San Diego: Projects and Developments

[dragonsky]

10. Navy Pier:

The USS Midway Museum proposed turning the pier into “Veterans Park” on an elevated landscaped deck, above surface parking, and inclusion of an iconic 500-foot-high sculpture, “Wings of Freedom,” that resembles sails or wings.



11. Seaport Village:

developers represented by Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen propose to replace the 36-year-old specialty shopping center with hotels, shops, restaurants, a beach, aquarium and 480-foot observation tower, “The Spire.”



12. San Diego Convention Center and Fifth Avenue Landing hotel:

Future expansion of the 27-year-old center and the Fifth Avenue Landing hotel for up to 850 rooms and a 565-bed low-priced hotel.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...915-story.html

[dragonsky]

13. 10th Avenue Marine Terminal:

a reconfiguration of the terminal to remove two cargo sheds and build more flexibility in the break-bulk, refrigerated container and bulk cargo operations.



14. San Diego-Coronado Bridge:

A proposed lighting project is moving forward toward a possible completion 2019



15. Bay cleanup:

continued efforts aim to make it “fishable, swimmable and ecologically healthy.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...915-story.html

[dragonsky]

Spanos: Mission Valley not an option for new stadium

The Chargers won’t consider pursuing a new stadium in Mission Valley if voters reject the team’s Nov. 8 ballot measure for a combined downtown stadium and convention center annex, team owner Dean Spanos said Thursday.

Spanos, however, said eliminating Mission Valley from the equation doesn’t make it certain the team will move to Los Angeles if Measure C falls short of the required two-thirds approval, which is likely based on recent polling.

Spanos said how close Measure C comes to passing could play a role in his decision.

"I think percentage tells me a lot," he said. "If we only get 30 or 35 percent that tells you one thing. If we get 60 percent that tells you something else. I'm anxious to see what's going to happen on Nov. 8."

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...929-story.html

[dragonsky]

16. National City Marina District:

The 60 acres encompassing the National City Marine Terminal would be “rebalanced” to increase the park by 50 percent and widen the maritime acreage through street closures and reconfiguration.



17. Chula Vista Bayfront:

Pacifica to build the 1,500 units, 15,000 square feet of retail and a 250-room hotel.



18. Artificial oyster reef:

An artificial reef is being considered for the area south of the Chula Vista Marina and nonedible oysters would be planted to help clean bay water.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...915-story.html

[dragonsky]

19. Pond 20:

the creation of a wetlands mitigation bank.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...915-story.html

[SanDiegoGuy]

Originally Posted by dragonsky

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...929-story.html

Very sad. I hope everything works out.

[dragonsky]

Why Kevin Faulconer's fourth-quarter stadium support matters

Friday, with five weeks to spare before the Nov. 8 election, Faulconer told an editorial writer he supports the plan to ask voters to increase hotel taxes to pay for a stadium and convention center annex ($1.8 billion all told) that would be built on land bookended by the Padres’ Tailgate Park and the MTS busyard. He does so after winning assurances in a letter from Chargers chairman Dean Spanos on eight financial safeguards, including a cap on project costs, limits on city operating budget subsidies and guaranteed full funding for tourism marketing.

Now Spanos has agreed “in spirit and in principle” to safeguards “required” by the mayor, if the stadium proposal, Measure C, passes. The measure can’t legally be changed once it’s on the ballot, and the letter is not legally binding, more of a public gentlemen’s agreement. That’s enough for Faulconer. But is it enough for San Diego?

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...003-story.html

[dragonsky]

SeaWorld planning $175M in new attractions for 2017

SeaWorld Entertainment is banking on a profitable summer next year as it prepares to spend $175 million on new attractions, including Florida’s first virtual reality coaster at its Orlando marine park and a documentary-style orca encounter in San Diego to replace the long-running theatrical Shamu shows.

The substantial investment in new rides and marine mammal experiences marks what SeaWorld is calling one of its largest new attraction years in its half-century history. The Tuesday announcement also signals the company’s move to lure more visitors with cutting-edge theme park technology while still staying true to its mission of providing meaningful experiences that it hopes will educate and inspire people to take action on behalf of animals and the environment.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...927-story.html

[dragonsky]

Tijuana condo boom: The new San Diego?

Developers are in the process of constructing roughly 2,000 condos over the next two years with towers that will drastically transform the skyline of Tijuana. Some of the planned towers, already approved by the Mexican government, are more than 30 stories and will become the tallest buildings in the city.

The crown jewel of Tijuana’s residential building boom is Bajalta, a 63-acre development in the center of the city with 400 condos that is scheduled to start construction this winter. The first residential units and retail components are expected to be finished by 2019.

Bajalta will have four residential towers, an office tower, hotel and a mall. The developer of the project is Mexico City-based Artha Capital (Almost all new condo construction in Tijuana is financed by Mexican sources). Bajalta is designed by New York based-SHoP Architects, which worked on the Uber headquarters in San Francisco and Google offices in Mountain View.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...921-story.html

[dragonsky]

Chargers stadium measure is way, way behind

The Chargers stadium ballot measure is falling far short of the support needed for approval on Nov. 8 and backing for the initiative is shrinking instead of growing, according to a Union-Tribune/10News poll released Friday.

The survey shows 41 percent of likely voters say they are certain to vote against Measure C and 36 percent say they are certain to vote for it. The remaining 23 percent describe themselves as “not certain.”

If uncertain voters are removed from the results, the measure is opposed by 53 percent and supported by 47 percent, far short of the two-thirds support — 66.7 percent — required for approval.

If all of the uncertain voters are added to those in favor, the measure would still only get support from 59 percent of likely voters.

