Downtown for me. My front door to office door commute is 18 minutes from my Banker's Hill abode!

Here are a few I was able to dig up...Bill Cobb definitely had the best shots. Some of the others aren't very recent, but you get the picture.

Uptown:
http://www.dallassky.com/Uptown_2006.jpg


Turtle Creek (with Las Colinas in the distance):
http://www.dallassky.com/turtle_creek_towers.jpg

http://www.dallassky.com/p4-7.h3.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/kcphoto...allas_6683.JPG

Las Colinas:
http://photos.imageevent.com/kcphoto...allas_6857.JPG

http://urban-photos.com/webgraphics/dallas_6881.JPG


Stemmons:
http://www.dallassky.com/stemmons_freeway_skyline.jpg


Galleria/Dallas North Tollway:
http://www.oscarmail.net/dfwfreeways...11_ADJ_600.jpg

http://www.dallassky.com/galleria_skyline_2.jpg


Preston Center:
http://photos.imageevent.com/kcphoto...allas_6667.JPG


Richardson/Telecom Corridor:
http://www.dallassky.com/telecom_corridor.jpg


Addison:
http://photos.imageevent.com/kcphoto...allas_6629.JPG

North Central Expressway:
http://www.dallassky.com/north_central_1.jpg

Same area, different direction:
http://www.dallassky.com/north_central_expwy_2.jpg

I know what you mean, but unfortunately, I don't have any solid numbers to give you. Anecdotally, I'd say (guess) that many are in the military or tourism - and I also run into a LOT of people who don't work in a traditional office environment at all. They're either self-employed, wealthy, work remotely, or something funky like that. There are also a lot of retirees and there are a lot of people for which San Diego is not their primary residence.

eburess, I use to live in Denton. Do you have any pics of what that area looks like now?

This is the only photo of Denton I have!! hahaha :)

http://www.alicia-logic.com/capsimag..._007Denton.jpg

Seriously, it has been a few years since I've been there, but it was already on its way to becoming another huge suburb for Dallas and Ft. Worth like Plano, Frisco, McKinney, etc.



Edit --> For the record, I think it would be ideal for San Diego if the majority of their commercial development were downtown. I'm not saying SD should look like these other cities - I'm just surprised that it doesn't. :)

i used to live in downtown and i commuted to Rancho bernardo. then i moved to bankers hill and commuted to Rancho Bernardo. Now I live in Lakeside and I still commute up north. I'd rather work downtown, but it's not possible for me.

The last thing we need is suburban office towers. Developments like those in the picture are downtown killers. In OC we have no serious downtown. That is why we have those highrises spread through out the county. By the way the highrises are generally architecturally insignificant (aka boxy and boring). Lets keep the office highrises downtown with significant architecture. (IM PEI)

Keep in mind that San Diego has a lower population than Dallas, Atlanta, and Houston. If they have 50% more people, I'd expect them to have 50% more offices. Remember that San Diego has an extremely low office vacancy rate as many of the aforementioned cities do not. Many were overbuilt a number of years ago on speculation. It is also true that San Diego has a more unconventional workforce consisting of a large number of entrepreneurs. Anyone see the list of cities with the highest venture capital investments. San Diego was aprox #5 in the nation beating out many larger cities.

^^yeah, i did see that. thats one of the reasons i posted the article a few pages ago about rent prices for office space. low cap companies not being able to afford places like Downtown, UTC, & Sorrento push them towards the I-15 corridor and lower rent office space around the county.

I noticed in the recent population stats that San Diego county surpassed Orange County. SD County is now the 2nd most populous California county. Go figure.

I totally agree about suburban development being downtown killers (or drainers, more accurately).

I do disagree in the sense that even though these cities do have an abundance of downtown-killing office developments, they do also have incredibly beautiful downtown architecture. Granted, consolidating the office developments downtown would make for more downtown office buildings, but it's not like having one (suburban buildings) totally destroys the other (beautiful downtown architecture).

I also disagree in that here in SD, it's not as if the relative lack of suburban office development has caused this wealth of architecturally significant (non-boxy or boring) office towers downtown. When Pei/Cobb build their "signature" office tower, that will make one "signature" office tower in downtown. :)

did OC just pass SD like a few months ago?

oh well:)

True, true, and true. :)

IMO, San Diego needs to build an airport and then focus on attracting/encouraging corporate relocations/expansion, because although there are other factors influencing SD's population (e.g., cost of living), people aren't going to move here if there aren't places to work.

is that the one that was going to be park it on market south?

