Someone correct me on this but I think the Costal Commission has some type of oversight of all projects west of the 5. At least in my construction experience.

The CCC has a broad level of oversight that has mostly been set in a series of court cases, so it can be hard to pin down exactly. Technically the CCC only oversees land below the mean high tide line, so just by reading the law code you'd think it wouldn't have jurisdiction over anything that isn't occasionally underwater. But there are two major addenda to that:

1. If you reclaim land from the sea, it still counts as being underneath the mean high tide line for the purposes of the CCC. The Airport falls under this jurisdiction because it was dredged out of the harbor in the 30s and 40s. A ton of land was reclaimed around San Diego harbor in that era, which the Port now controls. Here's a map:

https://www.portofsandiego.org/sites...?itok=dcV64hmD


2. The CCC oversees "access" to land underneath the mean high tide line. What exactly this means is vague, but the CCC takes a very expansive view of it. Beyond the obvious of mandating public access-ways so millionaires can't build a wall of mansions blocking off access to the coast, it can include things like mandating free or low cost parking, or even capping the rates beachside hotels can charge for rooms. As you can imagine, this is often subject to a lot of litigation.

The Airport is so close to final approval of T1, I can almost taste it. Shovels in the ground by December boys! There's going to be a video walkthough of the latest render released soon which I think you guys will really enjoy, be on the lookout for it :D

Let's hope this upcoming Evergrande default doesn't cause a 2008-like worldwide economic depression.

Alexan Little Italy now above ground. It was nice having that unobstructed view of balboa park from my office while it lasted.

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

Horton Plaza Redo as seen from Pacific Highway Manchester project

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f43e4dea_b.jpg

The development gods giveth, the development gods taketh away

:multibow: :skyhighmind: :multibow

A few observations across downtown:

• Courthouse Commons (Holland Partner Group) looks like they're almost done pouring the underground parking. :fingerscrossed: We'll start seeing some height on that site soon!

• Radian + Target (Cisterra Development) installed steel to support the facade of the Farkas building and is excavating inside.

• Framework (Carleton Management) at 13th & F looks like it's about as tall as it's going to get. Also, it looks like Carleton is advertising all of those units as fully furnished. https://www.carletonmanagement.com/framework Estimated Completion: Q2 2022

• RaDD (IQHQ) keeps making progress with demolition and underground work. It looks like IQHQ opened an office in the base of Pacific Gate next to Nima Cafe & Animae.

• Manchester Pacific Gateway Hotel doesn't look like much right now, however the City's downtown development map indicates that underground parking is underway. It's unclear if this applies to the RaDD too as I thought these two projects shared a parking garage even after Manchester sold off the rest of the site to IQHQ.

Speaking of 13th & F, has anyone heard when the city will start building East Village Green? Have they awarded a contract yet?

The best views of the skyline in my opinion are from the Bay itself. I was able to get these shots a couple weeks back:

https://i.imgur.com/gly7vrDh.jpg

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

https://i.imgur.com/FOnkiY6h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XZbsH5Fh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/o4Byjp9h.jpg

Bonus RaDD site update. The old Navy HQ building is completely gone and the new HQ is standing on an island surrounded by a pit filled with construction equipment.

https://i.imgur.com/Bvd13NHh.jpg

I've noticed that the crown atop One America Plaza has not been on at night for about the past week. I wonder what's going on and when it will be lit again?

Great pics Streamliner! Cruise traffic is picking up between Disney, Holland America, Celebrity, and Princess.

I noticed this too, right around the time the thunderstorms rolled through. Hopefully the lights come back on soon!

Downtown Development Map
Hi all, does anyone know how to access the map? The site below is not working for me any longer, is it a paid site now?

https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/oauth...serOrgUrl=true

The city migrated the site, here is the new link. https://sandiego.maps.arcgis.com/app...800c6d55944c09

Hope you guys enjoy!

• Video Link

Across the street on Harbor Island it looks like Mobile construction offices are set up.

YESSSS! I was looking forward to this!:cheers:

It's growing on me. I would have liked more glass on the airside like the early renderings, but I guess that adds to the cooling demand. The cyber truck cameo is funny.

