SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 3

[HurricaneHugo]

What project is going up to the southeast of the 5/8 interchange?

The crane looks big

[SDfan]

Originally Posted by HurricaneHugo

What project is going up to the southeast of the 5/8 interchange?

The crane looks big

https://buildsd.org/projects/perrys-cafe

[FoldingBoxes]

Originally Posted by SDfan

https://buildsd.org/projects/perrys-cafe

In San Diego, that is as close as you can get to "west of the 5" and still be more than 30 feet tall.

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Originally Posted by FoldingBoxes

In San Diego, that is as close as you can get to "west of the 5" and still be more than 30 feet tall.

Been researching the coastal height limit, there are only 3 exempted sites

The mission brewing building at Washington street trolley station,
Seaworld, height limit is at 1/2 of the skytower height (about 200ft)
and Las Americas Outlets in San Ysidro (their height limit is really technical and weird)

But yeah, its the furthest west site not part of the height limit area, but you can punch thru the limit now with a few methods, which is what i will write about once the sb79 project is done

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

SB79 oceanside is out, from our friends at Strong Towns Oceanside in Streetsblog

https://cal.streetsblog.org/2026/06/29/sb79-and-oceanside

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Its officially SB 79 Day!!!

Here's the KPBS article https://www.kpbs.org/news/kpbs/2026/07/0...ing-law-will-and-wont-apply-in-san-diego

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Hello, Looks like a building is starting construction at state and laurel in bankers hill, anyone know what it is?

Application was by Zephyr, 2 stories underground parking, 1 story concrete podium, and 5 stories wood
https://aca-prod.accela.com/SANDIEGO/Cap...&agencyCode=SANDIEGO&IsToShowInspection=

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by Build_SD_Maxwell

Hello, Looks like a building is starting construction at state and laurel in bankers hill, anyone know what it is?

Application was by Zephyr, 2 stories underground parking, 1 story concrete podium, and 5 stories wood
https://aca-prod.accela.com/SANDIEGO/Cap...&agencyCode=SANDIEGO&IsToShowInspection=

Whoa so I just flew over that site the other day and was wondering the same thing. I meant to post here but then I forgot. Scrolling facebook today I saw that Safdie Rabines architects posted this image, that looked very similar to the State/Laurel location. The stats seem to match what you found (2-story parking, 8 stories total), but the post doesn't say where it is, so I can't confirm it's the same project.

I just came here to see if anyone had heard of what's going on in this location. Great minds

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Downtown development map updated,
no major changes, some developments are gone now, others are still stuck,

16th and island has a new design and render, 17th and commercial is gone, 707 broadway conversion added, and tower 180 dropped the residential element

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

New articles on BuildSD.org

First a Journal on San Diego's Rapid network

https://buildsd.org/journal/transit2030-rapid

Then developments from largest to smallest unit count

Alexen Camellia, a new midrise on Convoy
https://buildsd.org/projects/alexan-camellia


Kettner Crossing Phase 2, a new 37 story highrise on County property
https://buildsd.org/projects/kettner-crossing-phase-2


101 Ash Street Conversion, potentially the most controversial building in San Diego is getting a new life with 247 affordable units
https://buildsd.org/projects/101-ash-street-conversion


Sol Haus, a new apartment complex on a long abandoned property in Lincoln Park, all "workforce" affordable housing
https://buildsd.org/projects/sol-haus


2451 State Street, a new apartment building at State and Laurel on the edge of Bankers Hill
[URL="https://buildsd.org/projects/2451-state-street"]


and lastly Market Street Townhomes, 39 townhomes in Cholas View, next to Monarch Hillside
https://buildsd.org/projects/market-street-townhomes

[SDfan]

I don't know if y'all remember this from a few years back, but the twin 40 story tower project in University City is likely dead. New permit for the site is for an 8-story 379 home project.

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

It does look like there is some high-rise activity in University City though:

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

Still waiting to see what UCSD is doing.

[SDfan]

Question: I noticed that SB 79 advocates are pushing for downtown bus stops to be included in the city's maps; how much more housing does that bring considering the already high zoning/FAR there?

