The CCDC board is recommending a $550,000 consultant contract with T.Y. Lin as the first step to build a pedestrian bridge from Park Boulevard across rail and trolley tracks and Harbor Drive. “The first phase is preliminary design, environmental clearance and consensus building,” says Roberto Saucedo, CCDC project manager. “We are going to go through a very extensive process.”
The PUC ruled in December that before Park Boulevard could be opened to Harbor Drive, a bridge for pedestrians must be built to separate people from trains. The bridge will link to a new Port District parking garage set to open in January at the old Campbell Shipyard.
Once the project’s first phase ends, contracts for design, estimated at $1 million and construction management, estimated at $400,000, will follow. Construction is estimated at $10 million. Staff will consider many design variables. “We don’t known what bridge type we’re going to build,” says Saucedo. “We will be working on the bridge type, span and location. We want this bridge to be a gateway.”
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Mayor Murphy ventures into a lion’s den of sorts on July 8 when he addresses the San Diego Hotel-Motel Association at its monthly luncheon. Murphy opposed Prop. C, the failed hotel bed tax that would have boosted and stabilized local tourism funding. After its defeat, he put in place a new city manager who cut $2.7 million in visitor marketing in a budget year when bed taxes collected by hotels are expected to grow by about $9 million. Murphy is in what could shape up to be a tight November re-election campaign against challenger Ron Roberts, a county supervisor.
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   To serve the North San Diego and South Riverside County markets, KB Home has opened a 14,000-square-foot design studio that features more than 5,000 options for new home buyers. The studio is located at 1066 W. Valley Parkway in Escondido. Call (760) 705-3100 for information.
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As San Diego and the nation anguish over the deficiencies of voting on touch screen terminals, another alternative is emerging — mobile phones. SMS.ac, a San Diego company that hosts the world’s largest community of mobile phone users, says a recent survey of 36,224 users of its Web site revealed that 68.5 percent would be more likely to vote in a government election if they could use their phone. Results of another survey by the company — you can read more at www.sms.ac — show that 43.7 percent of the 40,115 people in a May poll had used a mobile device to vote on a television show or participate in some other kind of marketing promotion.
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Construction is set to begin in the next three months on Downtown’s second supermarket, with three levels of underground parking, five stories totaling 225 apartments and a sidewalk cafe. The project, Market Street Village by SRM Development, to be anchored by Albertson’s, would occupy the west 60,000 square feet of the double-sized block, currently used by Yellow Cab between 14th, 15th, G and Market streets. The store would open within 18 months.
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Downtown streets will play host to oddly dressed people — OK, even more oddly dressed than usual — when Comic-Con International fills the Convention Center July 21–25. Up to 25,000 people are expected to attend daily, flooding the Gaslamp at night. Unfortunately, the Padres are on the road then, so the two crowds won’t meet.
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McMillin Realty has opened its first Downtown San Diego real estate office at Fifth and Market in response to the growing interest for investment property, retirement and loft living around Petco Park. “We are thrilled to be right in the middle of all the fun beginning this summer,” says Alan Bestall, the office manager. He supervises a staff of 20 covering the communities of Golden Hill, Hillcrest, Mission Hills, North Park and South Park.
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 The horses are running again this month - and not just in Del Mar. A menagerie of horses, giraffe, elephant, camel, dog, lion, dragon and teddy bear - all hand-carved by Charles Looff nearly 110 years ago - will spin again when Seaport Village opens a new vintage carousel near the end of this month. The 1895 carousel, most recently in a Burbank center that is being remodeled, is being leased for two years from Historic Carousels by GMS Realty. It replaces Seaport Village’s previous carousel, operated by a separate leaseholder and sold at auction for $715,000 in the spring. The price of a spin on the new merry-go-round will still be $2.
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The future of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal is the subject of a July 6 public workshop. The industrial waterfront acreage is criticized by some as underperforming and touted as the possible site for a new football stadium. The workshop runs 1-5 p.m. in the Board Room of the Port Administration Building. Stuart Farnsworth, in the port’s maritime division — (619) 686-7283 — has details.
