my sentiments exactly. u guys actually have a cool skyline with a couple neat projects under construction so someone please post some photo updates. literally 1000s will prob appreciate it

I gave up on taking photos cuz people didn't like them. :(

I'll take some tomorrow. It's just really dead in San Diego right now due to the fiscal crisis in CA. And the few projects that are on-going are in the infancy and have yet to rise above ground (except for 2).

$70 million to design I-5, rapid transit, and rail projects‏
 

The SANDAG Board set aside $70 million on Friday to begin final design work on a set of major projects – with the goal of putting the agency in a position to quickly pursue any federal or state funding that becomes available to pay for the actual construction of the infrastructure.

“Having shovel-ready projects on the shelf and ready to go has made it possible for SANDAG to put $750 million of transportation construction contracts out to bid since 2005,” said SANDAG Executive Director Gary Gallegos. “But now that shelf of projects is pretty bare. We need to get another set ready to go so we will be able to successfully compete for funding when money becomes available.”

The Board voted unanimously to set aside the $70 million in local TransNet half-cent sales tax money for the design work. When the projects are further along in the design phase, SANDAG will be able to make realistic estimates on completion dates – an important factor in competing for federal and state dollars. The TransNet program also provides funds for construction – attracting matching funds from the federal and state governments.

The $70 million will pay for design work on the coastal rail corridor, HOV lanes on Interstate 5 in North County, and South Bay Bus Rapid Transit.

* Coastal Rail Corridor: This set of projects will improve tracks at bottleneck locations in San Diego, Carlsbad, Oceanside, and at Camp Pendleton. The improvements will increase the amount of double track on the 60-mile corridor from 32 miles to 42 miles, improve operational effectiveness and reliability, and increase the capacity on the corridor from 73 trains to 79 trains. The cost to design these track improvements is estimated at $19.1 million.

* I-5 North Coast: This project will extend I-5 HOV lanes 13 miles from Manchester Avenue to State Route 78. Noise barriers also will be constructed, where reasonable and feasible, along the length of the project. The cost to design these proposed improvements is estimated at $32.5 million.

* South Bay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT): The South Bay BRT is being designed to provide premium transit service between the Otay Mesa border crossing and downtown San Diego. The service will traverse the State Route 125, Palomar Street, Interstate 805, and State Route 94 corridors. Funds will be used to begin design on the segment between the Heritage Station and downtown San Diego. The cost to design this section of the project is estimated at $18.8 million.

San Diego County News

What about the mid-coast trolley expansion?

^^^


Not until 2050 at least.

Has anyone in the UTC area ventured out on the super loop buses? I was wondering if people are using the routes or not. And since people have been saying how dead it is, the one place where development is actually alive and well is at UCSD, if anyone has a chance to get some shots of those projects, at least it'd give us something to look at.

I live in UTC and every time the superloop bus goes by it is packed. Especially at Lebon/Nobel Drive. There are usually 75 or so people standing at the bus stop every hour between 7am-9am and 3-6pm

A couple people from this thread commented on the urine issue at Fahrenheit. I'm the president of the HOA. We're well aware of the issue. It originally was grass - twice, died off quickly. The move to artificial turf turned it from an eye sore to a nose sore.

I'm trying to cull any info on this around the web - has anyone seen mention of this on other forums or realtor blogs? I'm trying to bring evidence to the CCDC that the public sees this as 'blight' and may be more amenable to a proper solution.

Thanks a bunch. - Beau

Of course it's dead UCSD is not in session!

They have nice buses though! Much better than the ones I drive. :(

If I can borrow my sister's camera I can take some pics. :)

My pekingese, named Buddha, has adopted the front of Fahrenheit's artificial turf as his favorite place to mark his spot every morning. I don't think the smell is that bad, it's sort of expected if you're a dog owner and given the amount of dog owners that live in the EV (ballpark specifically) I wouldn't think many would mind the smell. At least it gets sprayed off every so often. I would rather smell dog piss than homeless piss near the trolley tracks.

^^ SDSU repurposing the Qualcomm site would seem to make a lot of sense for both the city/region and the school. It's obviously a long way off, but I guess it's something to get at least a little excited about.

Why didn't anybody think of this before?

Sounds good!

And as for Frye's park, get rid of that golf course!

Work Begins On Broadway Pier Cruise Ship Terminal
 

Work officially began Tuesday on a $22.4 million cruise ship terminal at the Broadway Pier along the downtown waterfront that officials said is needed to handle the growing industry in San Diego.

The 52,000-square-foot, two-story steel and metal-framed terminal will be able to handle 2,600 passengers and will include spaces for ticketing and baggage and U.S. Customs & Border Protection.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in December of next year.

Officials from the Port of San Diego, Carnival Cruise Lines, area cities and Mexico gathered adjacent to the construction site at a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of work.

