i didnt live here back then, only moved to SD in 2000. ive been to the real little havana though.

mmm....cigars..

i wish. thats one area that could use a turn around

I don't see that area (near the Civic Center) as being very attractive/lucrative to developers.

There are several other blocks along Market that seem to have much more upside.

The trolley tracks make a good sales pitch when you are selling mixed-use development (convenient transit) but I see them as a magnet for transients.

^thats why somebody needs to revamp it;)

thats the point of the C street redevelopment. to get rid of all the scum...both the buildings and the people...it could be a beautiful area if a little time and money was invested.

exactly :tup:

do you think Ross dress for less really fits in there?

cross dress for less? JK...no....is there a ross there? am i missing it somehow?

yeah...5th and C (approx...)...its just in a strange spot...

Of course it would be great if it was cleaned up. My point is that until it is profitable for private industry to do so, it won't happen unless it the City finances it.

^the City wants to do a lot of things...but where did thier money go? :shrug:

its kind of a catch 22 that they have to just GET OVER.

east village would not have been profitable for businesses if the city AND private industry would not have invested in it. but just because it was an area that seemed unprofitable, does that mean they should not invest?

I don't know how to answer that question. If private business want to speculate in the area, they can do it now. I imagine that the current owners of the California Theatre did that.

Once Petco Park was approved by the voters, private enterpise did speculate on East Village. The early developers who bought the land for less than $3-$5 million per acre probably did well. The current projects are still sitting there (Pep Boys, Yellow Cab site, Cosmo Square, Strata, etc.) because they don't make sense to build. I don't think that they are going to get built until they are profitable. In hindsight, these owners (along with their equity/debt partners) would probably say that they should not have "invested" in these projects.

Yes, there is a lot of ambition in San Diego, isn't there? C Street. Library. North Embarcadero Plan. Historic SD Police Station. Fiesta Island. The only thing removed from the list has been the renovation/redevelopment of Qualcomm!!! What's up with that?

The C Street Master Plan has been in the paper every so often, but never front page material. Cost... estimated to be around $100million. Could end up being less. Could be more? CCDC is working on the a plan. If you follow the recent stuff you'll learn that the blocks where stations are located are too short, or not big enough, to handle projected riderhip. Lots of trains are there during rush hours and that is where people work, obviously. The trolley is also transitioning to a lower-floor vehicle that can carry slightly more people, but the cars are a bit longer. The C Street master plan will try to create a revitalization for the street, yet also need to handle a lot of trolley service.

^i love the new trains:tup:

Yeah they are! I was motivated to dig up a photo and create an avatar of one, but of an older version. It's of a trolley at the Seaport Village station right next to the Brickyard cafe.

Here's a pic of a trolley on C Street from a couple years ago.
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...0297-Civic.jpg

I doubt that. Considering the rate at which things are going up these days and the rate at which things are being purchased, I dont think that these areas aren't profitable. Things may be on hold in order to re-evaluate how to best make money in east village, but there is still plenty of land to develop and plenty of money to be made. The area is only getting better with the addition of the Library, Albertsons is done etc...more businesses are moving that way.

As far as C Street goes, what I was saying is that in order to make a smart investment, you have to be able to see the value in an area before it is apparent to everyone. You have to take into consideration what kind of money is going into the area, what kind of money surrounds the area and what kind of money could potentially come to the area. If I had the capital, I would definitely at least purchase the Theater and hold it.

ah, the newer ones are so sleek and shiny:tup:


i have never seen one downtown though (thats in service...ive seen a few out of service, heading for the trainyard...)i mainly see them in Mission Valley out to Santee...

A lot needs to be done, but when it's complete, the area will be up to par...where it should have been for a long time. I used to commute from Downtown to East County via Trolley several years ago and even then, there were A LOT of people getting onto those trains between India and Park. In addition to the offices that are in the area, you have all the new residential and also the College. The area is much deserving.

^hopefully the San Diegan nearing completion can jump start some revitilization a little...thats no dinky hotel!