SkyscraperPage Forum

SkyscraperPage Forum (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/index.php)
-   City Compilations (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=87)
-   -   SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2 (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126473)

sandiego_urban Jun 20, 2007 7:45 AM

Check out the informative May 2007 Project Status Log from CCDC, http://www.onlinecpi.org/downloads/P...20May%2007.pdf

It gives the projected start dates of most of the proposals we've seen and heard about. It's good to see Embassy, Cosmo and Library Tower still listed. Those projects don't seem to be dead yet:tup: Sadly, MetroLive (aka 445 W. Ash) seems to have bitten the dust :(





A couple of weekends ago, I wandered into the DT Info Center and noticed that the model of Bosa's 1st and Island project had been added to the mini-model. Views from different angles -


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...IMG_8610-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...r/IMG_8613.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...r/IMG_8611.jpg

sandiego_urban Jun 20, 2007 8:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoonman (Post 2907914)
I have some info that should be of great interest to all of you...I don't know whether or not you have heard this, but Sunroad development (the company building higher than the FAA recommendations near Montgomery Field) is going up against the FAA again on a new project. This time, they are proposing two hotel structures on Harbor Island. It is also my understanding that they told the FAA that the set maximum heights are basically rubbish, and set unnecessarily low.

Great news! ANYONE challenging the FAA is okay in my book. And even if they lose, I'd be happy just knowing that someone had the balls to call out the FAA on their rules (Miami did it, why can't we?). While keeping in mind that air safety is most important, I'm sure there is room for some changes to downtown's height limits.


Quote:

Originally Posted by spoonman (Post 2907914)
I like that building in Minneapolis too. I actually thought Cortez Blu might look like that one, until it wound up looking like commie blocks with military radar equipment on the roof...

That tower in Minneapolis is really nice, and coincidentally, it was designed by Pei Cobb. Why couldn't they have designed 700 W. Broadway to look more like that?

Also, your description of Cortez Blu is dead-on.

HurricaneHugo Jun 20, 2007 8:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandiego_urban (Post 2907947)

Looks good!

mello Jun 20, 2007 10:58 AM

Question regarding Lindberg Curfew
 
I was walking home to Washington St. along Park Blvd at around 2:45 am this morning and noticed a plane coming in to land. Looked like a commercial flight (non cargo). And SDCAL was talking about how he couldn't fly into SD late at night on a short hop from LA (returning from Asia).

So what gives. Why was this plane allowed to roll in at almost 3 am?? Are there some exceptions to the rule. An explanation would be appreciated. :cheers:

Derek Jun 20, 2007 1:35 PM

^They have to pay a penalty fine. To who? I have no idea. :)

Dale Jun 20, 2007 1:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoonman (Post 2907914)
I have some info that should be of great interest to all of you...I don't know whether or not you have heard this, but Sunroad development (the company building higher than the FAA recommendations near Montgomery Field) is going up against the FAA again on a new project. This time, they are proposing two hotel structures on Harbor Island. It is also my understanding that they told the FAA that the set maximum heights are basically rubbish, and set unnecessarily low.

This is what you need: a developer with a little spit-and-vinegar in him.

Derek Jun 20, 2007 1:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoonman (Post 2907914)
I have some info that should be of great interest to all of you...I don't know whether or not you have heard this, but Sunroad development (the company building higher than the FAA recommendations near Montgomery Field) is going up against the FAA again on a new project. This time, they are proposing two hotel structures on Harbor Island. It is also my understanding that they told the FAA that the set maximum heights are basically rubbish, and set unnecessarily low.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mongoXZ (Post 2871972)
^^I'm all for the Nickelodeon Hotel. But it will be a matter of time when the NIMBYs get their hands all over this.

Did anyone see the front page of today's paper?

