Anybody know when Virgin America is going to add more destinations? I know San Diego was one of them.

I agree!! Lucky for us there aren't nearly as many parking lots as there were even 5 years ago. There are very few left with the exception of some on the outskirts. The ones that have always irked me the most are the ones by Lane Field. Those lots and that god-aweful Holiday Inn need to go sooooo bad. I'm alone in that I think the Pei Cobb tower is fine (not for Pei Cobb though) for the spot. I see it as great infill for that area. The Lane Field project bothers me more...it belongs in Florida.

I'm not sure, but I believe we were at the top of the list for Virgin.

Derek, did you go to the San Diego meet?

Anyone else excited about the Hard Rock Hotel opening?

The meet is on August 11th, so not yet. ;)

I hope Virgin America starts flying here soon. I have always loved their service and ammenities on some international flights I have taken with them.

The Hard Rock looks excellent! It fits in very well with the area and I am very excited for it.

I've been living in Orange County for the past 3 years but when I'm in San Diego I try to go to a rooftop bar. The Hard Rock is supposed to have one too I believe. The new NBC project is supposed to have two seperate top-floor lounges (as opposed to rooftop) similar to "Top of the Hyatt" as I understand it.

The Hard Rock will have a rooftop bar, so there's a new one for you to check out! ;)

That's cool, I like going down there because there's pretty much nothing to do here. I want to move back when I can :eat:

I was trying to say in one of my earlier posts that it seems like a lot of us are down because of a seeming lack of development. It seems like there was a slow spot but we have begun to get new proposals as older ones have faded away. We could potentially have NBC (massive), Ballpark Village with the Marriott (massive), Lane Field (very large), Shapery Tower (the phallic one), 7th and Market (the building thats residential looking on bottom and business on top), the new Bosa tower (at the old KUSI site), numerous small proposals that we ignore, and the buildings currently under construction (Hilton, VP, Sapphire, Bayside and others).

NBC is pretty much definitely a go, it justs needs final approval. Not as much news out of Lane Field, but I'd say that's definitely a go as soon as NEVP starts. Ballpark Village I'm a little skeptical about since it has been around for so long, but it is being revived now, with a big time player involved (Marriott), so that can't hurt. 7th & Market I think has a good chance of going up, due to its multiple ammenities it will offer and overall appeal of the project. First & Island (Bosa site) isn't scheduled to start until 2009 I believe, but I feel that that one will also have a good shot of going up, due to it's prime location, and hopefully the housing market will be rebuilding by then, too. :tup:

Shapery Park definitely needs a design review though. That thing blows. (No pun intended.)

I'm not sure if anybody said this, but the new Hilton has started to add glass and is up to about the 6th floor with it.

^^^I'm beginning to really not like that building. It's sooooo wide, and now it has ugly cladding to boot :no:

New Fence at Pinnacle Site!!
 

Hi all, I'm new to this forum and spent the weekend reading all 4,000+ posts. I live in Sherman Heights just across the 5 and walk or bike to my office near the gaslamp everyday. The reason I moved to SH was to be close to the East Village which I think will be the best part of downtown soon, as long as it fills in more East of the ballpark.

Just when I had given up on Pinnacle at 14th between J and Island, I see 2 guys replacing the chainlink fence with a plywood construction barrier. Granted, it is only around the proposed park area for now, but it is encouraging. My guess is that they want to finish the grading for the future parking garage under the park before they demo the warehouses and start the excavation for the towers. At least that's my hope. I wonder if it's possible that they will only build the park, but that won't bring them any money, so they have to build the towers right?

I have a great interest in this project because if it happens, then maybe DR Horton will want to go ahead and build the 16th and Island project where they are doing soil remediation right now. One day I was walking past and asked an engineer that was working on site when building would start and he said "fall 2008." A lot can happen between now and then, but if Pinnacle is started then that might be what the management at DR Horton needs, otherwise they will be taking more of a chance since they will be somewhat of an Island of development cut-off from the other redevelopment closer to the ballpark.

New lighting for 5 overpasses.
 

Since I bought in Sherman Heights I've been talking with people on the Historic Resources board. Here is an excerpt from a member's email:

"Hey, some good news coming your way: CCDC has agreed to pay for
lighting on the Island and J Street bridges over I-5 from Sherman
Heights to the East Village. I took Nancy Graham and CCDC staffers on
a long walking tour last month to see how we can better work together
on mutually beneficial items. CCDC agreed to take responsibility to
add lighting, plus we're seeing if we can get "landscaping" (i.e.,
maybe potted trees) and pedestrian pop-outs for greater safety. This
lighting will help squash any dumping or bad news on those bridges,
plus make it safer when we walk to the ballpark. The bid for this work
will out out in about January 2008, with results starting in about
April 2008. I'll keep you posted on that. We're also trying to get
CCDC to buy the lot at 19th & Island for a gated park, since the
decking over the highway for parkland is in the Downtown Community Plan
Update."

It's good to see that CCDC cares about the safety of those bridges, because it means they care about a walkable neighborhood and connecting to the surrounding areas. It's a great step, but I can't wait for those freeway lids! However, since they require federal money, it could 10-15 years before those get built. I need to ask her if the work CCDC is planning for April 2008 included replacing the fences on those overpasses too, because they sorely need it.

Welcome, sdperry. :)

Thanks for the information!

What project?

DVT is negotiating the rest of their space with Allied Insurance to take over 50,000 SF. That will push them to 90% occupied. I believe the Smart Corner Office portion is owned by the housing commision, and they can only lease to non-profits, which is why it is taking a little longer to absorb. It is always the tenent reps that say the market isn't that hot, but as soon as a new building is finished, at least with 655 and DVT, they are nearly full within a year. That is pretty good absorbtion for a spec building.

Diamond View Tower 90% occupied
 

I have a friend who works at Alliant Insurance who said they are done negotiating. The management has made the announcement to the staff about the move and they will be relocating in January. The only thing she was unsure of was the parking. Right now, Alliant has free parking within their own garage and across the street at an Ace parking, but parking at DVT may be too much for Alliant to bear all the costs and they may ask the staff to pay some of it.

I think some people may be under-estimating the demand for office space in the East Village. Especially when you have companies already downtown like Alliant who are doing well and have been stuck in very old buildings with little amenities.

Was the Pinnacle site also bordered by 15th or 13th street sdperry?

15th Street. It actually appears to be following the schedule on the CCDC website- start early 2007 with completion late 2009.

I had mentioned hopes that this would inspire DR Horton to build on its site next door between 15th and 16th, J and Island, but it could also be what Ballpark Skylofts and Laundry Lofts need to feel better about going forward in this underdeveloped part of the East Village. Anyone know anything about these 2 projects that isn't already known from the CCDC website?

Ah, 15th and Island! :)

I have been wanting this project to get started for so long.