SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[Streamliner]

Density's great, especially near SDSU, but I would have preferred seeing some underutilized/less dense lots replaced rather than what looked to be apartment buildings. It's also very massive. I'd rather see multiple smaller projects rather than one long one (not a huge fan of Rowyn in Hillcrest for that reason). But this is SD so beggars can't be choosers.

SDSU is/will be building quite a bit of density on campus though. Nice to see they are taking a leaf out of UCSD's amazing growth in on-campus residences.

[aekrid]

Originally Posted by Build_SD_Maxwell

Just found renders for that massive demo site across from SDSU on Montazuma

Its a huge 5/1

https://aca-prod.accela.com/SANDIEGO/Cap...&agencyCode=SANDIEGO&IsToShowInspection=

Glad to see my old college apartment get upzoned.

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Originally Posted by Streamliner

Density's great, especially near SDSU, but I would have preferred seeing some underutilized/less dense lots replaced rather than what looked to be apartment buildings. It's also very massive. I'd rather see multiple smaller projects rather than one long one (not a huge fan of Rowyn in Hillcrest for that reason). But this is SD so beggars can't be choosers.

SDSU is/will be building quite a bit of density on campus though. Nice to see they are taking a leaf out of UCSD's amazing growth in on-campus residences.

SDSU is legit building this next door lmao, starting q4 2025



https://housing.sdsu.edu/about/construction

750 beds, 9 stories

[Streamliner]

Article in the Union-Tribune this morning:

To boost homebuilding, San Diego planners OK letting council overrule historic designations
David Garrick; November 7, 2025
San Diego Union Tribune
Link to Article

The San Diego Planning Commission unanimously approved Thursday a proposal to accelerate homebuilding in the city by softening historic preservation rules.

Developers praised the new proposal as a sensible policy change that would make it harder for opponents of projects to use historic preservation rules as a weapon to block or delay construction.

Opponents, including historic preservation advocates, said the new policy is an overreach that could politicize the process and make it harder for the fate of potentially historic properties to get proper consideration.

One key change: The new policy gives the City Council authority to overrule the city’s Historic Resources Board when the board designates a property historic.

The 7-0 vote by the Planning Commission sends the proposal to a Dec. 11 hearing before the City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee.

If approved there, the proposal would go to the full council for final approval in late January or early February.

Kelly Stanco, a city planning official spearheading the preservation reforms, said the 72 beach cottages designated historic in Ocean Beach’s district aren’t eligible for that incentive, which lets developers build many more units than the zoning of a property would otherwise allow.

But she said the roughly 3,000 other properties in the neighborhood are eligible.

“This is not changing the rules, this is just clarifying what the rules have always been,” Reeves said.

Boomhower said the city shouldn’t be limiting development on sites that don’t have contributing resources just because some historic cottages might be nearby.

Looks to be good news for building new supply, assuming it goes through Council approval. Anything to reduce uncertainty is a good thing

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by Build_SD_Maxwell

SDSU is legit building this next door lmao, starting q4 2025

https://housing.sdsu.edu/about/construction

750 beds, 9 stories

Oh nice! I saw that parking lot on Google Maps and was disappointed it wasn't part of the other project. I didn't realize that was part of campus. I'm not as familiar with SDSU as I should be. I'm very well versed on UCSD projects though.

[SDfan]

Originally Posted by Build_SD_Maxwell

SDSU is legit building this next door lmao, starting q4 2025



https://housing.sdsu.edu/about/construction

750 beds, 9 stories

Lol ugly af.

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Originally Posted by SDfan

Lol ugly af.

I dont disagree lmao. Its kinda just a brick

Its giving UCSB housing cube energy

[SemperVigilans]

I am not pro-glass box when it comes to architecture, but those are some awfully tiny windows. From what I remember of the campus however, it is very open so hopefully the students will get adequate sunshine.

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Originally Posted by Build_SD_Maxwell

I dont disagree lmao. Its kinda just a brick

Its giving UCSB housing cube energy

For those unaware, Munger Hall at UCSB was planned to be this





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4grR3qoSV90

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

https://www.countynewscenter.com/new-affordable-housing-for-veterans-headed-to-mission-gorge-road/

The Grant in Grantville has broken ground, was going to write an article about this one but got busy.

