Resumption of construction on the Downtown ballpark hotel, complete with Omni Hotels as the operator replacing Westin, was celebrated late last month in afternoon sunshine with the Convention Center and San Diego Bay as the backdrop. Jim Caldwell, Omni Hotels president, earned the biggest applause when he told those gathered, “Another thing I have learned is that groundbreaking parties pale in comparison to grand opening parties. So you are all invited.”

The 32-story, 512-room hotel, along with the 37 luxury units in the 11-floor Metropolitan Condominiums that will top it, opens in spring 2004.

Among the speakers was Mayor Murphy, who congratulated JMI Realty, CCDC, Omni and the bankers for sticking with the project. “I want to thank you for rejecting the Chicken Little predictions of the ballpark naysayers.”

Padres owner and ballpark developer John Moores, buffeted now with allegations of accounting irregularities at Peregrine Systems which he has since returned to as chairman, was a last-minute cancellation. But he was roundly praised for sticking with the ballpark project. Paraphrasing Moores, John Kratzer, president of JMI, said: “When this thing opens, when the first pitch is thrown, memories will be short.”

— San Diego Metropolitan Staff