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Urban housing remains white hot. Still under construction, the second building of the 51-unit Park Laurel on the Prado has buyers willing to pony up more than $60 million for 49 of its 51 units. The remaining two-story penthouses include a 4,715-square-foot unit priced north of $3.1 million. Call (619) 235-6585 if you are interested.
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Market Creek Plaza, the commercial and cultural center at Market Street and Euclid Avenue in southeastern San Diego, has received a $15 million loan through the New Markets Tax Credit program. It is the largest NMTC loan on a commercial development project in Southern California and the first made on a project developed hand-in-hand with the residents of the community it serves.
Built on the site of a closed aerospace factory, the $20 million, 10-acre center is a development of the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, a nonprofit foundation.
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The San Diego County Commercial Association of Realtors is changing its name to Commercial Realtors Association San Diego. The organization expects to now be the primary association of choice for local commercial real estate brokers. “The shifting makeup of the San Diego commercial real estate industry highlights the need for an umbrella organization to serve the diverse needs of the brokerage community,” says Joe Balla, the association’s president who also is president of Retail Properties Group. “No longer just a local market, our area’s growth and vitality is connected to larger regional and national influences.”
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Westcore Properties affiliate Southrail Equities has bought a fully occupied, half-acre, retail property at 350 University Ave. in Hillcrest for $3 million from 350 Group LLC. Both parties represented themselves. Westcore assumed a $1.36 million loan from Standard Insurance Co. Chef’s Wok, Bread & Cie and Peet’s Coffee and Tea are the leaseholders. The property’s central location amid Hillcrest’s high density makes the acquisition a long-term investment with strong appreciation prospects, says Gary Katz, Westcore’s director of acquisitions.
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Jimsair Charter and Management has acquired a Beechcraft King Air 350, adding to its existing fleet of King Air 200s. With a 300 mph cruising speed and seating for eight, the turboprop King Air 350 extends Jimsair’s primary service area to more than 1,000 miles.
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The USD Real Estate Institute has received $5 million from Padres owner John Moores and Burnham Real Estate, reports Mary E. Lyons, university president. The two contributed equal amounts and the institute is being renamed the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate. “Because we have had such a strong and long-standing relationship with USD’s Real Estate Institute, we view our share of the endowment as an investment in an exceptional program,” says Stath Karras, Burnham’s president and CEO. “Burnham Real Estate is contributing both through the participation of earnings by its broker professionals and through contributions by its shareholders through the company’s net income.”
A regular participant in the institute’s annual conferences, Moores says he is aware of its growing regional impact and is “pleased to be able to help sustain that growth and assist USD in building a world-class real estate program.”
Malin Burnham, chair of Burnham Real Estate and president of the Burnham Foundation, which also will contribute to the Burnham share of the endowment, notes that, “For 113 years Burnham Real Estate has been committed to supporting the San Diego community through leadership roles in organizations that we believe make a positive difference in our region’s future.”
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San Diego’s local business environment and overall lifestyle are reasons the city was chosen by Murat Olcay of Encore America Exhibitions for the 2005 California Women’s Show, beating out San Francisco and Orange County for host city honors. Featuring more than 300 exhibitors, the event next year will take place April 22-24 at the San Diego Convention Center. Aimed at women ages 25-54, the show will entertain and motivate with celebrity presentations, motivational speakers, one-of-a-kind fashion shows, celebrity chefs, health and wellness presentations, fitness demonstrations, wine tasting and more.
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Pala Casino Resort and Spa will host a Rita Coolidge benefit concert July 17 for the North County Boys & Girls Clubs, reports Jerry Turk, Pala’s developer and manager. General admission is $35, VIP tickets are $100 and include a private pool party before the concert with complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
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 Sares Regis Group has purchased 132 acres of land at Bressi Ranch in Carlsbad from MetLife. The owners will develop portions of the master-planned community for Class A office, flex, research and development and light industrial development, marketing for build-to-suits, buildings for sale and lots for sale. Bill Driscoll of CB Richard Ellis represented the buyer and Rick Sparks and Matt Strockis of CB Richard Ellis and Biff Smith of Collins Commercial represented the seller.
