SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[roletand]

Originally Posted by mello

Im so glad to hear 7th and Market is still a go A 500 foot tower in that spot will do wonders for the skyline its right in the heart of a large gap from height so it is very important. 9th and Island Hampton is good infill and remember there was also a Hilton Canopy Hotel that got delayed in the 7th and Market lawsuit just west of 7th that was 24 floors anyone heard about this?

J Street Hospitality is behind both projects.

• 9th & Island is still planning on being a Hampton Inn

• 7th & Island is still planning on being 2 brands, but now Tapestry & Homewood Suites instead of Canopy & Hampton Inn

[sandiego_urban]

Originally Posted by negentropic behavior

I saw exterior light testing on Pinnacle's nearly completed Tower I on Broadway&11th. The extruded wall/pilaster feature that runs from the base to the roof and cantilevers over the roof (cantilever still under construction) has some LED strip lights running the length of the extruded wall, it changes color too! Should look neat when both buildings are lit up at night.

This is good to hear. Will be a nice visual driving into downtown on the 94.

Originally Posted by dirt patch

7th/Market and California start in the next few months.

I hope you're right because these are my favorite projects.

Originally Posted by roletand

The Holland Partner project (220 W. Broadway / Courthouse Commons) is always busy when I walk by and the excavation looks deep. I'll try and snap a photo the next time I'm nearby.

I saw this, too, the last time I was downtown. This will be a great addition to Broadway Ave.

UTC is growing up


Anyone know the final floor count on Lux UTC? I counted 22 floor so far but are there more concrete pillars pointing upwards. I haven't seen final renderings for this building.


The top looks like it might have a step tier like the 3rd and A tower downtown.

[sandiego_urban]

The gaps are slowly filling in.

[IMBY]

I can well-imagine what that skyline would look like without the height limits. Perhaps a thousand footer for sure!

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by roletand

Here's the latest from the site

What's going to happen to the courthouse site that extended north of this block? I forgot the that the old courthouse kept going over the Trolley tracks. It's another full block over there.

[SDfan]

Originally Posted by sandiego_urban

Anyone know the final floor count on Lux UTC? I counted 22 floor so far but are there more concrete pillars pointing upwards. I haven't seen final renderings for this building.

From what I recall, it's done at 23 stories, so I think she's as far as she's gonna go.

The other two towers scheduled on site will be 16 stories, similar to the first tower that was built. It's as far as we're going to get with this project.

I really wish someone would build something taller than the Wells Fargo building in UTC! Anyone know why that hasn't happened?

[roletand]

Originally Posted by Streamliner

What's going to happen to the courthouse site that extended north of this block? I forgot the that the old courthouse kept going over the Trolley tracks. It's another full block over there.

It looks like the site in between B & C street is a prison operated by GEO Group under a contract with the U.S. Marshals Service. I haven't found any information on plans to close it other than A.B. 32, prohibiting private prisons in CA after Jan 1, 2028.

https://www.geogroup.com/FacilityDetail/FacilityID/37

[Will O' Wisp]

Originally Posted by IMBY

I can well-imagine what that skyline would look like without the height limits. Perhaps a thousand footer for sure!

Screw it I say. If we can't have any skyscrapers, I want groundscrapers. I want a 500' tall wall of steel and glass stretching 1/4 of a mile across the waterfront.

[delts145]

San Diego is definitely one of a handful of my favorite major American Cities. In fact, if it wasn't for the entertainment industry I would probably be living in San Diego right now. I'm just wondering if someone could bring me up to speed on the comments on tower height limits. I'm looking at this photo below. No doubt there's a lot of beautifully designed architecture within the downtown area. Is there an enforced height limit on the towers, or is it that developers just haven't gotten around to squeezing in three or four new tallest? I see no reason why it won't eventually happen unless of course, the powers that be have something against 700 to 800 footers.

edit: I was just reading that the airport presents a serious impediment. Isn't there something that can be done short of moving the airport, takeoff/arrival patterns? I know my hometown of Salt Lake's airport is extremely close to downtown, but the flight patterns don't interfere. The only problem at this point with Salt Lake's height is momentum to just break the glass ceiling. Hopefully, the current boom will help the height in Salt Lake City move along quicker.

