I had to look closer to see if this was a rendering of the before or after.

Are they keeping the existing parking structure??

Omg I’m so happy that they decided to preserve that old triangular structure in the center AND the stairs leading up to the central space. Those 2 were my biggest holes that they would preserve... the stairs give us some sort of Spanish Steps or Bunker Hill steps feeling :D

They have started some demo. They are just finishing up with the asbestos remediation. I did the lift plans for both of those bridge picks. The second one will be coming out soon.

I was down at that job site this week helping them get ready to install their exterior construction hoist. Before the hoist goes in they are going to fly a bobcat to each floor to assist with the demo. The scaffolding guys are almost done installing the trash chute in that north parking lot of south block. NorthStar says that they are going to use a method where they place a piece of equipment on the roof and then demo from the top down. The breaker will demo itself into a corner and then use a ramp to lower itself to the next level. I have seen it done on a YouTube video. They are expecting it to take about 4 weeks per floor. There are 7 floors and a basement. I have seen what they were able to find of the original as built drawings dated 1956 or 1957 if i remember correctly. Pretty cool.

That whole place is loaded with those theater type seats. The old phone booths looked cool but they were marked to be saved.

https://i.imgur.com/leW3LKdundefined.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/yhLZtCTundefined.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/CBwDypxundefined.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/IVEX3yEundefined.jpg?1

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

Macy's is still present in the Horton image above... Guess that means they're sticking around?
That great news for downtown workers & residents!
I honestly thought it would be closing down that location...

Macy's sticking around is absolutely fantastic! According to the UT, their lease option runs until 2060.

I know it's all doom and doom and gloom in retail these days (especially for department stores), but I'm optimistic that the new development will help this location boom.

Also, I noticed that the upside down skyline mural in Horton Plaza park is going to be replaced by a retail front with a hanging garden it looks like in the render.

Garden Communities is beginning foundation work on Tower B at the corner of La Jolla Village Drive and Genesee Ave. This will be a 22 story hotel. Plans are to build out the rest of that parking lot with two more buildings in addition to a separate hotel by another company for a total of five new buildings. Tower A is either complete or pretty close to it by the looks of it.

I’m very glad to see this question and hope someone can offer an answer. I believe the Naval Facilities Engineering is located here.

Are there any plans for them to relocate to the new Navy Building? Equally important, are there any plans for the existing 1-2 story structures?

I am considering a property at Bayside but would feel better knowing about the redevelopment plan for the area since the noise/dust could be an issue.

Thank you!:)

I don't know what the Navy plans to do, but the Port has designated that lot as a high priority acquisition.

They want to knock down the southern set of buildings (the east/west ones directly north of the new Marriott) to build a road directly from Pacific Hwy to the B St pier. That would give the Port the ability to cut down the width of Harbor Dr, as trucks delivering supplies to the cruise ships would no longer need to travel on that road anymore, expanding the park space in the area.

If all that goes well they will also get the northern building (the one abutting West A St), which they plan on turning into a 'mobility hub', which in this case would amount to a parking structure and shuttle running up and down Harbor Dr in its own dedicated lane. That would let the Port replace all the parking on the waterfront, again expanding available park space.

The rest doesn't have a specific plan, whether the hotels get replaced or not depend on if someone comes in with the cash and the will. The area has been upzoned though for up to 10,000 sq feet of additional office space, 15,000 sq feet of additional retail space, and 500 new hotel rooms for anyone willing to fight through what will probably be a hellish permitting process.

Of course, this will probably take 10-15 years at minimum so I wouldn't put it as a major factor in your purchasing decisions.

Cladding goes up on MPG Navy building.

https://i.imgur.com/IYyg0y8.jpg

Wow, that's gonna look like a complete building in a matter of weeks.

I'm amazed at the progress, I still can't believe it's happening.

Does anybody know what the end-goal for the 163/Friars intersection?

