Great find Streamliner!

Here's some additional renderings and a site plan from the EIR addendum for Ridge Walk North:


https://i.imgur.com/8LiP61k.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uJnnXn3.jpg

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

Due to their height, location, and topography, these likely won't be nearly as visible as the other recent and ongoing tower projects at UCSD.

What's unclear in the plans is what's going to happen with the sites on the west side of Ridgewalk, currently home to the Marshall admin building and Sequoyah hall. They're set to be demolished, but the site plan is unclear on what the future use will be (aside from the location for the construction trailers).

From the Addendum, it looks like they are demolishing those two buildings, to be replaced by "a flexible use green space". Basically, definitely not a building, but nothing very specific either.

A few pics of Downtown

Courthouse
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...91ec31a1_h.jpg

Broadway
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...5ef23542_h.jpg

11th Broadway
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a899d82b_h.jpg

8th and B
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...42609652_b.jpg

^ I'm really glad to see all of these sizeable towers popping up around downtown. But honestly they all look the same. You could've told me all of those pictures were of the same building at different angles and I would have believed you. But thank you for posting construction pics. We don't get nearly enough of those

Some East Village action since this is the current hotspot for projects in their later phases, and I happen to have a good viewpoint for all of them.

After these finish, the next big round of big boys that take shape will be more in the Little Italy / Core Columbia area.

800 Broadway (Topped Off!)

https://i.imgur.com/4l0eBOW.jpg

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

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

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


Broadway Towers (Tower 2, 32 stories, slightly taller than tower 1)

https://i.imgur.com/Y74ybuh.jpg


Radian (topped off, Target @ base, now touring for leases)

https://i.imgur.com/S5Iigf9.jpg


8th & B (stalled but still U/C)
Still no major moves, but the crane and staff remains. Slow build up of thes truss structures, whatever they are. Not dead, just stalled for whatever reason.

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

As I understand it, 8th & B was going to be rentals and will now instead be condos - but the change has required them to file additional paperwork with the city which is delaying construction.

No idea how accurate that is but I heard it from someone at Bosa so I'm rolling with it

Well that would actually make sense if it's true - thanks for chiming in! I figured it wasn't actually in trouble since they've kept the crane up with equipment on site etc. That can't be cheap to hold.

That view looking east is pretty amazing if you think about it. 10 years ago this vantage point wouldn't have been much to look at. Now there's an actual skyline.

Radically different even just from 2017 when I moved to SD. When people try to write off downtown as "not for locals, only for tourists" they show their ignorance about the biggest neighborhood of downtown: East Village. It already is, and rapidly becoming the party of the city that feels like its own ecosystem outside of the gaslamp (which is no longer just tourists or weekenders anyway) or the marina / waterfront, and Little Italy which never feel like they're neighborhoods with mostly locals.

East Village also gets a bad rap about people living on the sidewalks, but I will maintain that as a downtown resident for years, I've had worse and more frequent issues with drunk Padres fans. :shrug:

As a whole, this is the broad part of downtown to look at if you want to live in a central urban / lively area with lots of accessibility that actually feels like a neighborhood. Changing fast, and for the better. And lots of new high rise rentals with amazing views if that's your bag.

Just heard that they are putting a sales office in for it on the corner of 8th and Broadway in the Diega building - confirming the change to condos

Good followup! Although, now I'm disappointed that theyre using that prime corner space at Diega for a sales office. I saw some activity in that exact unit recently and was hoping we had restaurant or cafe coming since it has a nice large space for outdoor seating. Not a single retail unit has been leased yet, so this oddity will be the first.

Theres a boba/bubble tea place going into one of the other corners per my understanding as well.

It's unclear to me how much of that broadway front will be the sales office, so might be that the Boba tea place goes where the planting is

Operators of Star of India proposing $28M maritime museum to be built over San Diego Bay
BY LORI WEISBERG
APRIL 11, 2023 4:56 PM PT
Article Link

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...south-west.png

Building design aside (I have my opinions), I'd rather see the bay instead of letting a building block the view of the water. Anyone else feel this way?

