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-   -   SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2 (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=126473)

unpermitted_variance May 17, 2022 8:20 PM

Oof, hate to agree with the NIMBYs on this one but the developer's rationale for the density bonus is a very cynical twist of the law, and a huge stretch. Kind of goes to show some of the issues with the state density bonus law, as it can be interpreted vaguely in a way that subverts zoning expectations laid out by planners and can kick up a lot of noise in the community. That being said, this is a cool looking project and is in no way out of scale for the area, so really I suppose my bone to pick is with the base zoning.

SDCAL May 19, 2022 2:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Streamliner (Post 9627158)
East Village Green, downtown San Diego’s long-promised park, now costs $80M and comes with fewer features
Jennifer Van Grove
May 17, 2022

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...fewer-features

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...andiego-01.jpg


Tuesday, City Council members will vote on whether to allocate another $27.3 million from downtown-specific funds to the now $79.6 million project. The action, if approved, tees up construction to start in August on the first phase of East Village Green, or 2 acres of public park amenities, including downtown’s first recreation center.

Per the updated timeline, the project should be completed in February 2025.

The latest ask, which does not include money from the city’s general fund, comes 2.5 years after the council approved a $52.3 million budget for the park. Since then, the city has worked to secure permits. In late 2021, Civic San Diego solicited bids for construction.

“Both qualifying bids blew the budget significantly,” said Christina Bibler, who is the city’s director of economic development and noted that increases to construction costs over time were to blame. “It was a shock to everyone. It was much more excessive than we had ever expected.”
—————————————————-
She’s an economic director for development and is “shocked” that things go way up in price when they sit on them for years? Hmmmmm. Ok. :shrug:

FromSD May 20, 2022 12:50 AM

San Diego needs more park space, especially Downtown. The problem with this project is that half of the "hard costs" is devoted to providing a two-level underground parking structure for park goers, "staff" and "monthly passholders." $34.9 million to provide 182 parking spaces...Downtown. Why? Are people going to be driving from other areas of the county to use this fairly small park? How many staff does this park require that an underground parking structure must be set aside for them? Monthly passholders? Why should adding a park entail providing monthly paid parking? It's a park, not a general parking facility.

This is so typical of the wrong-headed approach to planning in San Diego. It's as if city leaders thought San Diego had vast financial resources. The little money the city has gets spent on astronomically expensive parking, and then people just shake their heads at the obvious waste and vote no on the next park or infrastructure bond issue. An even more outrageous example is SANDAG's out-of-the-blue proposal to spend $4 billion on two people mover links to San Diego's single runway airport. Because other cities have rail links to the airport. Never mind that San Diego's rail transit system is severely underdeveloped, and that relatively few people will be able to take transit to access the airport people mover. And that few people in the county put a higher priority on a people mover to the airport than on more basic infrastructure like pothole-free streets and decent bus and rail transit.

Streamliner May 27, 2022 4:59 PM

Article on the Quince Apartments project in Bankers Hill
 
Bankers Hill neighbors fight against proposed high-rise building

‘Quince Apartments’ would bring 162 units to Bankers Hill, zoning for the area only allows 27. Proposal one of many under city's new Complete Communities Program.

https://media.cbs8.com/assets/KFMB/i...3_1140x641.jpg

https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/lo...pxZt0GblmCppGc

Quote:

Residents of Uptown’s neighborhood of Bankers Hill are rallying against a proposal for a 17-story high-rise apartment building overlooking Maple Canyon.

Applicant Cast Development proposes the high-rise apartment complex at 301 Spruce Street. If approved, the project would include 162 residential apartments, with 150 parking spaces. According to the site development plans, 11 units would be designated as affordable housing units.

But Bankers Hill residents say the building is oversized and goes against current zoning regulations. Zoning regulations cap the maximum number of units at 27. They also restrict new developments from being any higher than 40-feet.

The proposal falls under the city’s newly-adopted “Complete Communities” building strategy, a plan that incentivizes high-density developments.

It does so by allowing developers to exceed height restrictions and housing unit requirements in exchange for high-density developments as well as those near transit and with park components built into them.

ucsbgaucho May 27, 2022 5:58 PM

First look: 37-story downtown San Diego tower proposed for Island Avenue
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...-island-avenue

San Francisco-based Cresleigh Homes, which has built multifamily projects throughout California, plans for 443 apartments, a small commercial space (about 985 square feet) and two levels of underground parking.

The proposed 20,063-square-foot site is on Island Avenue between 6th and 7th avenues near Petco Park and across from Sempra’s headquarters. It would take the place of Ballpark Self Storage. Early estimates put the cost at nearly $233 million, but the developer said they are in the process of coming up with a new projection because of rising costs.