7 stories. 48 units, 47 affordable, 1 caretaker unit

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

The SB79 map is really coming along, we will have an announcement date sometime this week

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by Build_SD_Maxwell

The SB79 map is really coming along, we will have an announcement date sometime this week

Very cool! What are the colors representing? The green shades are for radii, but they don't cover streets and some, but not all, buildings? I see yellow in there for one shopping center, but not others.

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Originally Posted by Streamliner

Very cool! What are the colors representing? The green shades are for radii, but they don't cover streets and some, but not all, buildings? I see yellow in there for one shopping center, but not others.

the 2 shades of green represent 1/4 mile and 1/2 mile and starting in july 2026, the orange and yellow are same but delayed till 2031.
This is due to a few reasons but we'll explain once its out.
1/4 mile is 100duac, 3far, 65ft,
1/2 mile is 80duac, 2.5far, 55 ft.
There is also an immediate station area zoning that we are saving for when its published. That's 140duac, 4far, 85 ft

Highly recommend checking out Streets for all map and writeup in LA for more details for the time being. Expect very similar results here. There are some things they didn't do and we did do because of time and money.

https://data.streetsforall.org/blog/sb79_impact/

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Legit the day after we published our BuildSD gaslamp coaster station article, cbs8 came out with a better one,

Really cool stuff from NCTD

https://www.cbs8.com/article/traffic/on-...509-cba8fc63-2056-46b5-94ec-bf5075baf239



https://buildsd.org/projects/downtown-coaster-platform

[SemperVigilans]

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/202...rumbling-california-theatre-is-for-sale/

https://aca-prod.accela.com/SANDIEGO/Cap...&agencyCode=SANDIEGO&IsToShowInspection=

It would appear that the hotel planned for 4th and B has fallen through.

With the California Theater site also for sale on the same block, this could be a really big opportunity.

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Originally Posted by SemperVigilans

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/202...rumbling-california-theatre-is-for-sale/

https://aca-prod.accela.com/SANDIEGO/Cap...&agencyCode=SANDIEGO&IsToShowInspection=

It would appear that the hotel planned for 4th and B has fallen through.

With the California Theater site also for sale on the same block, this could be a really big opportunity.

The main driver of that project was a japanese company, and they've been having some issues with the yen interest rate . . . existing now. no more infinite loans.
I did hear the dcpc say the project is dead, and the reason why is the California theatre. they were having to wait to build till its demolished. The california theatre legit has cost downtown 2 projects now.

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by Build_SD_Maxwell

The main driver of that project was a japanese company, and they've been having some issues with the yen interest rate . . . existing now. no more infinite loans.
I did hear the dcpc say the project is dead, and the reason why is the California theatre. they were having to wait to build till its demolished. The california theatre legit has cost downtown 2 projects now.

Yeah that theatre needs go to. I'm really sad that sleek tower proposal several years ago never happened.

[FoldingBoxes]

Originally Posted by Streamliner

Yeah that theatre needs go to. I'm really sad that sleek tower proposal several years ago never happened.

This block, which is across the street from the Civic Theater and City hall, etc., across the street from the ridiculously poorly-aged addition to the US Grant Hotel, and across the street from the Wells Fargo building that is the gateway to the densest part of "downtown" could be the lynchpin of new development.

If, like recent articles hope, the City was to move to part of all of what was Horton Plaza, there could be a massive blank canvas to make something new out of downtown in the next decade or so.

It is pretty amazing to think of the possibilities.

[JSW]

Reminder that the city has been in legal prodeedings with the owners for a few years and have set a deadline to sell the property by end of 2026. If a buyer is not obtained by then, the owners must file for demolition within 90 days.

https://www.kpbs.org/news/politics/2025/...eatre-faces-deadline-to-sell-or-demolish

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

https://buildsd.org/projects/azuriik



Wrote an article about Azuriik in National City, a 22 story highrise in permiting