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The initial compensation ascribed to Fred Baranowski of the United Way in last month’s list of nonprofit CEO salaries covered a period of employment fewer than 11 months, commencing with his hiring. The same story incorrectly stated that the national United Way was under investigation for mismanagement. The investigation, now years old and resolved, involved only the Washington, D.C. chapter of United Way. The Metropolitan regrets the error.
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Resting Bird Entertainment will produce an art benefit/auction for Modart’s “Keep A Breast” on July 8 at Martini Ranch in Encinitas. The event raises funds by commissioning artists to adorn plaster casts of women’s torsos and auctioning them. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. for this event, which will feature music from acoustic singer/songwriter Tristan Prettyman. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door.
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The San Diego World Trade Center is holding a seminar on bio-medical opportunities in China, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam. Experts from the U.S. Department of Commerce will give presentations on market access, export strategy, legal regulations and in-country marketing experience. The July 21 event is from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and includes lunch. Cost is $25. Call Nikki O’Halloran at (619) 615-0868, Ext. 110 or visit www.sdwtc.org for information.
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 Gillespie Design Group is providing landscape design services for the first military housing communities in San Diego developed under the Navy’s unique new privatization project. The three communities - The Village at NTC, The Village at Serra Mesa and The Gateway Village Community - are being constructed, designed and developed by the San Diego division of Clark Realty Builders and Clark Realty Capital. The communities are among the largest Navy housing sites in San Diego, with a total of 1,860 new townhomes.
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Don Sarich, president and CEO of Santa FE, N.M.-based Permaculture Credit Union, will visit San Diego’s new energy efficient Friends Center, 3850 Westgate Place, at 7 p.m. July 23 to talk about the Green lending movement. Green lending negotiates loans for fuel-efficient vehicles, home energy efficiency upgrades, renewable energy generation, water catchment and permaculture landscaping. For information, contact San Diego Permaculture Center at (619) 255-6111 or sdecc@igc.org. At the Friend’s Center on July 24 is a Work-A-Thon for Peace and Social Justice, a fund-raiser benefiting the Peace Resource Center of San Diego and Project on Youth and Non-Military Opportunities. Work will involve planting bushes and trees as part of an ongoing permaculture display of edible landscaping. For information, call (619) 263-9301 or (760) 634-3604.
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A first place award in journalism was presented to San Diego Metropolitan by the local chapter of the American Planning Association. The publication was cited for its insightful urban planning coverage. Among the many honors handed out were Distinguished Leadership to Professional Planners awards to Sandag’s Mike McLaughlin and Michael Stepner, a former city planner who now is with the NewSchool of Architecture. In his acceptance speech, Stepner joked about developer Tom Carter, who earlier was honored for his firm’s efforts in North Park. During his time at the microphone, Carter had praised the work of planners. Stepner, who has dealt with Carter as a builder and former CCDC director for nearly 20 years, marveled that was the first time he’d ever heard Carter offer such praise for his profession.
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The Downtown Lions have named Teresa Higgins as Lion of the Year.
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 Folk artists from Guanajuato, Oaxaca, and Jalisco in Mexico will demonstrate their work at the 22nd Latin American Festival in Bazaar del Mundo on Aug. 6-8. The free festival runs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Call (619) 296-3161 for information.
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Dr. Ted Borgeas, a retired podiatrist and diplomat, American Board of Podiatric Surgery-Fellow American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, will be on the medical staff at the Olympics in Athens from Aug. 13-29. Former marathon runner, television producer and Scottish bagpipe player, Borgeas has written nine books and has a celebrity shoe collection that includes footware from President Lyndon Johnson, Cher and David Letterman.
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The home page for the San Diego Public Library has been revamped for easier use, says Anna Tatá, city library director. The library page, one of the most popular on the city’s site, had 196,925 visitors in 2003, more than 2,700 a day. To visit the page, go to www.sandiego.gov/public-library.