Because support for ballot measures tends to decrease as an election approaches, SurveyUSA president Jay Leve said Friday that it’s “almost certain” Measure C will fail.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment...nap-story.html

[dragonsky]

Video Link

[dragonsky]

Can $2.1B trolley extension draw new riders, new thinking?

By 2021, the 11-mile Mid-Coast Trolley extension is expected to connect downtown San Diego to the sprawling job center that is University City — theoretically encouraging walkable, urban development along the route while enticing new riders onto the rail instead of driving.

Still, transportation officials insist that given time, the new line — which will consist of nine stops serving Bay Park, Clairemont, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and terminate at Westfield UTC — can energize support for public transit among those who currently drive.

“It’s going to be going into a market that hasn’t seen this before, and when they see full trolleys going up there every morning, I think it’s going to be really significant,” said Paul Jablonski, chief operating officer for the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.

“A lot of where we’ve been servicing are the population areas with the lower socioeconomic demographic,” he added. “Once we go up into the La Jolla, UC area, that’s going into a slightly different market.”

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...htmlstory.html

[ozone]

^^^^ LONG OVERDUE! It's not just lower income that would use the line. There's a lot of apartment dwellers, seniors and students.

[dragonsky]

Seaport redevelopment: Many questions remain

The proposed $1.2 billion redevelopment of Seaport Village faces numerous questions about feasibility, financing and legality, the port staff said in a report released Thursday night.

And at its meeting next week, the San Diego Unified Port District board will have to decide whether to put the project on hold or move to the next phase in the approval process, an exclusive negotiating agreement with the development company that’s being set up, 1HWY1, and the management partnership, Protea Waterfront Development.

“Staff anticipates continuing exclusive discussions would take approximately six to eight months, during which time 1HWY1 has indicated that they would also conduct onsite due diligence and work with staff on confirming a project description and design,” said port business development managers Lucy Contreras and Penny Maus in a 19-page staff report.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...007-story.html

[dragonsky]

Port plan aims to speed up projects on bay

The port district hopes its new master plan, expected to be completed by the end of 2018, will greatly speed up development projects — from hotels to boat launches — as the agency looks to the next 50 years.

Ann Moore, the San Diego Unified Port District commissioner from Chula Vista, told an Urban Land Institute breakfast forum Tuesday that it often takes two years to get any significant development through the approval process.

That’s because the 1981 port plan has to be amended and that usually requires an environmental impact report (EIR) before seeking permission from the California Coastal Commission. The port has processed nearly 40 amendments in the last 35 years — a record that critics have derided as “piecemeal planning.”

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...011-story.html

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by dragonsky

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...007-story.html

I think the project should include a giant ferris wheel, like the London "Eye" (450-500 feet tall would be super cool). Replace the observation tower with a mixed use trade center/hotel/apartment tower. Link the development with an elevated gondola line or elevated moving sidewalk (or monorail?) going along the Embacadero north to Grape Street (edge of Little Italy) and south to the convention center/ballpark/Gaslamp.

[dragonsky]

City Council OKs $400M Ritz-Carlton project

San Diego’s first Ritz-Carlton Hotel, a Whole Foods grocery, housing for all income groups and offices were approved Tuesday by the City Council in what promises to be the biggest, most expensive and densest mixed-use building in the county.

Located at Seventh Avenue and Market Street, the $400 million project by Cisterra Development is projected to be completed by October 2021. The 39-story building with a rooftop terrace and four levels of underground parking was designed by Carrier Johnson + Culture architects.

The project includes a 6,000-square-foot public plaza that matches a similar space to the south in the Sempra Energy corporate headquarters, also developed by Cisterra and designed by Carrier Johnson. Another feature is the retention of the historic Clermont Hotel, which will retain its 53 single-room occupancy units.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...htmlstory.html

[dragonsky]

La Jolla museum raises $56.7M toward expansion

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego officially kicked off its 75th anniversary Tuesday with an announcement that $56.7 million has been raised toward a $75 million goal. The money will be used to fund a $55 million expansion of the museum’s La Jolla facility and an operating endowment.

An unspecified challenge grant from Joan and Irwin Jacobs attracted major donations from 15 other families and foundations, the museum said.

The museum, founded in 1941 in the home of Ellen Browning Scripps and designed by architect Irving Gill, is being doubled in size to 102,000 square feet and new gallery space is being quadrupled to 40,000 square feet. The architect is Selldorf Architects of New York City.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...-75-story.html

[dragonsky]

Balboa Park garage moving forward

A $44.5 million bond to build a 797-space parking garage for Balboa Park is scheduled to be considered at 2 p.m. Thursday by the City Council’s Infrastructure Committee.

The project, to be built by 2019 on the Spreckels Organ Pavilion parking lot, is the first major funding component of what could total $75 million to implement the Plaza de Panama Plan. The Council approved the plan four years ago to remove cars and parking from the center of the park, but it was delayed by litigation. The semi-underground garage would include a 2.2-acre rooftop park.

The full council is scheduled to take up the matter Nov. 14, but construction would not start until late next year.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...025-story.html

[dragonsky]

New millions committed to Balboa Park project

Private donors committed Thursday to raise $30 million over the next year to complete the delayed conversion of the center of San Diego’s Balboa Park into a car-free zone.

The promise came from the Plaza de Panama Committee, established six years ago by Qualcomm cofounder Irwin Jacobs, and Balboa Park United, a coalition of various park institutions, at a meeting of the City Council’s Infrastructure Committee.

The committee sent to the full council for action Nov. 14 a $79 million financial plan — a $45.5 million bond to build a 797-space parking garage; $3.5 million in additional city planning funds; and the $30 million from donors.

Construction is expected to begin in September 2017 and be completed in November 2019.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/business/2...or-nfl-stadium