The owners of the historic El Cortez will ask the City Council on Jan. 7 for the option to convert the Downtown landmark from rental apartments to for-sale condos. The CCDC board already gave the idea a thumbs-up. “This is just giving them permission,” says Pamela Hamilton, CCDC’s senior v.p. “It doesn’t change the way the building looks.” The change was requested by the developer, J. Peter Block Cos., because operating expenses are higher than expected. Conversion to condominiums would allow the costs to be shared.

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McKinnon Properties’ request to convert its proposed Downtown apartment tower into a boutique hotel is set to be considered Jan. 15 by the CCDC board. Located on a full block in the Marina District and bounded by First and Second avenues, Island and J streets, the 370-foot-tall, 390,000-square-foot project would house KUSI’s television studio and offices, 130 to 170 hotel rooms (Rosewood Hotels & Resorts is interested) and could be topped by about 30 luxury condos. CCDC staff was resisting the usage change in the tony residential district. The new effort is valued at more than $100 million, and a private consultant has concluded the developer can put up sufficient funds to guarantee a loan. The item was supposed to be discussed at CCDC’s Dec. 11 meeting, but the developer’s representative, Kip Howard, was trapped by fog at Fresno’s airport. “I had given myself a four-hour cushion (to land at Lindbergh and make the meeting),” Howard says. “The fog was incredible ... I’ll never again cut it that close.”

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The Mission Valley YMCA is resubmitting its proposal to add a 50-meter lap pool to its property at 5505 Friars Road. Previously denied by the City Council for environmental reasons and a parking lot plan that put spaces in the floodplain, this new proposal places the pool in the previously suggested location, a dirt lot south of the main entry, but moves parking to the site of the soccer field and relocates the field south of its present location along Friars. March is likely the earliest the proposal would be heard before the council.

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Fehlman LaBarre’s design of this seven-story garage adjacent to the new ballpark has been approved by the City Council. To be open in time for the spring 2004 ballpark debut, the structure will provide 1,000 above-grade spaces, 230 underground, restaurant space along L Street and retail along K Street. This is CCDC’s second public parking garage. The first, at Market Street and Sixth Avenue, already has become a favorite with Gaslamp Quarter visitors.

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Interviews with Sherm Harmer, Ron Reina, Jim Wiesler and Gene Trepte are featured this month on the “Heart of San Diego,” San Diego Metropolitan’s Fred Lewis-hosted television show that airs in prime time on ITV.

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Military housing along Murray Ridge Road in Serra Mesa is under siege by battering rams and wrecking balls. The destruction of 812 residential units of Cabrillo Heights is making way for the construction of about 900 new units as part of the Navy Region Southwest’s efforts to upgrade military housing. As part of a private-public venture, the Navy has commissioned the development team of Lincoln Property Co. Inc. and Clark Realty Capital LLC to build new military homes. About 150 families from Cabrillo Heights have moved into new homes at the Village at NTC in Point Loma. The Cabrillo Heights construction project began in November 2002 and is expected to be complete in July 2006. The total development cost, including 500 new units at NTC, is about $260 million.

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The San Diego Convention Center generated $883 million in regional economic impact in fiscal 2002 compared to $729 million in 1997. A new study released by the center projects a $981 million bump for 2003 and $1.25 billion in 2004 as the newly expanded meeting hall hits its stride.

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Shooting starts this month on a movie written by Aaron Heier, a local marketing executive who has gone solo (leaving Bailey Gardner Inc. in September) to pursue writing projects. He’s contractually bound not to publicize details until post-production, but we can say filming is in a colder climate — not in this country. (More later.) Heier’s next project is adapting an autobiography, recounting a prison death cover-up told through the eyes of the slain inmate’s father, for the big screen.

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Roel Construction Co. expects in January to complete the 37,000-square-foot performing arts center for the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center. It will include a 600-seat theater and orchestra pit that can accommodate Broadway-type shows. The community center, at 6845 University Ave., was built with an $877 million gift from Joan Kroc and $7 million from the Salvation Army.

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When a digital telephone call is made anywhere in the world, an algorithm created by Andrew Viterbi comes into play. For that accomplishment, and much more, the co-founder of Linkabit and Qualcomm has been honored by the San Diego Intellectual Property Law Association with its inaugural award for significant achievements and contributions in the area of intellectual property. “Dr. Viterbi’s innovations in wireless telecom and his unselfish leadership have helped to make San Diego the wireless capital of the world,” says William Eigner, who nominated Viterbi. “Without Dr. Viterbi, San Diego would not be the hotbed of technology it is today.” Viterbi today serves as president of Viterbi Group, a venture capital company he co-founded in 2000 with his daughter, Audrey Viterbi.

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The Padres have signed ad agency deals for the 2003 season with Medicis Communications of Bonita and Tijuana, and Hoodoo Design and Advertising of San Diego. The ballclub also is extending through the season its pre-existing relationship with its ad-buying partner, Initiative Media, reports Steve Violett, executive v.p. of business operations.

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Those interested in owning original artwork by some of the greatest masters can select from hundreds of fine engravings, etchings, woodblock prints and lithographs at the San Diego Museum of Art’s 11th annual Print Fair. Set for 1-8 p.m. Jan. 23, the fair features 10 of the country’s foremost print dealers offering high-quality works on paper by a wide selection of artists, ranging from European old masters to internationally renowned contemporary print makers. Museum admission is $8 for adults and $3 for children.