Anything beats the two rotundas and whatever you wanna call gates 1 and 2, and this will be excellent for the whole facility. I think this is full buildout of the gate count then, right? On to Miramar!!! ;):D

Those renderings were very, very early. Practically no architectural work had been done at that point, the renderings were designed more for ascetics than actual function. The roof is too tall for a structure that close to the runway, the support columns are too thin for such a large interior void, and the interior is a mess (all of the security lines, restaurants/shops, and bathrooms are shoved into the middle of the building to maintain that hollow greenhouse look).

The full buildout of 63 gates is actually more than San Diego needs, the gate capacity outweighs the capacity of a single runway. If/when Terminal 2 east is renovated a few gates will be deleted.

Yes once this is all done Terminal 2 East will be the ugly duckling of the airport.

Just watched the whole video and not to be a downer, I'm very underwhelmed. Is this what it is actually going to look like? Nothing unique about it, bland architecture, looks super generic. I'm hoping the finished product will look different. Like Will said where is the glass on the airside, looks like a Terminal at Karachi International from the runway :yuck:

Hey, Karachi International is pretty nice!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...asv2020-02.jpg

The rendering is accurate to the geometry, but doesn't include cladding, paint, artwork, etc. That will effect the final look somewhat.

But between the height restrictions, limited ground space, and CA earthquake laws there are some pretty significant constraints to how architecturally daring you can be while still providing for the thousands of passengers that will use this everyday. This is, ultimately, a piece of transportation infrastructure after all. Functionality comes first.

Yeah. I've been to a lot of airports and wouldn't be able to tell you architectural details of the inside of one. Doubt I'll recognize any from the inside, save for O'Hare and it's flags. (I love flags).

Are there any recent studies that project when we will run out of runway capacity at this site? I’m guessing it’s decades away if they are putting this much $$ into this airport.

Also, not only are we limited by one short runway, we are also limited by curfews. If you look on flight radar, we are the only urban area our size that doesn’t have flights incoming in the middle of the night.

Not to be a downer, but this seems like it might be looked at as a big fail in a decade or two if we are starting to reach capacity. People will scratch their head and wonder why the city was focused on this instead of planning for the long-term future.

Capacity is a squishy science, and demand forecasting even more so, but the last major study showed the airport will begin facing major capacity constraints by 2024, although these could be alleviated somewhat by changes in fleet mix and scheduling. However by 2035 these constraints will likely prevent any further increases in passenger counts. This was pre-COVID though.

But then, there just aren't any feasible scenarios where the current San Diego International is wholesale replaced within the next 30+ years. You name a potential location for a new airport and I guarantee it has already been studied and rejected. Decades spent refusing to upgrade the terminals at SDIA in favor of study after study of alternative airport locations is how we ended up with the cramped, crowded, and inefficient Terminal 1 we have today.

https://i.imgur.com/2TCrq3E.png

https://i.imgur.com/6hhILtE.png

https://i.imgur.com/klYOpZ4.png

https://i.imgur.com/EiGCUS0.png

https://i.imgur.com/1ZzNLCq.png

https://i.imgur.com/FkA9Xyi.png

Super excited about the following game-changing developments over the next decade!

*Chula Vist Bayfront Development
*Riverwalk Mission Valley
*SDSU West Campus
*IQHQ RaDD
*Ballpark Village
*Midway/Sports Arena Redevelopment
*SPAWAR Redevelopment
*Millenia Chula Vista

Thanks for consolidating that info. The last study for relocation said Miramar or bust, and unless and until the Marines’ mission there changes, not sure how palatable that would be to the electorate. Last time there was a vote we were in the Iraq War and SD politics was different. Books could be written about the missed opportunities for airports in SD. Maybe there already is one. Montgomery Field is a remnant of a large land reserved that early leaders had earmarked for a future airport, the City passed on Miramar back in the day, etc etc. I’m no expert on that. Sorry about all the airport talk. I got into airports because I wanted SD to have skyscrapers and wondered why not and stumbled into airports. Grateful to have Will here to give us the fantastic intel.

Agree thanks to Will for posting this info!