According to the port, the local cruise business has outgrown the existing terminal at the B Street Pier, which can handle only two ships at a time.

There were 297 cruise ship calls in San Diego last year.

"Although our industry, as well as the world, is facing some rather difficult economic times, planning for the future cannot be overlooked," Carnival's Carlos Torres de Navarra said.

Carnival, the parent company of Holland America Line, loaned the Port of San Diego $12 million to help pay for the construction of the terminal.

Stephen Cushman, chair of the Board of Port Commissioners, said each cruise ship that stops in San Diego has an economic impact of about $2 million.

"Obviously we have waited for this day for a long, long time," Cushman said. "We could not have done this without our partners, specifically representing Carnival."

San Diego City Councilman Kevin Faulconer said the cruise industry bolsters the local economy through the creation of jobs and tourism.

"The new cruise ship terminal will be a new entry point, I'm told, for nearly 1 million cruise ship passengers," Faulconer said.

http://www.10news.com/news/20280300/detail.html

http://www.sandiegolifestyle.info/wp..._Terminal1.jpg

^^^ here's a view from a wider vantage point.

http://www.orchidsandonions.org/file...-port-site.jpg

Too bad the rest of the pier is ugly as shit.

Is that just a basic rendering of the pier? Or are they at least gonna install trees or benches?

More fantastic news! :rolleyes:


http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stori...terfront-plan/

A "view analysis" because of trees? You've got to be shitting me.

Lawsuit Filed Against San Diego Unified Port District Over Waterfront Plan
 

People who say San Diego's downtown waterfront plan lost too much public space along the way toward receiving construction permits have sued.

Public Rights to Bay Access and Parks, a new nonprofit group,filed a lawsuit Friday against the San Diego Unified Port District.

At issue is the long-debated North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, a $200 million proposal to turn the downtown waterfront along San Diego Bay into a showpiece of promenades and plantings. The city and the Port share responsibility for the plan, which has been in the works since the late 1990s. Detailed drawings were inked in 2005.

In July, the Port issued permits for the $28.6 million first phase, which covers Harbor Drive and West Broadway from Navy Pier to B Street.

Activists and two California Coastal Commissioners appealed. The state commission is expected to address the issue at a meeting Friday. Commission staff have said the Port needs to revise its master plan because changes to the waterfront blueprint are significant.

The lawsuit also says the revisions to the plan are too great, such as the downsizing of a 10-acre park at Broadway and the placement of new cruise ship terminals at the Broadway and B Street piers.

If either the court or coastal officials demand further environmental analysis, the waterfront project would likely be delayed.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stori...&zIndex=146836

Another waterfront project gets fucked up
 

Manchester's wife files for divorce after 43-year marriage
By Jeanette Steele
Union-Tribune Staff Writer
8:54 p.m. August 12, 2009

SAN DIEGO – The wife of San Diego developer Doug Manchester, who helped finance the 2008 fight against same-sex marriage in California, has filed for divorce after 43 years of marriage.
The case could complicate Manchester's finances as he tries to move forward with a major project on San Diego's waterfront and operate two luxury hotels amid the prolonged recession and a boycott from gay-rights groups.
Manchester built and owns the Manchester Grand Hyatt in downtown San Diego and the Grand Del Mar in Carmel Valley. He also has been tapped to remake the Navy Broadway Complex and the land around it, one of the last undeveloped swaths of the San Diego bayfront.
A divorce that cuts Doug Manchester's assets in half could force him to sell some properties. It also could make it harder for him to finance the Broadway development, said real estate economist Gary London.
These days, banks demand a large down payment before approving a loan.
“A bank would say, 'You have to have more skin in the game right now.' So where a divorce comes in, it typically takes skin out of your game,” London said.
But he and another economist said they don't expect the Broadway project to get going for several years anyway due to lack of demand for new hotels and office space.
According to court papers, the Manchesters separated in October and Elizabeth Manchester sued for dissolution of marriage in June, citing irreconcilable differences.
Doug Manchester responded last month to his wife's lawsuit by filing court papers asking only for a legal separation.
The next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 17 in Superior Court.
Doug Manchester's attorney, Robert Wood, declined to comment Wednesday. Elizabeth Manchester's lawyer didn't return a phone call.
A battle over money is brewing between the Manchesters, who own an oceanfront home in La Jolla Shores and four other houses in Indian Wells, Idaho and North Carolina.
In court papers, Elizabeth Manchester said her husband has $56.9 million in bank accounts but has “secretly transferred” at least $9.3 million from their joint accounts into his own. She also alleged that he kept her half of an $8.2 million tax refund, potentially cashing it without her signature.
And she said that after the couple's separation last fall, he stole her mail while she was away from the La Jolla home.
Last week, Superior Court family law Judge Lisa Foster ordered Doug Manchester to restore $100,000 that he had transferred out of the joint bank account his wife uses to pay bills.
Foster also gave Elizabeth Manchester, known as Betsy, exclusive use of the couple's 9,300-square-foot La Jolla home and directed that her mail be returned.
Last year, Doug Manchester jumped into the middle of California's same-sex marriage debate by donating $125,000 to support Proposition 8, the successful November ballot initiative that canceled the rights of gays to marry.
Gay-rights groups organized a boycott of Manchester properties. Manchester, a Catholic, later offered $125,000 in cash and hotel credit to same-sex rights groups, saying he's against gay marriage, not gays and lesbians. The boycott continues.