Sunroad's plan to build near Lindbergh Field troubles FAA
By Maureen Magee
and David Hasemyer
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS
June 1, 2007

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont.../towers280.jpghttp://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...ges/hotels.gif

At the same time Sunroad Enterprises has been battling over the height of an office tower near Montgomery Field, it has proposed building two hotel towers near Lindbergh Field that also exceed federal standards.
The hotels would be built on public land on the east side of Harbor Island, less than half a mile from the international airport where nearly 300 passenger and cargo planes depart daily.

One of the buildings surpasses Federal Aviation Administration height limits by 125 feet and the other by 69 feet, according to FAA documents and records obtained from the San Diego Unified Port District, which oversees development along San Diego Bay.

The Port Commission reviewed the initial Sunroad proposal, which did not cite building heights, in December 2005 and asked the company to go ahead with environmental reviews. Sunroad later specified heights – which it later said were preliminary – for the towers but ignored directives from the port district and the San Diego Regional Airport Authority to notify the FAA of its plans.

The port recently informed the FAA itself. Three weeks ago, the FAA issued eight separate findings concluding that the proposed hotels would be “hazards to air navigation.”

The port told Sunroad that the heights proposed were unacceptable.

“Our staff position is that any building on the East Harbor Island site will not exceed the FAA's recommended obstruction standards,” port officials wrote in a letter to the developer two weeks ago.

Sunroad cannot build without support from the Port Commission. Since it received the port's letter, Sunroad has questioned the way the FAA decides building heights in the area.
The company told the FAA in a letter sent earlier this week that its consultants say buildings as tall as 403 feet could be safely built on east Harbor Island because it is outside the primary approach and departure routes of planes using Lindbergh Field.

Sunroad remains committed to the project. Its reluctance to confer with the FAA, among other things, has caught some local agencies off guard.

“Maybe they think they have better experts than the FAA,” said Linda Johnson, the airport authority manager in charge of land-use planning. “It does seem like a very bold approach.”

The disagreement comes as Sunroad defends the 180-foot office tower across from Montgomery Field in Kearny Mesa that the FAA says exceeds the safe height limit by 20 feet.

The 12-story building has spawned a series of lawsuits and investigations in recent months, and it created a public rift at City Hall between Mayor Jerry Sanders and City Attorney Michael Aguirre.
Aguirre sued Sunroad in December, and the developer countersued the city for $40 million. The city attorney also filed conflict-of-interest charges against Sunroad Vice President Tom Story, who once worked for the San Diego Development Services Department.

Sanders issued a stop-work order on the top two stories of the Kearny Mesa project on May 18 – six months after the height dispute was first reported by The San Diego Union-Tribune and more than a year after the FAA said the tower would pose a danger to pilots.

Sunroad suspects that controversy motivated the port to act.

“I'm sure the port is acting out of an abundance of caution because of the situation that has come up around Montgomery Field,” Sunroad spokeswoman Karen Hutchens said.

Sunroad officials denied that the port directed them to inform the FAA of their plans for the hotel towers, even though letters from the port district to the company refer to such a request.

“Nobody asked Sunroad to submit anything to the FAA,” Hutchens said.

She said it was premature to seek an FAA study of the project because it is still in preliminary planning and years from construction. The building heights submitted to the FAA by port officials were maximum heights Sunroad used for planning purposes and do not reflect a final plan, she said.

“We are in the process of developing a concept for the property,” Hutchens said. “The timing wasn't right for this to go to the FAA.”

She said FAA rules do not demand a review sooner than 30 days before construction begins.

Sunroad executives presented revised plans for the Harbor Island project to commissioners in September, six months after the FAA told the company its office tower in Kearny Mesa was a danger to Montgomery Field pilots landing in bad weather.

The latest revisions call for 600 hotel rooms, 21,000 square feet of meeting space, restaurants, shops and landscaped plazas and promenades.

The project would be built around the existing Sunroad Resort Marina, on property the company leases from the port, and the popular Island Prime restaurant, which subleases its venue from Sunroad.

The Sunroad towers – at 221 and 281 feet, respectively – would far exceed the Sheraton San Diego Hotel as the tallest structures on Harbor Island. The 1,044-room Sheraton is 154 feet tall, just under the FAA's standard.