On the surface this seems like a horrible idea

https://i.redd.it/w69h38xrwmh31.png

My goodness, I feel like the new navy tower just broke ground... its literally happening like.. SO fast... nnyeah

The positives of a short skyline! Transformed in a matter of months.
Heres a photo I got from this morning. Avoid PCH while there doing the cladding or you'll get stuck in their loading zone.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...fb4b64346d.jpg2019-08-21_05-19-56 by kevinbeatty, on Flickr

Ugh, when you look at it like that you can really see the early 60s style roadway engineering with all those tight curves and weaving traffic patterns. Not great.

My guess is that they're going to add a NB auxiliary lane, probably so they can have a 2 lane exit from NB 163 to WB Friars. Current NB 163 to EB Friars is in the way, and by the looks of it there's a drainage canal edging right up next to it so relocation isn't an option. Presumably Caltrans did the math and figured more people were going WB than EB, which makes sense since Fashion Valley is right off the WB exit.

Hopefully the next step is fixing all the weaving traffic slightly to the south coming in from the 8, and convert the SB exits from full to partial cloverleaf.

I believe there was a 2nd part of this project that added a flyover ramp fr traffic entering the freeway.

Regarding the image above, it does seem shortsighted to eliminate the ramp to east Friars, especially given the potential for new development at Hazard Center, the stadium, the quarry, etc.

Urbanist Twitter/Other in San Diego
 

Hey all - Planning a move to San Diego from Denver next year and wanted to get to know the urban neighborhoods where (re)development is focused to stake out a great place to lay down roots. Any recommendations on who to follow or where you get your urbanist news for San Diego area? Thanks in advance and hope to contribute when we make the move!

View from the Navy HQ building, via u/SoCalmetalhead619 on reddit

https://i.redd.it/lhgqo6hmzlj31.jpg

Welcome to the thread! I don't know much about Denver, but compared to LA or SF there aren't as many news resources. Probably the closest thing to your traditional local urbanist newszine is the VoSD, although they're more about local politics than development updates. Urbanzine has a development map that's fairly regularly updated. The San Diego Union-Tribune actually puts out a good deal of development focused content, more than you'd expect for your average 'big corporate newspaper', all lowest common denominator in tone but still pretty well researched.

Honestly though the thread itself tends to be one of the major resources, which I think is what keeps it active. Most of the stuff coming out here is directly from the sources in the form of building plans/permit applications.

Downtown is currently a hotbed of development. The thread tends to focus on projects there because they're more interesting individually but North Park, Mission Valley, and UTC are all rapidly building up as well.

You might want to consider reading up on these projects, they're huge and ongoing and subject to to near constant discussion:

Manchester Pacific Gateway (MPG): The biggest development in downtown SD history, MPG finally started construction last year after a 15 year legal saga. It's a hotel/retail/office complex stretching across 8 blocks of waterfront real estate, replacing a navy office and a mass of parking lots. Includes two high rises and a smattering of mid rises. Scheduled for completion in 2021.

Terminal One replacement: A long overdue replacement of the 1960's era terminal one at San Diego International Airport (which is right next to downtown, that's going to be an adjustment for you). Has been controversial due to the the potential traffic impacts, during the environmental review last year it was decided to integrate a public transit connection that will either be an extension of the trolley or 'San Diego Grand Central': a new regional transportation hub. Which one it will be should be announced sometime in September, construction on the new terminal should start in 2022 with timelines on the rest a bit fuzzier.

Seaport Village redevelopment: The MPG is big but this is one BIG. It's an even larger entertainment complex replacing the dinky shops of the current seaport village. Includes a 500' observation tower (tallest allowed due to proximity to the airport), an aquarium, museums, hotels, you name it. Currently in design review, if all goes well groundbreaking will be in 2024.

SDSU West: A ballot proposition last year approved selling the Qualcomm stadium in Mission Valley to SDSU college over a proposal to develop it as a soccer focused entertainment complex. One of the largest redevelopment projects in the city by area, the college will replace the stadium with a mix of housing/office/school buildings. Controversial due to the uncertainty of SDSU's ability to pay for a development of this size, and (arguably) the residual unhappiness over our NFL team leaving for LA after a proposition to build them a replacement for Qualcomm failed at the ballot office. Everything about the project is still fuzzy, from timelines to the exact nature of what will be built.