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...2%2Fa-03.1.jpg

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...1-island-1.jpg

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...land-ave-3.jpg

SamFlood May 27, 2022 11:54 PM

A couple of blocks in Little Italy/Columbia on West Ash st being sold by the state for "affordable housing"

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/micha...140000221.html

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Ec...eef55f714ed02c

CaliNative May 28, 2022 9:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aekrid (Post 9597460)


:previous:

The tallest building shown in this rendering looks considerably taller than the 500' FAA height limit. Maybe over 600'. Is this possible? Does the rendering exaggerate the height? Is this proposed development moving ahead, or is just another proposal that doesn't go anywhere? I hope it goes forward. Looks good & breaks the "tabletop" skyline if the tallest really is >500' as it appears to be.

eburress May 29, 2022 4:09 PM

The scale of that tallest tower in the rendering does seem off; both in its height and its mass. That thing is a beast! hahaha

mello May 29, 2022 7:11 PM

Someone please post the new SDUT Article about City Hall
 
That Voice of SD article is old. I noticed in yesterdays UT there is an article titled "Is San Diego getting a new City Hall" with updated info about this project. Its behind a paywall. The image showed new renderings. If someone with a subscription can put it here so we can discuss that would be awesome :cheers:

Pinnacle Twin: Crane has been up for months now and building is still not at ground level, seems like they aren't really doing anyting.

Manchester Hotel Tower at RADD Lab: No digging going on a bunch of old wood pilings are stacked on the site.... Shouldn't they be getting down and dirty on the parking garage by now:shrug:

HurricaneHugo May 30, 2022 3:53 PM

Is San Diego getting a new City Hall?

Code:

1350 Front Street.

Developer The Michaels Organization was recently awarded a 3.2-acre downtown site owned by the state of the California. The firm’s initial proposal calls for 1,007 residential units and a new City Hall complex for the city of San Diego.(Courtesy, California’s Department of General Services)
A developer is proposing to redo two, state-owned blocks in downtown San Diego with two residential towers alongside an all-new civic complex for city leaders and workers.

The San Diego municipal complex often referred to as City Hall will be rebuilt a block away from its current location should the winning proposal for the state of California’s land at 1350 Front Street — as pitched by residential real estate development firm The Michaels Organization — come to fruition.

Earlier this month, the Camden, New Jersey-based development firm was selected through a state-run competitive bidding process to lease and redevelop the state’s two-block property.

This story is for subscribers

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The 3.2-acre site is bordered by West Ash to the north, West A to the south, State Street to the west and Front Street to the east. California’s Department of General Services, or DGS, which manages the state’s real estate portfolio, is working on an exclusive negotiation agreement and intends to execute a 99-year ground lease at a rate of $1 per year.

The Michaels Organization is proposing 1,007 residential units at varying levels of affordability that are split between two, 500-foot towers. The units would accompany 413,151 square feet of office space reserved for the city of San Diego. The plan, which is not final and will likely evolve, also calls for a new City Council chambers, a civic plaza and a fire station.

“We’re excited to see this progress, and work with the city and the surrounding community to really make this an exemplar project for the area — and show what’s doable under the (governor’s) executive order,” said Jason Kenney, who is the deputy director of DGS’s real estate services division.

A best-case scenario could see the developer break ground in 2024 and complete the project in 2027, he said.

The Michaels Organization did not respond to a request for comment. Partners on the project include The Plenary Group, an investment firm that specializes in public-private partnerships, architectural firm Carrier Johnson + CULTURE and Suffolk Construction.

San Diego participated in the state’s solicitation process and helped to evaluate team responses, but it has not made any formal commitment to the selected developer, said Penny Maus, who heads the city’s real estate department.

“The city will be meeting with the state in the coming weeks to explore what level of participation, if any, it will have with The Michels Organization’s proposed project,” she said.

Rendering of 1350 Front Street
The Michaels Organization plan envisions two residential towers with units of varying affordability and a large city administration building.(Courtesy, California’s Department of General Services)
California’s land at 1350 Front Street is currently home to a 1960s-era, seven-story state office building that has historically been 50 percent occupied. Efforts to vacate the building along with a pandemic-forced shift to remote work have significantly reduced occupancy levels in recent years, Kenney said. The site also includes two quasi-condemned, single-story structures, including a former state garage, that the state says are not historically significant.


The real estate holdings are being offered for lease under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2019 Excess Land for Affordable Housing Executive Order. The order directs DGS and the Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, to identify excess state-owned property and enter into low-cost, long-term leases with housing developers to create affordable housing on an expedited basis.

