SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[Fusey]

Not too much. They're still doing studies to see if a high school is feasible.

San Diego school board OKs money for school/library study
6:57 a.m. January 14, 2009

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego school board voted to put $20,000 toward a study on the feasibility of adding a 300-student high school to the city's proposed $185 million central library downtown.

The vote was 4-1, with board member John Lee Evans objecting. Evans questioned whether it was wise to build a downtown library when the city has considered closing branch libraries and when the school district has built on-campus libraries but does not have enough librarians to staff them.

One student from a downtown school expressed concern that the move might take money away from him and his fellow students.

Board member John de Beck proposed the expenditure, saying the board will never know if the idea is a good one unless it is studied.

The joint school/library proposal arose last month from an effort to save the new central library, which is in danger of losing a $20 million state grant if it cannot move ahead soon. Private fundraising has fallen short of the $50 million needed to begin construction.

City officials have proposed using $15 million to $20 million from November's Proposition S to fill the funding gap. The money was earmarked in the ballot measure for a downtown school.

There was no discussion at last night's meeting of what the total cost of a feasibility study would be, or the city's share.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stori.../?zIndex=37025

[kpexpress]

So I just got back from the inauguration and took a walk down to the Hilton Bayside to check out the construction of the pedestrian bridge, restoration of the old style street cars at MTS (I can't wait 'til these hit the rails) and then took a walk along the bayside and noticed that there is a new ferry service from the newly named 5th Ave Landing to Coronado Ferry Landing and water taxis to wherever you want to go around the bay.

I think this is sweet. anyone taken the ferry from this 5th ave landing?

[CoastersBolts]

Originally Posted by kpexpress

So I just got back from the inauguration and took a walk down to the Hilton Bayside to check out the construction of the pedestrian bridge, restoration of the old style street cars at MTS (I can't wait 'til these hit the rails) and then took a walk along the bayside and noticed that there is a new ferry service from the newly named 5th Ave Landing to Coronado Ferry Landing and water taxis to wherever you want to go around the bay.

I think this is sweet. anyone taken the ferry from this 5th ave landing?

How is construction progressing on the pedestrian bridge? I hope it's not one of the many infrastructure projects that is/would be affected by the state's budget crisis. Plus, I thought the old-style trolleys would be operating downtown by now?

[kpexpress]

I will post pics of the bridge soon. So far I see rebar columns can be seen rising out of the ground at least twenty feet in the air (on both sides of Harbor Drive).

I saw the old style street cars in the MTS headquarters last night, couldn't tell if any progression has come to pass since the last time I saw them, although the positions of the trolleys have been rearranged since last time. Now the green ones are closest to the garage doors, last time the orange ones were closest to the garage doors.

[kpexpress]

Okay, I went around downtown tonight with my camera and snapped a few shots at some projects just to update everyone. This is an attempt to spark more interest in peeps on this forum, cause lately it seems as if the SD thread is sort of dead.

I apologize up front for the shitty quality of my pics, it was dark and I was in a hurry (gots to get to Alby-land before they closed)

First off the Harbor Bridge Pedestrian Bridge:
http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=579






The Nolan (looks the same as it did three months ago):
http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=652



Hotel Indigo:
http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=557



Stratta:
http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=580




Parkside:
http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=656



16th and Market:
http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=622



Studio 15:
http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=618



Thomas Jefferson School of Law:
http://www.ccdc.com/index.cfm?fuseac...propertyID=666


And soon to be home/office of Rob Wellington Quigley (next to the Mission on 13th):

[mello]

Thanks for taking the pics, this thread needed a boost thats for sure.

[spoonman]

Seems like there's a lot of activity in the Market Street/Island Avenue Area. I think the law school will be a shot in the arm for East Village.

[SLO]

Nice to see some activity

[druna974]

Someone told me they were talking with a contractor working on Strata this weekend, and there are new plans to top off at 12 floors, rather than 23. Has anyone heard this and can confirm or deny it?