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/202...rise-housing-near-17-disputed-bus-stops/

And the advocates did a great job getting the council and SANDAG to steer the planning department in the right direction. Very impressed!

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Originally Posted by SDfan

Question: I noticed that SB 79 advocates are pushing for downtown bus stops to be included in the city's maps; how much more housing does that bring considering the already high zoning/FAR there?

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/202...rise-housing-near-17-disputed-bus-stops/

And the advocates did a great job getting the council and SANDAG to steer the planning department in the right direction. Very impressed!

I was one of the people that helped push for that change, the person who really headed it was Zach with Yimby Dems. We were able to get some really big wins at City Council and now Sandag.

So we were asking Sandag to include the bus lanes on El Cajon, University, and Park Blvd. Sandag included many of the bus lanes we said qualified, as they agreed with us. Sandag continued this standard to include several bus stops Downtown and 1 at UCSD.

We are asking them to include a few more in Midcity and Uptown, as they missed some, as well as asking them to include shared stops with Surfliner and Coaster (and Oceanside tier 1)


The downtown bus stops aren't nothing, but they really are a non issue. The areas they upzone are across the freeway from Downtown or some small pockets with pointless zoning trying to encourage a "stepped" skyline. Anyone who wanted to get around that already easily could with Complete Communities.

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by SDfan

I don't know if y'all remember this from a few years back, but the twin 40 story tower project in University City is likely dead. New permit for the site is for an 8-story 379 home project.

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

It does look like there is some high-rise activity in University City though:

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

Still waiting to see what UCSD is doing.

The double towers in University City is at the address across Cargill though, so this is probably a separate development.

UCSD is still going ahead with their Pepper Canyon West project. I've heard that several big-name architects (e.g. BIG) are attached to the project. From my understanding it'll be kind of like the WTC, where multiple architects are brought in for a coordinated vision, but I don't think I've seen a formal announcement yet.

[SDfan]

Originally Posted by Streamliner

The double towers in University City is at the address across Cargill though, so this is probably a separate development.

UCSD is still going ahead with their Pepper Canyon West project. I've heard that several big-name architects (e.g. BIG) are attached to the project. From my understanding it'll be kind of like the WTC, where multiple architects are brought in for a coordinated vision, but I don't think I've seen a formal announcement yet.

You're right! The similar brick on faux-German timber-themed apartment buildings got me.

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Looking for SB79 permits, so far nothing but likely some developments in preliminary review, especially in La Mesa and Oceanside. If anyone has some tips, feel free to share!

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/202...el-development-doubles-in-a-single-year/

New SDUT article on hotel development, with a list of all hotels currently under construction

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Just got a public records request back from California HCD, the cities that submitted a sb79 delay or exemption form are

San Diego
San Marcos
Oceanside
and . . .
Lemon Grove?!?!

They are still drafting their plan, have to submit it soon. Have exempted areas outside a 1 mile walk. We will see if that means places with no sidewalks or not.

[mello]

Just got gas at Genesee and Clairmont Mesa Blvd a lot that had outdated medical I believe is now cleared and the guy who works at station said apartments are coming. Lot looks to be around .8 to 1 full acre so should be some nice infill.

Also are apartments planned for the soon to be Sprouts parking lotnat 805 and El Cajon Blvd? Seems like they could slice off 8000 to 12000 sq feet of it to go vertical like they are doing now on that small lot on Howard ans Illinois in NP. I just drove checked it out seems to be a big enough parcel.

[Build_SD_Maxwell]

Originally Posted by mello

Just got gas at Genesee and Clairmont Mesa Blvd a lot that had outdated medical I believe is now cleared and the guy who works at station said apartments are coming. Lot looks to be around .8 to 1 full acre so should be some nice infill.

I really could not find anything
Here's a development at Clairemont Mesa and Clairemont Blvd

https://greython.com/project/clairemont-apartment-san-diego-ca/
https://greython.com/greython-construction-starts-construction-on-clairemont-apartment-project/