In November, DGS issued a request for qualifications for the downtown San Diego site at 1350 Front Street. The land is not subject to the Surplus Land Act, as the statute only applies to local governments, however, respondents were required to reserve at least 20 percent of housing units for low- and middle-income families.

The solicitation document also identifies the city as a potential, “long-term tenant at market rates” for contemplated office uses on the site.

The state received six statements of qualifications and based its decision on team experience, site vision and community outreach plan.

“Michaels presented a hell of an overall team. They really did a great job with who they picked as partners, (and) their experience with the type of development in question. Their professionalism in their approach really stood out,” Kenney said. “It was a hard-fought race, but Michaels did a great job. ... Their vision for the site was definitely attractive.”

The Michaels Organization plan envisions high-rise residential towers on the east and west side of the site. Per the proposal, the eastern tower is devoted to middle-income housing with 501 units deed-restricted for families making between 80 percent and 120 percent of the area median income. The western tower includes 101 units reserved for families earning 50 percent of the area median income and 405 market-rate units.

The median income for a family of four in San Diego is $106,900, according to the state’s 2022 list of income limits for affordable housing units.

Rendering of 1350 Front Street
In this artist rendering, an egg-shaped architectural feature appears to double as the new home for City Council chambers. The project is pictured looking south from W Ash Street with proposed city office facilities on either side of the architectural feature.(Courtesy, California’s Department of General Services)
The proposed facilities for city of San Diego workers are largely contained in a mid-rise tower extending along the site’s northern edge, backing up to Ash Street. New City Council chambers appear, at least as depicted in renderings and graphics included in the developer’s response, contained in an egg-shaped architectural structure that anchors a civic plaza. The open-space plaza also takes over Union Street, which currently bisects the property but would be closed and incorporated into the public realm and overall development footprint.

Other proposed elements include 1,203 parking spaces and a 26,000 square-foot fire station that would replace the existing Fire Station 1 at the City’s Operation Building.

The state, as a sovereign entity, has land-use authority and permitting power over the parcels, meaning local zoning laws do not apply. San Diego will have a say in some matters, including whether or not Union Street can be vacated and absorbed into the development footprint. The City Council would, of course, also need to approve a lease agreement with the developer.

Although the prospect of a new City Hall is not a done deal, San Diego officials have oft-expressed a pressing need for modern workspaces to house roughly 3,000 office workers, as its current facilities are either in poor condition or legally encumbered. The city currently owns around 400,000 square feet of office space in the downtown core, with properties located between A and C Street, and First and Third Avenue. It is also entangled in a complex legal scandal related to lease-to-own deals for the Civic Center Plaza and 101 Ash buildings.

Mayor Todd Gloria has communicated a desire to combine the city-owned sites with the state land for an all-encompassing Civic-Center-meets-Grand-Central-Station complex in partnership with the San Diego Association of Governments. It’s unclear how that vision aligns with The Michaels Organization proposal.

Rendering of 1350 Front Street
The proposed Michaels Organization project at 1350 Front Street as seen looking southeast, with the city’s new office facilities and a rooftop park pictured in the foreground.(Courtesy, California’s Department of General Services)
The blocks at 1350 Front Street are in an area dominated by office towers, government buildings and parking lots, with redevelopment efforts stymied by employment-specific zoning restrictions that date to the 2006 Downtown Community Plan. The Civic Core employment overlay zone, as it’s known, was initially adopted to prevent a residential chokehold over downtown parcels during a period of rapid growth. It is still in effect, although it was greatly relaxed earlier this year and now allows residential-focused projects if certain criteria are met.

With a mixed-use project of this scale, the developer will get to define the character of what’s historically been a soulless cross-section of downtown San Diego, said real estate analyst Gary London, who is a principal of local firm London Moeder Advisor.

“This is downtown no man’s land. It has always been an under-developed, in-between site between (the Marina District) and Little Italy,” he said. “This is one of the last areas (downtown) that really needs to be paid attention to. From that standpoint, the state’s efforts to move forward are incredibly welcome.”


ucsbgaucho May 30, 2022 4:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mello (Post 9636360)
That Voice of SD article is old. I noticed in yesterdays UT there is an article titled "Is San Diego getting a new City Hall" with updated info about this project. Its behind a paywall. The image showed new renderings. If someone with a subscription can put it here so we can discuss that would be awesome :cheers:

Pinnacle Twin: Crane has been up for months now and building is still not at ground level, seems like they aren't really doing anyting.