Since Sunroad objected to the FAA's conclusions, the agency has solicited comments from representatives of airlines, pilot groups, business associations and government agencies.

“We will review the comments and conduct further analysis to determine whether a final hazard determination is warranted,” said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.

Port Commissioners Stephen Cushman and Robert Spane said they were unaware Sunroad's plans were deemed hazardous by federal regulators.

“Sounds like we did our job,” Spane said. “We did used to run the airport. Maybe that has something to do with it.”

The port operated Lindbergh Field for decades before that responsibility was turned over to the San Diego Regional Airport Authority in 2003.

Sunroad originally planned to negotiate a new lease, complete environmental reviews and begin construction by this fall. The Sunroad Harbor Island project was to be completed in early 2010.

All must first be approved by the Port Commission, the State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission. Finally, the city of San Diego would need to issue building permits.

Sunroad officials have requested a meeting with the federal regulators as soon as possible.

In a letter to the FAA dated May 24, Sunroad said it wants to “determine what alterations need to be considered to eliminate the obstruction of navigable airspace” for the Harbor Island project.

The letter was dated one day after a heated phone conversation between Story, Sunroad's vice president, and Ralph Hicks, the port's land-use director. Hicks documented the phone call in a memo that is now on file at the port district.

“Mr. Story rebutted that port staff had not asked Sunroad to submit this paperwork numerous times,” the memo says. “Mr. Hicks stated that staff has documented proof that these requests were made, and given Sunroad's failure to submit the paperwork or contact the FAA, port staff moved forward.”

Sunroad failed to notify the FAA of plans to build its Kearny Mesa tower near Montgomery Field, claiming it was exempt from the requirement.

According to documents obtained by the Union-Tribune, a company architect said there was an exemption for buildings under 200 feet.

However, the building fell into another FAA review category, one that covers buildings planned within three miles of the airport.

The FAA didn't learn of the $45 million office tower until an anonymous tip advised the federal agency of the developer's plans before construction began in March 2006, at about the same time the city issued a building permit.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...es/view430.jpg
Sunroad's two-hotel development would be built at the tree-lined eastern tip of Harbor Island. The towers would surpass FAA height limits by 125 feet and 69 feet, records show.

;)

eburress Jun 20, 2007 3:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandiego_urban (Post 2907947)
A couple of weekends ago, I wandered into the DT Info Center and noticed that the model of Bosa's 1st and Island project had been added to the mini-model. Views from different angles -


http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...IMG_8610-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...r/IMG_8613.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...r/IMG_8611.jpg

Thanks for posting! I wasn't a huge fan of the building's initial rendering (it looked top-heavy to me) but I think these angles better show what the building's really going to look like - not too bad! :)

SDCAL Jun 20, 2007 6:08 PM

^model rendering
 
I agree, the model and being able to see the buildings dimensions in relation to the other high rises nearby makes me feel much better about this one, I hope ground-breaking will be soon :) right now it is a parking lot

one thing i'm curios about and it's hard to tell from the model photos, is "J" street going to remain with that awkward dead-end that doesn't serve any purpose, or will the project encapsulate that?? Right now, J street dead ends a block after the last street in connects to. seems like it would be a good place for a park or some greenery

SDCAL Jun 20, 2007 6:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mello (Post 2908002)
I was walking home to Washington St. along Park Blvd at around 2:45 am this morning and noticed a plane coming in to land. Looked like a commercial flight (non cargo). And SDCAL was talking about how he couldn't fly into SD late at night on a short hop from LA (returning from Asia).