This is true - the airport is key and in my opinion and will make or break SDs expansion into becoming a true world-class city, which unfortunately it is not right now. I fly to Europe and Asia with work on a regular basis, and can tell you that my company has left SD because it's inconvinient (the only reason I am still here is because I am home based). I could fly direct to London or Frankfurt if I was in Portland, Oregon, Denver, or Phoenix, but you can't from SD. Instead you have to shuttle to LA or SF, making SD very unattractive to corporations and even non-profit organizations that are mutli-national and need frequent connections to to major international centres. Even Tijuana has a direct flight to Tokyo. With our position on the Pacific and bordering Mexico, we could be such a more vibrant city, but the conservative politics of this military town stifle creativity and diversity and the majority of people here want to shut Mexico off by building a wall and keep SD a quaint, conservative beach town. Anyway, enough of my rambling, I am just disapointed that a new aiport site has not been able to be hammered out becasue I think this great city would bennefit, the current airport is a joke and safety hazard.

Agreed, alot of people think that SD is a very large city because people will quote the city population ranks as opposed to the metro population. For example SD ranks something like 6th or 7th in the nation in terms of "city populations" but is is much further down the list when it comes to metro urban areas. Cities like Miami, Dallas, even SF show up as smaller cities than SD, however their metro populations are much larger. Since metro areas generally dictate the major infrastructure needs (corporate headquarters, airports, mass-transit, etc), it is the metro population that is a better indicator of the magnitude of architectural projects. For example, Miami International airport serves the Miami metro area and much of southeast Florida not only the city of Miami, which explains why a city smaller than San Diego has the need for a much larger/busier airport with more international connections than SD.

San Diego Building height restrictions
 

Sorry for all the posts, I am new to this site.

Does anyone know where the actual written "law" regarding San Diego's 500ft building height restriction is located? I have searched the internet and can't find anything.

All anyone hears is that we can't have buildings taller than 500ft downtown due to the close proximity of the airport, but wasn't this policy made long ago when downtown was confined to the marina area near the airport?? Now that downtown has expanded east of the ballpark, I am wondering if specific boundaires were mentioned for the restriction when the policy was written. When I am in East Village east of the ballpark, I never hear planes overhead or see any and I have a hard time believing East Village skyscrapers would pose a problem to the flight paths at Linbergh field????

The Population from the census bureau
 

People QuickFacts Orange County California
Population definition and source info Population, 2005 estimate 2,988,072
People QuickFacts San Diego County California
Population definition and source info Population, 2005 estimate 2,933,462

So unless there is something that others are seeing that I am not census bureau still has OC as bigger.

Chula Vista will be adding some highrises in the next couple of years to there Bayfront. There is the Gayord hotel and covention center that was posted in this thread earlier. There will also be development around that project. They plan to add new development that will include hotels, conference facilities, waterfront specialty shops, cultural attractions, condominium housing, and employment centers.

Here are some renderings of the project:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...orDistrict.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...k/CVMarina.jpg

The Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan is going to be built on 500 acres of Bayfront land. That does not include what could be built on 160 acres south of that Bayfront Master plan.

Take a look at this map:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...ik/CVMPCSO.jpg

The area outline in blue is the Chula Vista Bayfront Master Plan. That is where the Gaylord hotel & Convention center will be. It will also have condo towers, shops, restraunts, and public plazas.

The outline in red is where the South Bay Power Plant currently sits. The CV City Council and Port of San Diego have already voted to get rid of the aging power plant. It is now one of the proposed sites for a new Chargers Stadium. This area could be turning into a very good urban bayfront in the near future.

the Chula Vista project looks nice:tup:


and i couldnt agree with you guys more about the airport being key...its so unfortunate:(

A very good urban bayfront...with no height limits. A nice location for a new Chargers stadium too.

a superb location!


but how come you emphasized the no height limit? do you think Chula Vista will build a tower taller than 500 feet?

The California Department of Finance is the appropriate authority on all population estimates within the state in 9 our of 10 years. That 1 out of 10 is obviously the US Census estimate... and from time to time the census provides updates, but the CaDOF is more accurate outside of the deciennal census. So, see the attached link to the appropriate page and the CaDOF site and look for a link titled:

E-2. California County Population Estimates and Components of Change by Year — July 1, 2000–2006 (.xls, 136k)

http://www.dof.ca.gov/HTML/DEMOGRAP/...-2_2000-06.asp

As of July 2006
SD: 3,084,634
OC: 3,083,894

^blame the Santa Fe Valley :P

anybody catching the police pursuit?

yep, NBC has a clearer picture than CBS, imo.

ive been watching the NBC one too, but now im flipping between the Padres and NBC...i thought we were gunna have a border incident for a second;)

The guy is a good driver. bad runner tho.

^:jester:
how many precincts do you think got involved?

He ran like a girl. I think at least 2... Carlsbad and CHP

i saw Oceanside (i believe) and SD County at least

that makes 4 then.

BS strike 3 call in the Pads game:(


so anyways, after the heart-breaking game, i drove past Bayside and they have a fancy illuminated ad at the site...pretty cool

AND

i found the R2-D2 mailbox:jester:its in front of the County Courthouse

:previous: That's very intertesting. And I think it's important to note too. This is why I think it's so key that we secure a good location for Lindberg field. The city needs a place that is still relatively close to downtown that will give the Airport room to grow with the city. It has to be convinient or no one will want to use it. There is also absolutely NO reason why San Diego cannot be a hub for international travel and relations.