[tdavis]

Originally Posted by druna974

Someone told me they were talking with a contractor working on Strata this weekend, and there are new plans to top off at 12 floors, rather than 23. Has anyone heard this and can confirm or deny it?

I heard this as well. But it wasn't from a reliable source so is just gossip at this time.

[mongoXZ]

Strata @ 12 floors? That sucks! Hope it doesn't happen.

[bmfarley]

Originally Posted by mongoXZ

Strata @ 12 floors? That sucks! Hope it doesn't happen.

We will know soon enough. Strata is at about 11 floors right now.

[HurricaneHugo]

There will be hell to pay if that happens.

[kpexpress]

Well, the crane is still high enough in the air to accommodate a height clearance for a 23 floor building, but I doubt that IF the building was scaled back they would take the time and money to adjust the height of the crane, unless this is required by law or OSHA or something. Any thoughts?

I walk past it everyday on my way to school; tomorrow I will see if I can spot someone who looks like they know what's going on and ask them if this rumor is true.

[Fusey]

Originally Posted by kpexpress

This is an attempt to spark more interest in peeps on this forum, cause lately it seems as if the SD thread is sort of dead.

Unfortunately with the economy the way it is things are going to be fairly dead for awhile. The bulk of new jobs at my work are CEQA/NEPA related for projects several years away from development.

[druna974]

Originally Posted by kpexpress

Well, the crane is still high enough in the air to accommodate a height clearance for a 23 floor building, but I doubt that IF the building was scaled back they would take the time and money to adjust the height of the crane, unless this is required by law or OSHA or something. Any thoughts?

I walk past it everyday on my way to school; tomorrow I will see if I can spot someone who looks like they know what's going on and ask them if this rumor is true.

The Hotel Indigo crane just came down last week, which could have impeded with the Strata crane if they were the same level. I doubt they would waste the time to lower it. They are pouring the cement columns today that will take it to at least 12, we'll know soon. Selfishly, if it goes over 15 stories, it will block my sweet view of the mountains from The Mark....

[staplesla]

Just an update on HSR. My husband came home last night and said all but 6 of the transportation division of engineers were laid off. Thankfully he was one of the 6. He said his hours are being cut though and since HSR isn't considered to be "shovel ready," they won't receive any of Obama's stimulus money. And he says that because the state is cutting payments to vendors (i.e., one of the reasons for layoffs at his firm), the HSR will most likely be delayed a few years.

[HurricaneHugo]

Originally Posted by druna974

Selfishly, if it goes over 15 stories, it will block my sweet view of the mountains from The Mark....

Well, if it does happen, hopefully it gets replaced by a view of a young lady's bedroom/shower.

[stockjock]

Originally Posted by Fusey

Speaking of large lots does anyone know who owns the land on the lot between 8th & 9th north of C? I looked at the CCDC's website and couldn't find any projects listed there. With Vantage Pointe getting ready for completion and 1050 B Street's crane up and running it seems like that area will be getting busier and busier over the next few years.

This is a greatly delayed answer to your question. I believe that block is owned by Bosa Development. Plans were (are?) to eventually build a highrise on half of the block and a park on the other half. One would assume that the real estate market would need to improve before anything happens and that probably won't occur for some time.

[kpexpress]

I just returned home from pulling an all-nighter at school and on the walk back I stopped off at the Stratta construction site to ask if the rumors of the project being scaled back to 12 floors instead of 23 floors were true. The first dude I talked to looked as if he was a lower-todum-pole guy and he said he didn't know how tall it was going, but he hadn't heard of any news of the project being scaled down at all. I wasn't satisfied, so I walked down to a small group of hard hat wearing men to ask further. I asked this tall white guy with a 'stache (he looked like one with some varying degree of authority and knowledge of the site) and he said that the project hasn't been scaled back, and in fact the total height will be 23 floors as originally designed.