Manchester Hotel Tower at RADD Lab: No digging going on a bunch of old wood pilings are stacked on the site.... Shouldn't they be getting down and dirty on the parking garage by now:shrug:

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...et-page-24.jpg

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...et-page-35.jpg

mello May 30, 2022 7:20 PM

So this is a bit confusing the renderings of Michaels Organization towers is more to the North than the other renderings on this same page with the tall tower. That huge tower project has stuff on B and C street. The new renderings aren't on those blocks. So what will happen with all those crappy city buildings along B and C if the Michaels Project goes ahead would they be put up for sale for private development and demolished?

We need clarity on what is going on here. Looks like the State already let them buy the land which is a good sign things may move forward quickly.

Streamliner May 30, 2022 10:43 PM

More pics with their respective descriptions:

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...-rendering.jpg
Developer The Michaels Organization was recently awarded a 3.2-acre downtown site owned by the state of the California. The firm’s initial proposal calls for 1,007 residential units and a new City Hall complex for the city of San Diego.

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...et-page-31.jpg
In this artist rendering, an egg-shaped architectural feature appears to double as the new home for City Council chambers. The project is pictured looking south from W Ash Street with proposed city office facilities on either side of the architectural feature

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...et-page-35.jpg
The proposed Michaels Organization project at 1350 Front Street as seen looking southeast, with the city’s new office facilities and a rooftop park pictured in the foreground.

I disagree with the caption that says the egg will double as the Council chambers. It's way too small.

Will O' Wisp Jun 2, 2022 6:03 AM

San Diegans: Housing prices are out of control and public transit is a mess!

SANDAG:

https://wompampsupport.azureedge.net...F192%2F398.jpg

LAisthePlace Jun 2, 2022 4:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will O' Wisp (Post 9639229)
San Diegans: Housing prices are out of control and public transit is a mess!

SANDAG:

https://wompampsupport.azureedge.net...F192%2F398.jpg

Lol. That egg, while I could see being very cool aesthetically, seems rife for opportunity for someone trying to "crack" it.

The buildings while not bad looking look like corporate office towers vs. grand civic edifice that many city halls.

CaliNative Jun 6, 2022 7:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will O' Wisp (Post 9639229)
San Diegans: Housing prices are out of control and public transit is a mess!

SANDAG:

https://wompampsupport.azureedge.net...F192%2F398.jpg

:previous:
I can see the Variety headline: "San Diego Lays an Egg with New City Hall Proposal"

I kind of like the Toronto City Hall built about 50 years ago. Rather than an egg, they have a circular structure, somewhat resembling a flying saucer for the council chambers, set between two semicircular high rises with city offices.

Or just build an updated version of L.A. City Hall. An iconic tower if there ever was one. Not exactly like it, but iconic and dignified seat of government.

Or just go totally futuristic. Maybe a skyscraper in the shape of a double helix spiral like DNA, with exterior double helix bracing partially supporting the attached floors, along with a central core as the main load bearing element and elevator housing. San Diego aspires to be a center of biotech, so that would be appropriate.

wisheye Jun 6, 2022 3:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliNative (Post 9641901)
:previous:
I can see the Variety headline: "San Diego Lays an Egg with New City Hall Proposal"

I kind of like the Toronto City Hall built about 50 years ago. Rather than an egg, they have a circular structure, somewhat resembling a flying saucer for the council chambers, set between two semicircular high rises with city offices.

Or just build an updated version of L.A. City Hall. An iconic tower if there ever was one. Not exactly like it, but iconic and dignified seat of government.

Or just go totally futuristic. Maybe a skyscraper in the shape of a double helix spiral like DNA, with exterior double helix bracing partially supporting the attached floors, along with a central core as the main load bearing element and elevator housing. San Diego aspires to be a center of biotech, so that would be appropriate.

Well San Diego already has a version of Toronto City Hall: its the Downtown Marriott :)

Will O' Wisp Jun 7, 2022 1:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaliNative (Post 9641901)
:previous:
Or just build an updated version of L.A. City Hall. An iconic tower if there ever was one. Not exactly like it, but iconic and dignified seat of government.

We already have one: the county admin building.

http://brettalan.com/wp-content/uplo...n-D7A_0320.jpg

Until 1964 this was San Diego city hall, as well as the county seat of government. But then the City outgrew the shared space and transferred to the buildings we know now, leaving the County in control. Wish it had gone the other way, I think we can all agree a historic Spanish Revival tower on the downtown waterfront would be a perfect city hall.

colemonkee Jun 7, 2022 2:47 AM

^ That's a gorgeous building!

SamFlood Jun 9, 2022 3:26 AM

Broadway Courthouse

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...98a462c2_b.jpg

Ash st
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1d5412ad_h.jpg

Radd IQHQ

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3b09a652_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e56ddf59_b.jpg


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