[ucsbgaucho]

Originally Posted by delts145

I know my hometown of Salt Lake's airport is extremely close to downtown, but the flight patterns don't interfere. The only problem at this point with Salt Lake's height is momentum to just break the glass ceiling. Hopefully, the current boom will help the height in Salt Lake City move along quicker.

I'm in Salt Lake now... the airport land is enormous, they have so much room to grow within their existing footprint, and downtown SLC is about 5 miles east of the airport itself. It would be the equivalent of having downtown SD located on the site of the Westfield Mission Valley shopping center compared to the airport location. In San Diego the planes can only come in basically one way (except for extreme fog, wind etc) and it's right over the top of downtown. With North Island there's no way to turn the SD runway 90 degrees. So SD is boxed in with no place to go.

Salt Lake's skyscraper problem is that because there's so much cheap land around, and because so many of the companies are high-tech, they don't want the traditional tall building with office cubicles. They want to spread out on a Apple or Google-style campus with open space and fresh air, so they build their enormous headquarters (look up Pluralsight or Qualtrics) down south where land is plentiful and not in the middle of downtown SLC.

[delts145]

Oh okay, I didn't realize that the landing approach situation was right on top of downtown. Thanks for that response. I guess there's no immediate plans to justify moving the airport, which would be a crazy expense.

[eburress]

Originally Posted by delts145

I guess there's no immediate plans to justify moving the airport, which would be a crazy expense.

It's the longest conversation in San Diego forum history! lol

[HurricaneHugo]

Originally Posted by SDfan

I really wish someone would build something taller than the Wells Fargo building in UTC! Anyone know why that hasn't happened?

The La Jolla Commons towers were supposed to be 400 feet tall each.

Not exactly sure why they backed out and built 200 footers

[SDfan]

Originally Posted by eburress

It's the longest conversation in San Diego forum history! lol

I feel like we should pin the airport situation at the top of every thread

Also, I shared Will's height limit removal proposal with some downtown leaders, and they think they may be able to enact that plan in conjuction with a community plan update. No timeline on the CPU though--covid pushed it out. I'm going to hound them again on it once things get back to normal-ish.

[unpermitted_variance]

Originally Posted by SDfan

I really wish someone would build something taller than the Wells Fargo building in UTC! Anyone know why that hasn't happened?

Might be airport height restrictions relating to MCAS Miramar. From one of the University City community plan documents:

The MCAS Miramar ALUCP also identifies the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Height Notification Boundary and Federal Aviation Regulation Part
77 Airspace Surfaces. University is located within the FAA Height Notification Boundary and the Part 77 Surfaces for MCAS Miramar. Title 14 United
States Code (USC) Chapter 1, Subchapter E, Part 77 – Aeronautics and Space – Safe, Efficient Use, and Preservation of the Navigable Airspace (Part 77),
establishes requirements for notifying the FAA of certain construction activities and alterations to existing structures, in order to ensure there are no
obstructions to navigable airspace. The boundary extends 20,000 feet from the runway. Within the boundary, Part 77 requires that the FAA be notified
of any proposed construction or alteration having a height greater than an imaginary surface extending 100 feet outward and 1 foot upward (slope
of 100:1) from the runway. Outside the boundary, projects that include construction or alteration exceeding 200 feet in height aboveground level are
required to notify the FAA.

https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/defau...nity_atlas.pdf page 65.

Sounds like building over 200ft in the UTC area gets complicated with the FAA; similar problems to downtown, albeit further from the runway. FAR restrictions might also get in the way of taller heights in the area.

