I don't disagree with you, but what organization has the ability to FORCE a private company to raise salaries? None. This is not a socialist country. If people feel they cannot make enough here to live the life they want... then they should do what is necessary to change their situation. Relocating to out of the area is an option.

And, if the cost of doing business here is to great for the private sector... well, you know what that means... they'll relocate to someplace else.. or farm out jobs... or do whatever.

I think slaaries will come up... but over time. I also think the cost of buying a unit in this region will become more affordable... by coming down a bit.

I think a couple things are going to happen over the next year. I predict housing prices to fall semi-dramatically before the end of the year...latest February before the market stabilizes and begins its sideways or upward crawl again. Also, I predict an increase in wages before fall. From what I've seen, the job market has gotten a lot better for job seekers and companies are beginning to offer higher wages/salaries in order to attract more qualified or desirable candidates.

Even though that will probably happen, it still won't be enough to make San Diego affordable.

happy 4th of july!

i love how my family chooses the busiest day of the year to go to the fair

FYI - Once again, I've updated the project list on the first page



Here's an even bigger and clearer rendering of the 7th & Market proposal. The ground floor looks to be pretty pedestrian friendly. I'm so glad that none of the projects that have been built or proposed recently have ugly, exposed parking garages for a base. :tup:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ene_3large.jpg


Rendering and description of the future Cowboy Star restaurant in East Village (around the corner from the now underconstruction bowling alley) from SD Metro Mag

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ene_4large.jpg

Galloping in to East Village’s growing round-up of restaurants is Cowboy Star, a 5,000-square-foot restaurant, bar and butcher shop at 640 10th Ave. between Market and G streets. Described as “fine dining meets Old West romance,” the eatery promises fireplaces, exposed beam ceilings, private dining and a display kitchen serving up “a unique Western menu” for lunch and dinner. When it opens in September, the retail butcher shop will be the only one Downtown. Owner is Cloghan Concepts, architect is Matthew Ellis/Blue Motif Architects and executive chef is Victor Jimenez, most recently of Jordan at PB’s Tower23 Hotel.

Great work - thanks for posting (and updating)! I still don't think I like 7th & Market's top but I'm glad another restaurant is getting built (SD can always use more good places to eat).

^^Thanks! I need to work on moving some of the projects into a "Recently Completed" section, don't you think?

Regarding 7th & Market - Just think of it as something different from the balcony infested towers we've gotten recently. ;)


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Will the recent talk here regarding HSR, we shouldn't forget about the new Sprinter line http://www.gonctd.com/oerail/oerail.html between O'side and Esco, that will be up and running by the end of the year.

These have to be the best-looking trains in the country, IMO :tup:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sprinter01.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sprinter02.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...c/sprinter.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sprinter03.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sprinter07.jpg

More pics and info on vehicle specs: http://www.gonctd.com/oerail/sprinte...tsheet_806.pdf

^Sick! Now if we could only connect Escondido with San Diego via an I-15 trolley corridor. ;)


Seriously though, that would be cool.

^^No kidding. One day I'd love to see this thing run North-South along the 15, between DTSD and Esco

That way I could travel by trolley all the way up to RB to see my parents from North Park and then hop back on and ride into Escondido to see my friend up there. Then me and him could hop onto the Sprinter and go to the Hooters in Oceanside!


The things I would do if I was the head of the county transportation department.

^Funny, my Dad lives in RB too.

Seriously. It's a no brainer. the 15 is one of the highest traveled segments in the city. A line down the freeway would guarantee ridership.

I would ride it for sure! They should submerge it if they have to (subway). But yes, it should be done somehow.

for some reason i thought it was running lol

i was in san marcos the other day, at an office next to a sprinter station and the whole time i was wondering why the hell havent i seen a train pass by?

When exactly do they start?

It will be interesting to see if the ridership on the sprinter is very high. I'm not too confident that it will be very successfull but we shall see. Where in Oceanside exactly does it terminate? Downtown Oceanside or Southern Oceanside??

^^ yeah, the station i saw was next to a very suburban office campus

Slated to operate in December of this year.

Call me myopic about high speed rail... but that is likely the best chance at any rail going up and down I-15. Station locations would be in Escondido, UTC, and downtown San Diego. Although it's intended for longer trips, a commuter type layer of service could be operated.

Light rail, like the Trolley, would not be very successful up I-15 for several reasons. The biggest challenges are probably lack of population density, its demographic make-up, and that light-rail cannot get up to the speeds necessary to make travel times attractive. Sprinter type vehicles would be an improvement, but likely not enough. Also, there is zero stuff going on locally that looks at light rail or Sprinter in I-15.

But, things are looking up for HSR!

The state legislature (senate and assembly) have made changes to Schwarzenneger's State Budget proposal for THIS fiscal year and have put in $50m. It's less than the $104m the California High Speed Rail Authority requested, but it's far more than the paltry $1.6m offered up by our Gactor. And it's enough to advance environmental and engineering work, including from SD to LA. It's not enough to purchase critical right of way as origionally intended with the $104m.

Next step for the state budget is to work-out differences between Schwarzenneger and the legislature. But, I think it's likely HSR will remain intact as the funding source is from the states spillover fund that is constitutionally directed to public transit. Schwarzenneger's budget tried to redirect those spillover funds to non-public transit purposes.

http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n.../HSR-SoCal.jpg

^^I assume that if this actually turns in to fruition then there would be talks of completing the triangle from Irvine to SD no?

I certainly hope so!!!! I understand the California High Speed Rail Authority origionally considered the existing rail corridor up I-5, but coastal communities opposed the needed wideing of the corridor, loss of some beach access (?), impacts to the bluffs, and/or overhead catenary.

But, I think it could possibly cut over from I-15 in the vicinity of Murrieta to hook-up with the tail in Irvine to make the trip from here to LA quicker and to our Orange County cousins. I think the time to bring this up is after the November 2008 ballot is passed... thus securing the project.

I also think the line to SF or Sacramento could be speeded up if, assuming the current proposal through Riverside and San Bernardino remains, that a shortcut be provided north to the high desert and then over to Palmdale. It would provide an additional line, but not going through LA and their valley would probably save 30 minutes! No?