It seems the city has relegated itself to not doing anything until the public feels the impact. What I mean by this is, the city seems to feel the only way the airport will ever be moved is if there is pressure from the public, and the only way there will be pressure from the public is if (God forbid) there’s a major air disaster here or if things start getting backed-up and people start encountering significant wait times because the one runway can’t keep up with demand.

Other possibilities could be corporate/economic pressure or people complaining if we need to start lifting curfews in order to accommodate more air traffic.

Of course, a competent city would solve the issue well before anything like this happens, but our city has shown grotesque incompetence on a massive scale over the last many decades on this issue.

Your point about the Miramar vote is an interesting one. It was never binding in the first place, but the city felt having the public behind them would be the only leverage powerful enough to convince military leadership. You are correct that a lot has changed since then, I’m not sure how people would vote now. But most people only live in the moment, and since there aren’t really any tangible problems travelers noticeably encounter now, a lot of people wouldn’t support moving the airport. They don’t consider the huge amount of time it would take to plan, get permits, construct, etc. We are probably talking a decade or more from the point a decision is made to having an actual airport. That’s why waiting until there’s tangible problems with capacity is so dangerous, because even when it gets to that point, we will have a decade more to deal with it.

I’m wondering if our city has ever tried (or would try) help from Washington on this issue. Both from a military and infrastructure perspective. Having some decisions from Washington D.C. to move Miramar and provide some funding through infrastructure could help “shield” some of the public backlash our local leaders fear. Anyway, that’s my airport rant for the day :)

Any news of 7th/Market, the Ritz Carlton/ Cisterra project?

I got excited the other day because I saw workers at the parking lot and thought they were removing the parking sign. They were just fixing/replacing it. I’m guessing that means it’s going to be remaining a parking lot for the foreseeable future?

I’m wondering how long this one can fester before it would need to update plans, etc ? It’s now about 6 years since the original plans were announced and the renderings seem pretty much the same with some minor tweaks.

Although we're not a military town anymore, the vague idea that we need to support our troops (aka the military's needs aka the base itself) would be hard to overcome. That, combined with the NIMBYism of the wealthy north county types that would be most affected by the airport, I am pretty pessimistic about getting an airport at Miramar.

Hmm Cisterra is still acting like a ground breaking is eminent and that financing is just an inch away. Like a football team with first down at the 1 yard line, oh they will score...

I do have interesting news on the huge parking lot caddy corner to Vantage Point and Symphony towers on 8th and B. I parked there on Monday and an employee came out to her car and said her company is looking for new places for them to park because construction is about to start soon on that lot :shrug:

Anyone hear about this?

Likely Bosa's 8th and B project. 40 stories, 514 apartments. Not much more info on it.

https://webdocs.sandiego.gov/public/...es/8th_&_B.png

First post, occasional lurker from time to time to see what's being built.

With 9 days until the opening of the Blue Line extension, is anybody else going out on opening day to ride and document the experience?

Welcome! :cheers:

I wish, but I'll be out of town. Will need to as soon as I get back. Some of my colleagues have ridden it, and they loved it. They said it felt quicker than the 30 minutes from Old Town to UTC.

Here's a few preview videos

https://youtu.be/Ugbnu5d7CSY



https://youtu.be/tQmfVWFDu1Q

If anybody goes, I need a picture of the Mormon Temple with the UTC skyline in the background :D

So, they don’t have financing secured yet? That’s not good .. they’ve been saying they’re an inch away for the last several years now ;)

Fingers crossed. Their website still has outdated info saying ground breaking in 2020 :???: :dunno:

Thanks!

I was browsing around the transit feature on Apple Maps and noticed that they have the Mid Coast Trolley extension live on their maps now.

In other news, IQHQ got a tower crane up at the RaDD site this past weekend over by the Navy Building.

You can't miss it when you're anywhere on Harbor Drive! That site is humming with activity.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4ed60b03_c.jpgRaDD Tower Crane by San Man, on Flickr

Interesting news, City Council has eliminated commercial parking minimums access most of the city. We'll have to see how this effects development going forward.

I'm glad this is happening, but it would have been nice to start that "slow and incremental shift" decades ago instead of 2021

Agreed. Better late than never I suppose.

Blue Line extension, here are some opening day pictures. I'll take more when it's less crowded and hot!