I think the biggest gain could be had by removing some of the surface parking around there. The amount of asphalt you have to cross if you're coming from the city between the PCH, Harbor Drive and the surface parking just to get to the water is ridiculous.

I'd also like to see some more crosswalks and a stop sign or two added along this strip. The distance from the crosswalk on W Ash St to the one on W Grape St is nearly a quarter mile long. So you're trying to get across from Waterfront Park you have to walk all the way to either end to cross, or attempt to jay walk across 5 lanes of speeding cars.

Development Map?
 

https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/defau...s-log-2022.pdf

Does anyone have the link for the development map? I was able to find this list, but not the map online...thanks!

PREACH. This is true for a lot of San Diego's waterfront actually. Always far too much parking, crossing some kind of multi layered highway or track with too few pedestrian crossings. One notable upcoming improvement, however, is the Park blvd train track crossing near the convention center. We need a lot more.

As a local who lives downtown it's especially noticeable, and as we keep packing in more highrise density it's becoming obvious that it's far beyond time to plan the city around local residents and workers.. not just tourists or weekenders who want to drive up to everytrhing they do.

Unfortunately for you, that is literally the entire point of this project.

Very specifically, they want to stop you from taking selfies next to the Star of India without paying.

You can read all about it in the included report (pdf)

https://i.imgur.com/7AWAVhm.png

https://i.imgur.com/w6rBXRF.png


I honestly expect the Coastal Commission is going to make pretty short shrift of this one. People forget the fairly intense battles over the Midway back in the early 2000s and the debate over if it was "blocking off the bay", which were ultimately resolved by the Midway agreeing to allow visitors to access the the flight deck for free* and to eventually convert the Navy pier into a park.

And that was for project that would legitimately draw in a large amount of brand new visitors to the area, and sat across from (at the time) a Navy parking lot. The Maritime Museum is talking about deliberately cutting off the viewshed of the largest park in Downtown in order to "recapitalize" people walking along the waterfront, and trying to get it past a Coastal Commission that has gotten even more proactive about public access since the Midway's time.


*Yes, this is actually true. If you go up to the ticketing office and ask, they have to let you up there. But the Midway wants you to pay, so the only info on this is a couple of out of the way signs.

In the article it mentions this
“The idea is to have a two-story building that you can see through it from the Embarcadero out to the water and to the museum and not to create an obstacle visually.”

I’m all for it, I think this would be a great addition to the waterfront row of attractions

Thank you for all that info, Will O Wisp, JerrelO and Splosivo945 -- I've lived in downtown since 2007 and never knew of the Midway Museum offering free public access to the deck.

I too, would like to see less asphalt along the waterfront. While I see the purpose for the Maritime Museum's attempt to capitalize on lost revenue, I think their arguments are weak. I disagree that people are purposely listening in on tour info, and while people do take pictures and selfies-- its going to happen whether there is structure in front of boats or not.

I predict a lot more people are going to be taking their selfies from the Brigantine's balconies next door.

Regardless, the museum's upgrades will surely be a benefit to the community overall.

https://webmaps.sandiego.gov/portal/...75cfe94d29c5a7

This map includes proposed, under review, approved, and under construction projects. The story map JSW posted while not as comprehensive is more up to date.

Thank you both for the maps, bookmarked them both. :)

Does anything like the downtown map exist for other areas? I feel like I hear a lot about people apply for construction projects in Mission Hills/Hill Crest/North Park etc but it would be cool to see it all on a map

Hillcrest Development maps
 

The Hillcrest Business Association updates a map of current development projects in Hillcrest: https://static1.squarespace.com/stat...ent+map-14.pdf


Note: They list a possible development where Gossip Grill is, which would be a huge loss for the community :(

San Diego looking into closing down 5th Ave to car traffic permently.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/86y5aw3HXIQ

Hey San Diego. I heard something somewhere that the Ritz-Carlton that was gonna be built at 7th and Market got canceled and I wanted to know if its true or not. It would be a shame if it is canceled.

