016 in a transaction valued at $8 billion when including debt.

Towne Center View boasts a nearly unrivaled location for ground-up, life science construction, taking advantage of a large plot of land in the space-constrained University City region that was graded years ago for a previously entitled, smaller project but left undeveloped.

BioMed, which declined to share its total project cost, purchased the 21.8-acre undeveloped, northern portion of the project site at the end of Towne Center Drive for $100 million in September 2022 from Cush Enterprises, public records show. The firm already owned the southern portion of the project site, which is developed with three buildings leased to Union Bank and genetic screening company Helix. The existing buildings will be demolished to accommodate Towne Center View.

Towne Center View’s design plays off the environmental landscape with sculptural building forms and transparent facades said to be inspired by the topography of the surrounding canyon. Buildings were also shaped and placed in locations meant to maximize views from a variety of vantage points, the developer said. Plus, a central courtyard with cafes and a market, as well as a northern terrace overlooking the recreation fields and canyon should draw people outside.

“Tenants are encouraged to work, and to play and to interact outdoors. This is a project where we’ve really given equal weight to the outdoor program as we have to the program inside the buildings,” Kelly Schnell, a project architect with Perkins and Will, told the Planning Commission. “I just can’t emphasize enough how much consideration and appreciation of the context was really (BioMed’s) guiding light in this design process. We understand this is a one-of-a-kind opportunity.”

Although the project is located in an environmentally sensitive area with steep hillsides and animal habitats, the city of San Diego’s development services department determined in its environmental impact report that the project would only result in significant impacts to transportation. The analysis estimates that the project will result in 32.6 vehicle miles traveled per employee daily, which is greater than the regional mean of 25.9 miles per employee.

As such, BioMed is required to cut vehicle miles traveled by more than 32 percent to reduce the transportation impact to below a level of significance. The developer has agreed to implement a number of mitigation measures. It will charge for parking, as well as provide bike facilities, subsidized transit passes, carpool priority parking and an employee shuttle to the UTC transit station. BioMed will have to report its progress to the city on an annual basis, relying on trip count data and information from employee surveys to measure vehicle miles traveled. The firm will face fines if the reduction tactics aren’t working.

The developer declined to share information on its timeline. Construction will likely occur in phases over a more than five-year period, according to project materials.

Originally Posted by mello (Post 9958720)

Are they actually approved or is this still simply a proposal? You would think that we would have been hearing about a two tower project with this height in Hillcrest being opposed by some groups. The video on their site shows an old proposal for the Pernicanos site that is much taller than the 8 floor project that is nearly topped out now.

Holland Tower Front and A: This tower is UC with a big hole right now, I'm surprised no renderings have been posted on this thread. The downtown development map says 34 floors 445 feet tall.

Construction at the Little Italy Parking Garage: Across the street from Ariel Suites. This is another tower coming to LI, has anyone seen renderings or any info on this. We need to update this thread thanks guys :cheers:

Originally Posted by SamFlood (Post 9970577)

This Realtor on YouTube does videos about downtown. He says THe Grocery Outlet on Market st. didn't renew its lease. Making way for a Bosa Highrise.



https://youtube.com/shorts/V8TpZQFyKIA?feature=share

Originally Posted by aekrid (Post 9965401)

Holland Front & A

Pinnacle Columbia & A


The Lindley

Originally Posted by HurricaneHugo (Post 9987180)

Do we have renders for these?

Originally Posted by unpermitted_variance (Post 9988504)

All of these projects really do look indistinguishable from one another. San Diego is gonna start looking like downtown Vancouver with all these semi-identical glass towers.

There are worse fates than that, I suppose.

Originally Posted by superfishy (Post 10000031)

Updated development map: https://webmaps.sandiego.gov/portal/...34d7559e5a4d98

Originally Posted by 12miles (Post 10000290)

Looks like if you go on that downtown development activity map site it says that the 8th and B development will be 503 feet tall, which would officially make for the tallest building in San Diego. Nothing crazy, but also cool. I didn't think the city was able to go above 500'.

Originally Posted by HurricaneHugo (Post 10006837)

SB 10 shot down.

Ugh.

Originally Posted by SDfan (Post 10028093)

Looks like 7th and Market is going to be an...8 story building.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...rdable-housing

Originally Posted by SDCAL (Post 10028341)

Good grief. I don’t subscribe so can’t read that, is this for sure? And from the headline it looks like it will be only affordable housing? That is the last prime site right by the ballpark, can’t believe it would be squandered on something like that. Both the ritz project and the project that was proposed there before that were slated to be the largest buildings square-foot wise in San Diego county.

How would a project like this on that prime site even be profitable??

Originally Posted by SDfan (Post 10028093)

Looks like 7th and Market is going to be an...8 story building.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...rdable-housing

Originally Posted by Steadfast (Post 10030674)

Does anyone know what's happening on 5th in the Gaslamp, between E & F?
Every storefront is shuttered on both sides of the street. Seems like the apartments above are empty as well.
Seems strange this block would be so completely dead when the next block (both north and south) are usually packed.
Is there some major renovation planned?

Originally Posted by mello (Post 10039321)

The Union Tribune keeps having these articles with headline: Should UCSD build a 5 to 6k bed "Student Village"? I don't pay so I can't read the article but aren't they already have one approved to start soon at that "Pepper Canyon" site that was discussed here on the forum a couple of months ago with renderings for a new Student Union or some amenities besides just the dorms?

Is there another giant student housing project that is being thrown around besides that one? Thanks.

Originally Posted by Steadfast (Post 10053883)

Looks like Target is pulling out of its planned EV location, citing crime & rising homelessness in the area. Such a shame that downtown just can't have nice things...