Trolley arriving UTC station.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0f07bb32_c.jpgUTC trolley by Manuel Sanchez, on Flickr


Looking north from UTC station.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2f6c3d60_c.jpgUTC north by Manuel Sanchez, on Flickr


The viaduct, looking north from UTC, down on Genesee.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...8a932fb6_c.jpgGenesee by Manuel Sanchez, on Flickr

Looking north from Balboa platform.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...014df020_c.jpgNorth from Balboa by Manuel Sanchez, on Flickr

System map at Balboa station platform.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1a92bb10_c.jpgTrolley Map by Manuel Sanchez, on Flickr

Hillcrest and El Cajon Blvd Corridor Infill Update
 

Empty lot across from HC DMV on Normal street, they are digging deep so lets hope for 5 floors there. Also a slim lot behind that Red Building on University that wasn't included in that project has construction going on.

Have you guys noticed some infill going on along EC Blvd finally, the old Poker room is getting filled in. Empty lot on Ohio or Illinois about to start construction (I asked the liquor store owner next door he said its a go).

Farther east on 50 something street another Card Room that was shuttered has residential going in.

University and Fairmont an old Union Bank Branch and their massive parking lot is getting Residential and another couple blocks east is a fenced off lot no equipment visible but hopefully infill coming.

Bottom line is we are finally seeing construction in the less desirable areas. Something LA and Bay Area have been doing for years now and its finally coming here.

How busy were the stations?

Some of your pics look empty

The Balboa station picture was actually taken the afternoon before opening day. In the other pictures I intentionally avoided passengers and went to areas of the platform to take pictures in-between passer-bys.

I boarded at Old Town transit center, which was very busy, parking was full. The trains were packed to capacity and the ride north was stuffy/hot, standing room only. There were quite a few people that weren't able to board at Tecolote and Balboa.

The stations that were busy were UTC, UCSD (that's where the MTS opening event was), Balboa, Clairemont, Tecolote and Old Town.

Ditto on how busy the stations were on Sunday, most trains were busy with all ages. In addition to the Old Town, parking at Cairemont Dr. and Balboa were full too. Most cars I rode were nice and cool, except for one where the AC definitely wasn't on or wasn't functional.

I had to laugh to myself as we rode through the UCSD Health La Jolla station since Scripps Memorial is JUST on the other side of Voigt drive. The UCSD Health hospital is noticeably further away, but hey when you have your name on the entire line you probably get the hospital stop named after you for free.

Speaking of Trolley stops
 

Anyone know what is going on with this nice development on the huge empty lot just east of the Clairemont Dr stop at the bottom of the hill?

http://https://www.kpbs.org/news/qua...uture-clairemo

Click link the renderings look great it is called Bayview Plaza by Protea Properties. All of the articles about it are from late Summer of 2019... :shrug:

In a comment thread on a Tribune article about the new trolley line someone said this project has been canceled or didn't go through for some reason. I really hope that isn't true its a blighted lot and this Bayview Plaza looks dope.

MTS was still talking about it as of May of this year. Check out Page 110 of the May 6 Executive Committee packet. https://www.sdmts.com/sites/default/..._materials.pdf

Meeting minutes didn't shine too much more light on the status, excerpt below.

"Ms. Cooney commented on the Clairemont Drive site and noted it as a critical access entryway to the nearby communities in Clairemont. She discussed concerns about the ability to access the site with an automobile and also noted bus accessibility limitations. She stated that the delay of this development could impact transit accessibility."
https://www.sdmts.com/sites/default/...ec_minutes.pdf

I took a ride yesterday (Black Friday) on the new line from Nobel to UTC just to check it out. I got on an early train around 9:00 and it was pretty quiet, but coming back at noon the trains were full. The 5000-series Siemens cars are really nice.

I noticed that the empty lot was used for staging construction equipment and vehicles for the Trolley extension at times.

Now that construction has wrapped up, hopefully we see some movement on that property. What a prime property, walking distance to Mission Bay, units will have water views, 1 block from Clairemont Dr. Trolley stop, next to the 5. It's a 10 minute drive to Downtown, the airport, La Jolla and UCSD.

That makes sense. I think UCSD had some staging sites that have developments in the works now that the Trolley is complete.