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Fabrication Arts, a manufacturer of environmental signs, graphics and architectural elements, is providing support to the Benchmark Project. Organized by local artist/designer and City College professor Candice Lopez, the effort has more than 100 local graphic designers, artists, architects and sculptors creating custom art benches for display in various central city locations throughout the month, with special focus on attracting Super Bowl attendee and media attention. Fabrication Arts created one of the initial model benches and later distributed more than 100 bench kits.

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Jim Schmid’s Chelsea Investment Corp. in Solana Beach has been awarded $5 million from the Federal Home Loan Bank to build affordable housing. The largest grant, $1 million, will be used to renovate the Downtown YWCA. Chelsea has focused the past 10 years on affordable housing using the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to develop units with a total value of more than $200 million.

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Honored by Venture Reporter magazine as one of the nation’s top 25 biotech VCs is IngleWood Ventures. The firm, a $40 million, early stage life science-specific capital company, has backed 13 local companies in 20 rounds of equity financing since December 1999.

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San Diego-based KMA Architecture & Engineering has been retained by The Currie Partners as architects for Phase II of Rio San Diego Plaza at Friars Road and Rio Bonito Way. Work on the new three-story, 75,000-square-foot, commercial office building will begin in the second quarter with completion slated for the first quarter of 2004. The project value is $12.5 million. Burkett & Wong of San Diego is the structural engineer and Stevens Crestco of San Diego is the civil engineer. Teshima Design Group will provide landscape architecture.

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The National Marine Manufacturers Association, producers of the 15th annual San Diego Boat Show, again are hosting the Discover Boating Center as the show’s first stop for anyone interested in boating. Last year, more than 400 free educational boat rides on the bay were given during the four-day event. This year’s show runs Jan. 9-12 at the San Diego Convention Center and Marriott Marina. Call (858) 274-9924 for more information or visit www.discoverboating.com.

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County Supervisors have selected Lambert Development to construct a mixed-use project on county-owned property at Kettner Boulevard and Cedar Street. The $56 million project includes a 500-space parking garage for county employees, 138 condominiums, 1,300 square feet of retail space and an additional 253 parking spaces for residents. If a development agreement is approved, construction would begin in December 2004 with completion slated for 2006. Lambert was selected from seven applicants — the key factors were a county parking solution and its cost. It was important that the county have its own entrance to the structure.

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San Marcos resident Don Caro has invented and patented a device that would monitor the level of propane in a household storage tank. The Invention Submission Corp. is submitting the invention to companies for review. The Propane Monitoring Device would alert when propane levels dip below 20 percent.

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The San Diego City-County Reinvestment Tax Force and members of the San Diego Credit Union Alliance have agreed to discuss measures credit unions could take to benefit low-income communities. The meetings came about after the RTF published findings that credit unions lend less to ethnic borrowers than banks covered by the Community Reinvestment Act. Since credit unions are nonprofit organizations, they benefit from that status. The RTF position is that because of that tax exempt status, credit unions should be obligated to lend to all communities equally.

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A Wilderness Basics Course, consisting of 11 weeks of training, will be offered again starting this month at the Scottish Rite Center in Mission Valley. Enrollment, at $90, is limited to 300. In addition to the weekly sessions, outings are planned about every two weeks. Wilderness Basics is a nonprofit organization with a volunteer staff of 150 whose goal is instructing the public on how to enjoy the wilderness safely. For information, call Jeff Marchand at (760) 728-8220.

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San Diego author and real estate broker Robert Campbell has written a book titled “Timing The Real Estate Market.” Based on five key “vital signs,” he explains recurring 10-year real estate cycles. For a preview of the book, visit www.RealEstateTiming.com.

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For the second year, five San Diego women will be acknowledged for their contributions to the county by inclusion in the Women’s Hall of Fame. Any female resident is eligible, and nomination forms are available at the Women’s History Reclamation Project, San Diego’s museum of women’s history, 2323 Broadway, Ste. 107, or by calling (619) 233-7963. The nomination deadline is Jan. 8.

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The State of the County Address for 2003 will be presented Feb. 5 by Board of Supervisors Chairman Greg Cox. The 6 p.m. address will be in Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. A public reception will follow the talk.

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Rancho Santa Fe author David Dibble has published “The New Agreements in the Workplace,” a book that guides the reader to a productive work environment. The words encourage creativity and self-awareness in the development of leadership skills. As a former CEO, systems thinker and management consultant, Dribble provides a model for transforming the workplace from a place of fear and control to one of love and support. Published by Emeritus Publishing, the book sells for $12.95.

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Downtown’s Maryland Hotel, a 271-unit residential hotel at Sixth Avenue and F Street, has secured a conditional use permit to operate a restaurant and nightclub on its first floor and basement.

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Looking for a better hair curling iron? San Diego-based Hair, Art & Information is out with its $100 HAI Stik Iron that uses ceramic to transfer the heat and has no springs. More is at www.hairartandinfo.com.

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North County writer Sharon Price’s just-released book, “The Magic Seed,” is a tale that entertains children while instilling concepts of self-reliance. Sulu and Suma, who live in the rainforest, save their people from The Forgetting, “when gifts and talents are ignored and everyone is mean and envious.” The book is colorfully illustrated by Alexandra Artigas. Published by PowerPartners USA Inc., it was introduced at a party benefit for the Children’s Discovery Museum of North County and the I AM Foundation, a nonprofit educational organization that gives books to children. For more information, visit http://www.themagicseed.com.

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