Yes that specific Ritz project must have never been able to secure financing so the city has moved on and will now take other proposals. Hopefully we still get a nice mixed use 500 foot tower with a grocery store on the bottom.

Random question: Walked around DT Chula Vista last night (Friday), it was fairly vibrant. There is a massive empty lot on the South end of the 3rd Ave strip with a KFC on it. This could easily fit 230 to 320 units. Then on the North end at E St another lot that could fit probably 80 or so. Is anyone familiar with plans for this area. If there were more residents living right in the DT on 3rd the potential for a legit commercial area is there.

From the SD U-T on the 25th,
"Seven years after the city agreed to redevelop a downtown parking lot with a Ritz Carlton hotel, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday decided to start over, this time putting the focus on housing for low-income households.

In keeping with a state law designed to encourage the development of affordable housing, the council formally declared city-owned property at 7th Avenue and Market Street as surplus land, a required step before it can start soliciting proposals for the East Village site.

A notice inviting housing developers and other interested parties to submit ideas for transforming the high-profile block will likely be issued the first week of May, said San Diego Economic Development Director Christina Bibler."

Probably not getting a 500-foot tower focused on low income housing.

Double post deleted

ah i see. thanks for filling me in!

I know we need low-income housing badly but that's such a prime lot...

Guys the entire project won't be affordable housing just a % of the units lol. You are acting like some projects are going in at 7th/Market. So a developer probably will want to go to 500 feet to get in as many market rate units as possible to offset the lower priced units on the bottom floors. Seeing how a grocery store was previously proposed I could see the city wanting that and perhaps a hotel component. It's a full block so a lot of stuff can get crammed in there.

I do wonder how much a grocery store will make sense at this location. There are already five grocery stores within six blocks of here as we will soon have the Target; along with the existing Albertsons Plus, Grocery Outlet, Smart and Final, and in the other direction Ralphs plus a handful of small markets, CVS's, 7-11s, etc. Not that I'd mind another one and would help pencil a large tower with anchor tenant like a high end grocery store.

But I'd imagine and hope that grocery retailers particularly the higher end ones original earmarked for 7th and Market will look to jump in somewhere in the city center, core columbia, little italy area which currently does not have a single grocery store within 10 + blocks. I think everyone that lives downtown should be able to walk to a grocery store and that just isn't reasonable for most people that live in Cortez Hill, north of Broadway in core columbia, or especially so for anyone in Little Italy. I know at one point the block that includes the carte hotel had development plans submitted that included a 30,000 sq foot grocery store but believe that has been scratched. Does anyone know of plans for a grocery store above Broadway and west of 7th?

Whilst I agree we likely won't need a grocery store on 7th and Market once the target is in - I do know that the next site Bosa plans to develop is the Grocery Outlet site, so you will lose one in that area. I also can't imagine the Smart and Final over that way is long for this world.

The fact that there isn't a grocery store within an mile of Little Italy is pretty astounding still to me.

I didn't realize that the Grocery Outlet site is going to be redeveloped, and while by all impressions(I live a couple blocks away) both the Grocery Outlet and Smart & Final stay very busy I do now recall that with the completion of the East Village Green and Block F development of Makers Quarter the Smart & Final is supposed to be removed.

The main reason I moved out of Little Italy to the East Village was that there wasn't a grocery store nearby. It really is astounding especially if you throw in the adjacent core-columbia, bankers hill and cortez hill neighborhoods which still make up the majority of the 92101 population.

I'll pile on the sentiment that downtown needs more and better grocers. The Albertsons that serves East Village is big, but its depressing as hell in there. Ralphs is nice enough but wayyy too small and cramped aisles even for off-tourist season. Once anything is happening downtown its a constant annoyance to deal with the crowded aisles and checkout lanes.