Jeanette Steele: (619) 293-1030;

Wow, first John Moores gets divorced after a long marriage, now Manchester.

It's pretty sad the fool couldn't have focused his time and money on saving his marriage, instead he chose to promote intolerance and destroy the chance for others. A true hypocrite! He gets what he deserves.

Pictures plz....

My friend (who is gay) took me to lunch the other day and I told him that I did not want to have marriage redefined and I was surprised when he told me that he thought it should stay the way it is and he was tired of the 'queens' who are pushing this agenda for political reasons and have no intention of getting married.

You are on a non political, skyscraper forum, leave your bigotry for discussion over cheeseburgers at The Hole this weekend.

I'm a married heterosexual, but I agree with TDavis. It is sad that people want to stop a couple that is committed to each other from marrying. It is un-American, and un-Christian. These very people need to start focusing on their own relationships and the high divorce rate of heterosexuals.

That being said, I hope the Broadway development can move forward sooner rather than later.

Not every gay man in SD goes to The Hole on Sunday, thank you very much.

If you guys really want to talk about politics please take it to the Current Events section on this forum.

^^^ well adios a new stadium will most likely not be built in the next 2 to 3 years and LA is getting more aggressive about having a NFL team.

In the end the team will do what makes most sense to their pocketbooks. And being in L.A. or other markets could draw more people. Given the lack of leadership by the city of San Diego on this matter I predict we will lose the Chargers.

I've already been feeling beaten down about certain aspects of living in a city that at best, is not living up to its potential, but man, if we lose the Chargers, this "city" is going to become a downright depressing place to live.

If we lose the Chargers, I'm seriously moving to Chicago. That would be my breaking point.

Chargers won't move for another two years as they would have to pay about 50 million dollars to the city to move. If there's no moment at all then yes they might move. Even then, Spanos won't sell the team and won't be a leaser in an LA stadium.

Also, Gaylord Site.

I hear you. Speaking of Chicago, now that is a CITY! It's not perfect, but it has public transportation that gets people where they need to go, grand civic projects, a real airport, a soaring skyline, an enormous corporate infrastructure, and a population that puts the needs of the region above their own.

Until the team is actually threatening to move I wouldn't worry about it too much. There are plenty of feasible locations to build the Chargers a new stadium. All that we need is a local representative to take lead of this issue.





On second thought we're probably screwed. :haha:

I predict the area in the East Village next to PETCO will be the eventual site of the Charger Stadium. It makes sense as they can receive redevelopment dollars, help an area that needs a shot in the arm, and is right in the middle of mass transit.

I agree with tdavis. I don't think the Chargers will be here in 5 years due to a lack of leadership all around by the city council, mayor's office, etc. And btw, the area next to Petco was identified as having a fault line underneath. This was found when there was discussion of expanding the convention center to the area. This was the reason the convention center changed plans and are now proceeding with the expansion on the park next to the Hilton. This area next to Petco will be most likely a parking lot for many years to come due to this fault.

Link to the fault line?

How about WE run for city council? :D

Well if downtown is a no go then I think the Escondido site is a good fit. It has close freeway access and access to the sprinter.

I have heard and read that the county government has been quite vocal about the need to keep the Chargers in the local area for economic reasons.
I don't think the Chargers will the county, I hope and pray.

If the Chargers do leave town I think I am going to high tail it up to San Francisco.

:previous:

There's an Escondido site now? Damn I am behind...

I'm traveling for work right now and the fault information is on my pc at work. We've had to work around it in some of our planning sessions. But here is a link that discusses the fault and the CC expansion.

http://pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/b...lans-unveiled/

Regardless if it's blocking the bay or not, I think the design is pretty cool. :)

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stori...&zIndex=149844



Hopefully something happens with that. I like this idea.

Me too. I think anything within SD County is perfect. The real question, though, is what the city is going to do with the Qualcomm site. I doubt SDSU will need that much space for their potential plans.

Shit Miramar would be perfect.



Oh wait, we should put an airport there. :rolleyes:



Seriously, if Miramar shut down operations, imagine it's possibilities.

The Marines should give us a tiny sliver of that land to build a stadium. :D

Hell, they'll save money on gas for the flyovers!