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 California State University trustees have awarded C. E. Wylie Construction Co. a $20 million contract to build the College of Business Administration at its San Marcos campus. The project involves construction of an 81,100-square-foot, four-story educational building to provide classrooms and office space. (Art/AC Martin Partners)
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Hand-picked artists, designers, sculptors, architects and crafts artisans will create pet enclosures for the San Diego Chapter, American Institute of Graphic Arts in its “Bowhaus” project. The creations will be displayed as public art installations at Downtown locations beginning July 17. The theme for this year’s AIGA event was chosen in celebration of the Petco Park opening. The AIGA gallery is located at 344 Seventh Ave., across the street from Petco Park. To learn more about the exhibit, visit aigasandiego.org or call Lynn Underwood at (619) 233-5470.
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Bruce Ives, president and CEO of Cuyamaca Bank, was elected president of the SDSU Alumni Association board, replacing Immediate Past President Jerry Dressel, president of Dressel Financial Services. Also on the board are President-Elect Erica Opstad, a v.p. at U.S. Bank; v.p. for 20/30s and campus outreach Adrienne Finley, director of development for Salvation Army; v.p. community outreach, Chuck Luby, communications manager at General Atomics; v.p. for constituency relations Denise Horton, president DMH Media & Marketing; v.p. for membership & marketing Dennis Kuhn, president of Brewster and Vine Inc.; and v.p. for special projects Glen Viera, consultant.
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“San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter” is the winner in the travel and local interest published books category for the San Diego Book Awards Association. With 200 images, the history follows the Gaslamp from initial glow to mid-century dim glimmer to its relighting as a commercial and residential mecca.
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Artist Peter Max will show his new “Colors of a Better World” exhibit at the Wentworth Galleries in La Jolla with two appearances on Aug. 6 and 7. Both are open to the public. The exhibit features more than 100 pieces of his art. Max will appear from 6-9 p.m. both days at the gallery, 1025 Prospect St., La Jolla. For information, call (858) 551-7071.
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H.G. Fenton Co. will close out its 1 million-square-foot Mission Valley Heights project on Metropolitan Drive with construction of two, two-story spec office/R&D buildings totaling 75,000 square feet. The design, pictured above, is by Rod Wright of Sillman Wright Architects. Ledcor Petty is general contractor. Dick Balestri and Larry Jackel of CB Richard Ellis are the leasing agents.
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 Hotel Solamar, a $50 million boutique hotel at Sixth Avenue and J Street Downtown developed by JMI Realty, is under construction. Davis Reed Construction is the general contractor on the 10-story, 235-guest room tower. The 235,000-square-foot project includes a rooftop bar and grill, 4,200-square-foot street-level restaurant, 2,400 square feet of retail space and 5,000 square feet of meeting space. Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group will operate the property. Completion is set for fall 2005.
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The Hyatt Regency Islandia Hotel and Marina hosts a defense and homeland security business conference, sponsored by Science Applications International Corp. and the San Diego chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association, July 19 to 21. The conference is geared to partnering prospects for small businesses, says Jim Lasswell, president of the association chapter and of Indus Technology Inc. Cost is $225 by July 12, $275 thereafter. For more, visit ndia.org.
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Sandag and the Committee on Binational Regional Opportunities host their free annual binational summer conference from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 16 at San Ysidro Middle School. This year’s focus is “Cooperation across the California-Baja California Border: Where do we go from here?” Keynote speaker is Rep. Bob Filner. For more, visit sandag.org/border conference.
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A fireworks celebration and gala to mark the expected July 23 arrival of the new aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan to its home port at Naval Air Station North Island, will be held at 10 p.m. that night off the old carrier Midway, now open as the new San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum. “They’re red, white and blue fireworks with red, white and blue music and sound bites of President Reagan’s most famous speeches,” says Kevin Fulton, media director for the host committee and promotions director for KCBQ Radio, which will broadcast the fireworks soundtrack live along with KGB Radio. The fireworks are free and will be visible for miles. The Reagan is on its way to San Diego, going around Cape Horn from Norfolk, Va.
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