Yes, Little Italy is in desperate need, and they should definitely plan to stick a large Trader Joes or Whole Foods at the base of one of the planned towers along Beech/Ash/A so it can serve core columbia, cortez hill, even south Bankers Hill too.

I'm near 7th and Broadway so Krisp saves me when I just need some basic convenience stuff or alcohol.

You’re 100% correct. I live downtown, but I do my grocery shopping by work in north county because the grocery stores downtown are not pleasant experiences. I used to love the Jimbo’s at Horton Plaza, it was awesome having that right downtown. Since they closed, I won’t grocery shop downtown. Maybe I’m an anomaly and most people downtown don’t care, but it says something about the state of downtown grocery stores that as a resident I choose to shop 20+ miles away.

It’s interesting you call the Albertson’s depressing. That’s a perfect word to describe it. It’s huge, like an airplane hangar, and something about it seems really gloomy and distressing. Can’t put my finger on what exactly it is, but I agree, you walk in and feel miserable in there.

Still, I think the chances are pretty slim it will be another 5 star hotel project.

That’s a prime spot, it should be something a little iconic, not just crammed mediocre high rise.

And what about the Claremont hotel? As I understand it, that’s designated historical and would need to be incorporated into any project.

With that and the affordable housing requirement, and all the potential lawsuits, I’m wondering how attractive that site really is to developers.

The ritz was almost immediately assaulted by crazies suing right off the bat, and it took years to resolve.

Will years of lawsuits start all over again with a new development? I mean seriously, who the hell would want to go through that with the risk of losing it all in the end like cisterra did.

If not for those lawsuits, the ritz would have broken ground well before the pandemic started and we’d have downtown’s only 5 star hotel now (albeit with tent cities along the front).

Even the project slated there before the ritz project went up in flames.

That site is going to be front and center for skyline exposure during padres games, I hope it’s something tall and appealing.

I don't think the lawsuits are a legitimate excuse for why Cisterra didn't get this done. The lawsuit was wrapped up in Sept 2018, 16 months before CV-19. Plus that lawsuit was just a union shakedown remember? Anyone who will want to build there in the future will just go along with union demands to avoid all of the legal nonsense.

It all basically comes down to the fact that Cisterra couldn't get the financing right? Think of all the major downtown developments all over the country that got green lit since Sep 2018 until now... Will O Wisp or any other insiders, has it come out exactly what happened with the Cisterra failure?

Can we not insert this level of BS into this forum? Mods?

:rolleyes:

Just ignore it and grow some thicker skin, Karen.

Your personal attack does not convince me that conspiracy theories have a place in this forum :koko:

It doesn't. Neither does whining about things you could just ignore with a bit of EQ. That said... :notacrook:

Jobless

Totally agree!

I’m so sick of the nastiness, attacks and conspiracy theorists on this thread.

I come here as a member of development in downtown, don’t want to see this nonsense.

Same, I’m surprised the mods haven’t removed those posts yet.

Wow went to Puerto Vallarta to get away from May Grey I come back and people are tripping over a typo. I edited the post and will from now on only refer to what occured from March 2020 through the Russian Special Military Operation (invasion) beginning in late Feb 2022 as CV-19. I hope that should be fine for everyone here. Thanks.

In the meantime I think it was a thought provoking post, what did really happen with the Cisterra 7th/Market project. I'm simply trying to contribute to the discussion. Have a good weekend all.

Mega life science development on University City hilltop nears approval


BioMed’s Towne Center View project calls for five, all-new buildings offering 1 million square-feet of space for roughly 3,000 workers.

Life science real estate developer BioMed Realty is close to securing the permits necessary to build a 1-million-square-foot research campus called Towne Center View on 33.5 acres of partially developed land in University City.

