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TimeToBuild May 16, 2023 6:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy-4-SD (Post 9944880)
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.

On balance, I'm happy that this will likely move forward and continue San Diego's ascendance into the top tier of Life Science hubs. It will bring 1000s of new jobs directly and indirectly, and possibly lead to better urbanism in the UTC area through more apartments, transit expansion, more people living and working in the area, etc. BUT I really wish these sprawling office and lab campuses were a thing of the past. ONLY 1 million square feet of office space, and what sounds like at the very least 750,000 square feet of parking on 33.5 acres is an insane inefficiency of land use. Look at the comparison in size between the Campus at Horton, which isn't even particularly dense but offers the same amount of parking spaces and more than 1 million square feet of retail and office, to what the BioMed Campus would look like if downtown(follow link). It's literally five times the space

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/ed...463201471&z=17

HurricaneHugo May 19, 2023 9:05 PM

So the Phoenix Coyotes had a vote for a new stadium fail and looks like they will move...

...and San Diego is building a new 16,500 arena...

Is it possible?

LosAngelesSportsFan May 19, 2023 10:12 PM

Would love that if the coyotes had to move.

mello May 21, 2023 7:28 PM

The Coyotes need an arena solution for next season and the owner has ties to Houston, they will probably move there. An arena here won't be ready until God knows when:shrug:

Regarding Biotech in UTC: What is going on with the project across the street from mall? Frankly having that old commercial center fenced off is an embarrassing eye sore, does anyone know why that development is lagging so hard...

aekrid May 23, 2023 5:21 PM

Mirka 1000
 
https://images.sdbj.com/wp-content/u...94-696x510.jpg

Here's an interesting proposal. Just south of Father joes is this proposal for a 3 tower affordable housing complex. Tallest one is 38 floors.

https://www.mirkainvest.com/new-day-...or-mirka-1000/

Northparkwizard Jun 1, 2023 5:49 PM

Drove down 6th avenue yesterday and it appears that 6th Ave Promenade site is not only entirely fenced off but demo of the old buildings has already begun.

Check out the developer's website for more images and a video explaining their BIG plans for Hillcrest.

https://greenwaldcompany.com/6th-promenade/

https://i.imgur.com/x0LA9De.png

mello Jun 1, 2023 6:35 PM

The Website Shows 2 towers for this long block
 
Are they actually approved or is this still simply a proposal? You would think that we would have been hearing about a two tower project with this height in Hillcrest being opposed by some groups. The video on their site shows an old proposal for the Pernicanos site that is much taller than the 8 floor project that is nearly topped out now.

Holland Tower Front and A: This tower is UC with a big hole right now, I'm surprised no renderings have been posted on this thread. The downtown development map says 34 floors 445 feet tall.

Construction at the Little Italy Parking Garage: Across the street from Ariel Suites. This is another tower coming to LI, has anyone seen renderings or any info on this. We need to update this thread thanks guys :cheers:

superfishy Jun 1, 2023 8:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mello (Post 9958720)
Are they actually approved or is this still simply a proposal? You would think that we would have been hearing about a two tower project with this height in Hillcrest being opposed by some groups. The video on their site shows an old proposal for the Pernicanos site that is much taller than the 8 floor project that is nearly topped out now.

Holland Tower Front and A: This tower is UC with a big hole right now, I'm surprised no renderings have been posted on this thread. The downtown development map says 34 floors 445 feet tall.

Construction at the Little Italy Parking Garage: Across the street from Ariel Suites. This is another tower coming to LI, has anyone seen renderings or any info on this. We need to update this thread thanks guys :cheers:

I believe there are two projects going up on that block according to this: https://www.avrpstudios.com/portfoli...d-kettner.html

Looks like a lowrise for senior living and a 29 floor development by Holland.

Streamliner Jun 7, 2023 5:36 PM

Not as exciting as a new high rise, but this thread has been slow lately:

San Diego OKs large downtown digital ad kiosks, despite concerns about jeopardizing city’s strict sign rules
BY DAVID GARRICK
JUNE 6, 2023 6:45 PM PT
Article Link

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...onic-signs.jpg

Quote:

Somewhere between 50 and 75 large advertising kiosks will soon be installed throughout downtown San Diego under a corporate partnership deal the City Council approved Tuesday after a contentious public hearing.

