It is. I remember the previous plans for cosmopolitan square that would have been much nicer imo. The height of sempra is really pathetic. In a positive note I think it will be nice at ground level with the glass facade and will bring much needed diversity with office space, but yeah - it's a pretty stubby building.

+1, the reality is that there WASN'T any low cost beach access provided by the hotel because..... IT HAD BEEN BULLDOZED. So the project would have had literally zero impact on low cost beach access. It's the coastal commission just abusing power, and they do this WAY too much. They need to be restructured or disbanded entirely.

Thanks for the photo update. The cladding on Sempra looks nice. I'm glad to see that section of EV/Gaslamp filling in nicely with all of the projects in the area.

Also announced on the UT website - the Bayside Fire Station:

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/...-little-italy/

Imagining the Mission Valley of the future
 

What if Mission Valley had a “main street” — a pedestrian-oriented esplanade with wide sidewalks, bike paths and a streetcar down the middle?

What if parking lots were filled in with multi-story, mixed-use urban villages?

What if the vast asphalt expanse currently known as the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot were reimagined as a broad riverfront park and entertainment complex?

More here: http://www.missionvalleynews.com/ima...of-the-future/


http://www.missionvalleynews.com/wp-...page-59web.jpg

Last night, I spoke with someone who has knowledge of the North Embarcadero plans, and he said the old Bayside Cafe is scheduled to be dismantled and scrapped as soon as January. He also said that they have determined that the cafe's foundation is sound, so they're going to keep it as part of the boardwalk as a viewing deck of sorts (for those of you who aren't familiar, the cafe hangs out over the water, so they're keeping the platform that juts out).

Stella Public House opening in EV:

http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/Blog...-Public-House/

This is a nice concept, but it appears to have many flaws. For instance, all of the buildings are a far walk from the station. I would have expected more from a team of designers. To me this looks auto oriented with curvy circuituitous streets.

Is this going to be built before IDEA1? It says groundbreaking next yr, anyone know if IDEA1 is still on track for gb next year?

So the blue line extension got approved and here I was thinking glaciers moved slowly. http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/...283522031.html

Speaking of a "Mission" that needs a revamp and main street feel is Mission Blvd in Pacific Beach. Just got back from there and god is it awful. whats with the stand alone Burger King, Dennys, other fast food joints, funky Motels, and the terrible Beach Cottage and Surf Rider hotels. This is the center of San Diego's beach scene and it is an embarrassing hodge podge of 60's crap that looks like it should be in Corpus Cristi. Has anyone ever heard of a plan to turn Mission Blvd around?

I like the old Mission Bay Motel. That could be preserved and turned into a trendy mid century place. It's got potential and history of time long gone.

Unfortunately this is what the people asked to preserve when they put into place the zoning ordinances and regulations in the 1970's. It's not going to change much in a meaningful way unless there is a serious overhaul of what's allowed in the coastal zone. Maybe some paint? Eh.

Leo: Ok fine redo the Mission Bay motel a al Pearl in Point Loma, but what do you have to say about all of the other things? How can stand alone fast food places with parking lots be a smart use of such prime land?

Sdfan: What about doing underground parking with 3 floors of residential on top? Still within the lame coastal height limit but will help the look and feel of the area. I don't think people voted to preserve Burger King, and what used to be Taco Bell behind it don't even know what the hell it is. Doesn't the council member from that area have a clue :shrug:

Well, District 2 (the beach communities) voted for Donna Frye (D) twice, and she opposed nearly every infill development because they threatened "community character." They currently have Ed Harris (D) who, even in his temporary position, has been ardently anti-development and NIMBY sympathetic. Due to the council redistricting, Lori Zapf (R) is going to be taking over the district and she has already proven a willingness to cede power to NIMBY forces when she turned against SANDAG and the City Planning Department when they proposed increasing densities in Bay Park and Clairemont (remember the Red Balloon rally?). During her election against Sarah Boot (D), Zapf was attacked for being pro-development, and she quickly shed that image in favor of an anti-growth stance.

The coastal areas are always going to be very anti-development. The reason why we have a lot of the regulations and ordinances we do are because of community activists from coastal areas who saw anything different from what existed in 1960 as a threat to their neighborhoods. It sucks, but it is what it is.

And yet some of the beach is walled off by some of these older buildings. Maybe that's what scared everyone into height limits.
I posted this like 2 years ago. A pb planning group started a smaller offshoot called Beautiful PB. I don't know if they have any traction. They had a booth at beachfest. Not sure if this group includes nimby Scott Chipman

http://beautifulpb.com/projects/pb-parks/

Nice shot of 15th & Island posed by JCamilo79 on Skyscrapercity

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showth...431731&page=61

http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...psisumtbua.jpg

Here is the view from Sherman Heights:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c2...f624f0d49c.jpg

I think it has 5-6 stories left. :D

PS, I was driving around Logan Heights and 15th and Island has some nice angles from out there. It is really going to expand the skyline outwards view-wise.