Think about it. There is no other city in the United States that is positioned as well as San Diego for International synergy. Miami is in a good location, but it's not physically connected to any other countries. There is at least 50 miles of ocean between the closest country and Miami and look how well they've positioned themselves as the "Gateway to Latin America". We are just as close as Miami is to all those countries and there is no reason why San Diego cannot develop itself into the west-coast counterpart to Miami as an international hub. Look at all the good it's doing for Miami too. They are getting development downtown like there is no tomorrow! Not more than a few years ago, they completed what is the tallest building in the state, and now they are surpassing that building several times over.

If San Diego plans to expand into anything like this, it need to get it's head out of it's ass and get rid of nimbys like Donna Frye. What they don't realize is that we have a lot of real estate to work with. There is no reason why San Diego cannot keep the small town surf-city feel that it's always had while embracing it's ties with International Business, Location and opportunity. We already have the military here, we have the technology industry here. San Diego can easily become a world class city.

My vision for the city would be to move the airport to the proposed Miramar location, expand the city north to where the airport was and south towards National City and Chula Vista. We have a lot of prime real estate along the water and I think we should make better use of it. :tup:

oh sweet! i havent seen that yet!

Andrew, SDCAL, you guys rock:)

i totally agree with both of you and you guys make excellent points!

I think it's very interesting how you used Miami as a comparison like I did when responding to you above post (below). I hadn't even read this post yet, so at least I know we are on the same page and that we are not off-base in thinking that San Diego could be a lot more than it gives itself credit for.

The company I work for is now based in San Diego and they are a Multi-national corporation. There is a lot of travel to Japan for us and I am glad that they are putting that kind of faith in SD to provide the future means to easily travel back and forth. It's time the SD gives back to the companies like mine that have invested in the city in such a way.

First of all, welcome to the forums. Don't ever worry about posting too much because that's what this place is here for. I am always interested in seeing what other people have to say. Only thing I can recommend (as per the Moderators) is that we all stay on topic and play nice.

Moving on. As far as the height limit is concerned, I have also had a difficult time trying to find official documentation of this. I think I remember someone posting something on here a year or more ago regarding this that included maps etc. We have all bene wondering the same thing as far as the lasting validity of that policy goes. There is no reason why the 500' limit cannot be raised to at least 700'. This sentiment has existed for a long time too...and not just with us SSP Forumers.

Gary Shaw, the Publisher of the San Diego Metropolitan Business Report wrote in October of 2003:

"As for the FAA’s 500-foot height limit over the southeastern reaches of East Village, the same height limit imposed a mile to the northwest closer to Lindbergh Field, the time is now to raise that limit. Stacking 25 stories of condos on top of 25 stories of offices makes fine sense. Better here than sprawling to Ramona."

Other people see value in this and I think it's only a matter of time before this issue is addressed; whether the airport moves or not.

thanks! youre quite rockin yourself :tup:

That is looking really good!!!

YES! :yes:

They definitely could if they wanted to!

oh my goodness...i didnt realize you were new here SDCAL...welcome;)

and thank you Andrew:)

and Gary Shaw's statement is awesome:tup:



please do...

some of us have already learned this lesson the hard way :rolleyes: :notacrook:

that would definitly make some news...tallest building in city where the city is not the largest in the county...interesting...but i highly doubt that would happen...(unless downtown SD gets a building taller than 500 feet...then i think Chula Vista would definitly be good for a 500+ footer;))

what are you talking about?;)

i wish i had my camera...not to worry...ill be back down there again sometime this weekend:tup:

I would love to see someone build over 500ft in Chula Vista, that'd be awesome. I could just see someone like the Donald rolling into town and building an 800ft tower on the bayfront. That'd show those bastards on the city board. Maybe then the'd make the push for increased height before being passed over again.

^now thats something i didnt think of!

excellent thought;)

For it's height, San Diego probably has one of the densest skylines in the country. A few buildings with some extra height would really change the feel of the skyline. Think of San Francisco. They only have a couple very-tall buildings, but the position and character of those buildings give the skyline a larger than life sort of iconic presence.

so...who wants to lead the rebellion against the city council and the Miramar officials?;)

It certainly wouldn't hurt to also support high speed rail as proposed by the California High Speed Rail Authority. In fact, if it moves forward it can/will substantially reduce the need for many in-state flights out of Lindbergh. The freed-up capacity at Lindbergh would provide more room for National and international flights.

Someone other than me needs to contact Kehoe and tell her to get onboard.

For your pleasures from the California High Speed Rail Authority web site:
http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...l/chsramap.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...l/ModeTime.jpg

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n...l/1981-TGV.jpg