The revenue generated will vary based on the number of kiosks eventually installed and how much advertising revenue they generate. They will have screens that are roughly 15 square feet in size.
Quote:

The city attorney’s office said during the hearing that the kiosk deal could prompt challenges to San Diego’s sign laws, because the council had to make an exception to those laws to approve the kiosks.
Quote:

The city’s sign rules ban any new billboards and other signs containing off-premises advertising. They also limit the use of lights and animation on signs in order to protect the city’s aesthetic character and minimize distractions to drivers and pedestrians.

aekrid Jun 9, 2023 11:37 PM

Columbia District Updates
 
Holland Front & A
That was fast, looks like a tower crane will be erected soon.
https://i.imgur.com/WlgLhjj.jpg

Pinnacle Columbia & A
Excavation still in progress.
https://i.imgur.com/S61kzsI.jpg

The Lindley
Parking podium is complete, looks like the tower portion is rising now.
https://i.imgur.com/8fm45xe.jpg

Streamliner Jun 12, 2023 2:40 PM

Wow! Thanks for those photos, very nice vantage point.

For Front and A (the 34-floor/445-foot tower), here's a rendering from the City's website:

https://webmaps.sandiego.gov/portal/...698.png?w=2000

https://webmaps.sandiego.gov/portal/...34d7559e5a4d98

HurricaneHugo Jun 12, 2023 5:23 PM

Stan Kroenke oins Midway Rising.

https://www.10news.com/news/local-ne...-midway-rising

dirt patch Jun 14, 2023 2:48 AM

As mentioned before, Downtown SD is experiencing construction boom. It'll boom even more thanks to popularity of Little Italy. Areas there and adjacent will see the most high rise residential development for the next few years. Little Italy is the place to be in all of SD County.

SamFlood Jun 16, 2023 4:32 AM

This Realtor on YouTube does videos about downtown. He says THe Grocery Outlet on Market st. didn't renew its lease. Making way for a Bosa Highrise.



https://youtube.com/shorts/V8TpZQFyKIA?feature=share

aekrid Jun 16, 2023 4:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SamFlood (Post 9970577)
This Realtor on YouTube does videos about downtown. He says THe Grocery Outlet on Market st. didn't renew its lease. Making way for a Bosa Highrise.



https://youtube.com/shorts/V8TpZQFyKIA?feature=share

It'll probably be a while before that happens. Bosa just applied to have the structure they demolished earlier be turned into a temporary surface parking lot.

superfishy Jun 17, 2023 10:25 PM

The Lindley and Columbia and A are really going to make that part of downtown feel dense. Love it. Not to mention the 4 other high rises all going up only a few blocks away.

HurricaneHugo Jul 8, 2023 1:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aekrid (Post 9965401)
Holland Front & A

Pinnacle Columbia & A


The Lindley

Do we have renders for these?

aekrid Jul 9, 2023 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HurricaneHugo (Post 9987180)
Do we have renders for these?

Holland Front and A
https://webmaps.sandiego.gov/portal/...793.png?w=3773

Columbia and A
https://webmaps.sandiego.gov/portal/...191.png?w=3775

The Lindley
https://webmaps.sandiego.gov/portal/...970.png?w=3766

unpermitted_variance Jul 10, 2023 5:19 PM

All of these projects really do look indistinguishable from one another. San Diego is gonna start looking like downtown Vancouver with all these semi-identical glass towers.

There are worse fates than that, I suppose.

JSW Jul 13, 2023 5:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unpermitted_variance (Post 9988504)
All of these projects really do look indistinguishable from one another. San Diego is gonna start looking like downtown Vancouver with all these semi-identical glass towers.

There are worse fates than that, I suppose.

The good part about looking like Vancouver: Dense, walkable urban fabric

The bad part of looking like Vancouver: unwavering glass box architecture with little variance in height.

We will actually look a lot worse than VAN from a skyline point of view because our height limits are much lower and won't even have the few notable towers poking through. But from a realistic pedestrian and resident point of view, the way the skyline looks and photographs is pretty low in the ranks of things that affect our lives the most. Give me more 500ft boxes if it means a more vibrant downtown with more foot traffic and commerce, living options and rental inventory to take the stress off supply now that SD is ranked more expensive than SF and just under NYC.


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