So what gives. Why was this plane allowed to roll in at almost 3 am?? Are there some exceptions to the rule. An explanation would be appreciated. :cheers:

Yeah Derek SD is right, they have to pay some kind of fine, so it's not that the airport will not allow a plane to land after hours, but none of their regular shedules offer flights after (I think after 11:00 for landings). I heard on the news there was a big snaffu with United airlines back east and it disrupted their global network, so it could have been the result of this that you saw a plane coming in at 3 am

SDCAL Jun 20, 2007 6:22 PM

I apprecitate Sun Road standing up to the FAA, that's how reform begins. I just wish some downtown developers would challenge the 500 ft rule, and do it big, by proposeing something 700-750ft to make a statement. In my opinion, Library Tower would be the perfect building to do this. I know the project seems to be hanging on by a thread right now, but if it is resurrected I think the developers should consider escalating the height as it's location is not remotely near the flight paths. East Village needs another iconic structure (besides the ballpark) to keep the momentum going and I think the new library with it's distinct dome design along with a 750ft library tower standing out as by far the tallest building south of downtown LA would really magnatize East Village

spoonman Jun 20, 2007 7:53 PM

^That's sort of my feeling about Sunroad and the whole height limit challenge issue. My hopes are that Sunroad decides to build a building downtown and challenges the height limit.

My belief is that a building taller than 500' for east village is definately arguable. My hope is also that because of Sunroad, people will re-examine this issue. I don't know that there is really opposition to going over 500' downtown...I believe it's simply that nobody has thought about it much (in city gov't). Makes me interested to talk to a guy like Bosa. The thought of building the tallest tower downtown must have crossed his mind at some point. All he would have had to do was make Electra 21 feet taller. Maybe it's possible but not worth the trouble? Who knows but him perhaps...

CoastersBolts Jun 20, 2007 8:34 PM

Speaking of the CCDC office downtown, is that always open to the public? Also, if my memory serves correct, it's in the NBC Building?

Derek Jun 20, 2007 10:43 PM

^It's always open to the public and it is in the NBC building. :)

mongoXZ Jun 21, 2007 2:53 AM

Ehhh. . .it's ok. An infiller. Typical Bosa.

Now this one is something to get excited about. Its location is close to the Northern end of the financial core. . .an area that needs some new stuff. From Pt Loma the skyline would look even more dense toward Balboa Park. And the fact that the top is cylindrical is a breath of fresh air compared to the same ol same ol wev'e seen gone up here.

mongoXZ Jun 21, 2007 3:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SDCAL (Post 2908693)
Yeah Derek SD is right, they have to pay some kind of fine, so it's not that the airport will not allow a plane to land after hours, but none of their regular shedules offer flights after (I think after 11:00 for landings).

I lived in Mission Hills for a year. They (Lindberg Field) actually send residents a monthly newsletter reporting which Airlines got fined this amount of $$ every time they land passed the curfew. The penalty is pretty small (about $250 per violation). When I first saw these newsletters I laughed to myself and said "What a goofy airport we have!":haha:

sandiego_urban Jun 21, 2007 6:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mongoXZ (Post 2909842)
Now this one is something to get excited about. Its location is close to the Northern end of the financial core. . .an area that needs some new stuff. From Pt Loma the skyline would look even more dense toward Balboa Park. And the fact that the top is cylindrical is a breath of fresh air compared to the same ol same ol wev'e seen gone up here.

Yup, it's location will help make the link between Cortez Hill and the Core much better. 58,000 square feet of retail/commercial will definitely be a welcome addition to the area.



Here's an article from Monday's SD Daily Transcript regarding the 777 Beech proposal. The tower looks pretty nice, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea to build it so close the historic El Cortez Tower :shrug:

They should build it in East Village and make it 3 times taller!!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...203/elcort.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...03/elcort2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...03/elcort3.jpg

bmfarley Jun 21, 2007 6:23 AM

El Cortez may be historic, but to me it is quite ugly. The neon red sign does not help either. the cafe out front is pretty cool place to hang.

HurricaneHugo Jun 21, 2007 3:09 PM

They're probably just mad the tower will be blocking their views to Balboa Park etc;

HurricaneHugo Jun 21, 2007 4:06 PM

btw, does anybody have a good, recent pic of Petco park and the surrounding area?


All times are GMT. The time now is 7:34 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.