Thursday, San Diego Planning Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of advancing the project and its accompanying environmental impact report to the City Council. The action tees up approval of a rare mega development, in the works for more than two years, in the heart of San Diego’s research cluster.

“San Diego is our home, and it has been gratifying to work with our neighbors, community and stakeholders to bring this project forward with the goal of providing additional high-quality spaces that serve the needs of San Diego’s life sciences and technology sectors,” a BioMed spokesperson said in a statement to the Union-Tribune. “Towne Center View has been thoughtfully designed with spectacular architecture and native landscaping that respects its unique location, and incorporates environmental stewardship and climate action values of BioMed Realty and our community.”

Located north of Towne Centre Drive’s current terminus, Towne Center View calls for five, all-new buildings offering 1 million square-feet of space for roughly 3,000 workers in structures that are two to six stories high. The project site is perched atop a hilltop that is already more than 330 feet above sea level, meaning workers will enjoy sweeping views from inside and outside buildings.

Towne Center View also features 2,500 parking spaces, cafes, a market, a fitness center, sports fields and courts, rooftop terraces, conference spaces, walking trails, overlooks, bike parking and repair stations, and seven acres of open space.

The project, which requires a community plan amendment and several other permits, will produce more than 2 million square feet of development when counting the square footage of balconies, rooftop decks and parking garages.

“I think it’s a great project. I think it’s beautifully designed,” Planning Commissioner Kelly Moden said.

Founded and headquartered in San Diego since 2004, BioMed Realty Trust specializes in building research and lab space for life science and biotech firms. The company owns and operates 16.4 million square feet of real estate spread across San Diego, the greater Boston area, San Francisco, Seattle, Boulder and Cambridge, U.K. It was acquired by Blackstone in 2016 in a transaction valued at $8 billion when including debt.

Towne Center View boasts a nearly unrivaled location for ground-up, life science construction, taking advantage of a large plot of land in the space-constrained University City region that was graded years ago for a previously entitled, smaller project but left undeveloped.

BioMed, which declined to share its total project cost, purchased the 21.8-acre undeveloped, northern portion of the project site at the end of Towne Center Drive for $100 million in September 2022 from Cush Enterprises, public records show. The firm already owned the southern portion of the project site, which is developed with three buildings leased to Union Bank and genetic screening company Helix. The existing buildings will be demolished to accommodate Towne Center View.

Towne Center View’s design plays off the environmental landscape with sculptural building forms and transparent facades said to be inspired by the topography of the surrounding canyon. Buildings were also shaped and placed in locations meant to maximize views from a variety of vantage points, the developer said. Plus, a central courtyard with cafes and a market, as well as a northern terrace overlooking the recreation fields and canyon should draw people outside.

“Tenants are encouraged to work, and to play and to interact outdoors. This is a project where we’ve really given equal weight to the outdoor program as we have to the program inside the buildings,” Kelly Schnell, a project architect with Perkins and Will, told the Planning Commission. “I just can’t emphasize enough how much consideration and appreciation of the context was really (BioMed’s) guiding light in this design process. We understand this is a one-of-a-kind opportunity.”

Although the project is located in an environmentally sensitive area with steep hillsides and animal habitats, the city of San Diego’s development services department determined in its environmental impact report that the project would only result in significant impacts to transportation. The analysis estimates that the project will result in 32.6 vehicle miles traveled per employee daily, which is greater than the regional mean of 25.9 miles per employee.

As such, BioMed is required to cut vehicle miles traveled by more than 32 percent to reduce the transportation impact to below a level of significance. The developer has agreed to implement a number of mitigation measures. It will charge for parking, as well as provide bike facilities, subsidized transit passes, carpool priority parking and an employee shuttle to the UTC transit station. BioMed will have to report its progress to the city on an annual basis, relying on trip count data and information from employee surveys to measure vehicle miles traveled. The firm will face fines if the reduction tactics aren’t working.

The developer declined to share information on its timeline. Construction will likely occur in phases over a more than five-year period, according to project materials.