[SDfan]

Originally Posted by unpermitted_variance

Might be airport height restrictions relating to MCAS Miramar. From one of the University City community plan documents:

Sounds like building over 200ft in the UTC area gets complicated with the FAA; similar problems to downtown, albeit further from the runway. FAR restrictions might also get in the way of taller heights in the area.

Thanks for this. I actually chatted with someone working on the University community plan update and they said MCAS Miramar was not a hard stop to taller structures in *most of UTC*, but rather the FAR was the main barrier. Let's hope city planners present some bold intensity increases next year when the draft CPU is dropped.

[sandiego_urban]

Originally Posted by SDfan

From what I recall, it's done at 23 stories, so I think she's as far as she's gonna go.

The other two towers scheduled on site will be 16 stories, similar to the first tower that was built. It's as far as we're going to get with this project.

I really wish someone would build something taller than the Wells Fargo building in UTC! Anyone know why that hasn't happened?

I think you are correct. I thought it might have changed recently. From the link below regarding the original proposal before the UC Planning Group rejected it:

University Community Plan Amendment, Costa Verde Specific Plan Amendment, Vesting Tentative Map, Planned Development Permit, Site Development Permit, Public Right-of-Way and Easement Vacations, and Right of Entry Permit for the construction of four high-rise residential buildings with a combined area of 1,771, 000 square feet, and 1,852 parking spaces in subterranean parking structures. Tower height would range from 390 and 395 feet above existing ground level and between 32 and 35 stories. The towers would consists of 800 units of a combination of for-rent apratments an dfor-sale condominiums, or entirely condominiums depending on market conditions.


https://ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2003091106/3

Originally Posted by delts145

Oh okay, I didn't realize that the landing approach situation was right on top of downtown. Thanks for that response. I guess there's no immediate plans to justify moving the airport, which would be a crazy expense.

This less than three minute video of a plane landing at San Diego Airport is enough to convince anyone why there is 500' height limit. I always tell people flying in to sit on the left side of plane for the best experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWk7Zfv6EzE

[unpermitted_variance]

Originally Posted by SDfan

Thanks for this. I actually chatted with someone working on the University community plan update and they said MCAS Miramar was not a hard stop to taller structures in *most of UTC*, but rather the FAR was the main barrier. Let's hope city planners present some bold intensity increases next year when the draft CPU is dropped.

The UTC area is screwed over badly by low FARs. So much wasted space on every lot, and all the buildings completely fail to interface with the (overly wide) streets, making a really hostile pedestrian experience and a really ugly place overall. Also hoping the best for some changes, but it's too late at this point as there are few sites with development potential left in the area.

[Will O' Wisp]

Originally Posted by SDfan

I feel like we should pin the airport situation at the top of every thread

Also, I shared Will's height limit removal proposal with some downtown leaders, and they think they may be able to enact that plan in conjuction with a community plan update. No timeline on the CPU though--covid pushed it out. I'm going to hound them again on it once things get back to normal-ish.

Wait, my height limit removal proposal?

I kid, I kid. I admire you for dreaming big, although I still think it's unlikely to ever happen. And if you've got the ear of some city leaders, relay this from me:

ABOLISH FAR LIMITS. Seriously, FAR limits are a curse upon mankind. Nothing limits development more.

[SDfan]

Originally Posted by Will O' Wisp

Wait, my height limit removal proposal?

I kid, I kid. I admire you for dreaming big, although I still think it's unlikely to ever happen. And if you've got the ear of some city leaders, relay this from me:

ABOLISH FAR LIMITS. Seriously, FAR limits are a curse upon mankind. Nothing limits development more.

Haha I hear you. But the folks I am working with are very influential downtown civic leaders and power brokers and they've made clear to me an additional 150-250 feet is a top priority for them in the next CPU. Whatever avenues may get them that additional height will be explored and taken.

And yes, working on FAR too. Also looking at minimum FAR requirments downtown as well so we can stop wasting blocks on mid rise crap.