Kip Howard confirms that McKinnon Properties Inc. and Bosa Development Corp. have entered into a sales purchase agreement for the previously approved project: Palm Plaza KUSI, a 28-story, mixed-use development with a 123-room hotel, 68,000 square feet of office/television studio space, 18,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space, 42 condominiums on top and 480 parking spaces on the block bounded by First, Second and Island avenues and J street.
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The arching pedestrian breakwater that captivated the public as part of the master-plan for expanding Seaport Village appears sunk. Spooked by the estimated $270 million cost to develop the 25-acre Historic Harborfront concept of Sasaki Associates and architect Rob Wellington Quigley, the Port of San Diego is pursuing instead a GMS Realty plan for adaptive reuse of the Old Police Headquarters and a portion of the Harbor Seafood Mart at Pacific Highway and Harbor Drive. A public meeting on the revised plan is set for 6 p.m. April 12 at the former Coral Reef Restaurant at the site.
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Federal courthouse officials and CCDC are at loggerheads over what Downtown observers call the feds’ insistence to build little parking in the $230 million, 22-story, 619,000-square-foot annex planned to open in 2010 on the Broadway and Front Street block occupied by the shuttered 1914 Hotel San Diego. “We’re still in the design stage,” says U.S. District Court Chief Judge Irma Gonzalez. “The parking is unclear.” The courthouse design by architects Richard Meier & Partners of Los Angeles will be unveiled at an April 20 press conference. Four months of on-site abatement begins in May with demolition set for the fall. CCDC wants to split the cost of a parking garage for the new courthouse. Two blocks away, Rob Lankford’s $140 million, 23-story, 410,000-square-foot Broadway 655 — Downtown’s first new office building since 1991 — will have parking for 765 vehicles on two levels of underground parking when it opens in July.
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   Keep-A-Breast.org has partnered with the Roxy division of Quiksilver, a leading women’s surfwear maker, to auction unique plaster casts of the world’s top female surfers at surfing competitions worldwide. The next is at that well-known surfing mecca, Perranporth, on the Cornwall coast of England, for Roxy Jam UK May 21-27. Body casts like this one can fetch $2,000 to $6,000 and benefit such charities as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
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Ron Roberts carries in his car trunk a copy of the county’s 2004 audited budget he shows off when speaking to community groups. “I want to show them that it is possible to have an audited budget,” says the county supervisor. The county spent $267,000 with Macias, Gini & Co. for the all-inclusive audit.
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Developer Doug Wilson is best known in San Diego for his Downtown projects like Symphony Towers and Park Lofts adjacent to Petco Park. He’s now taking those urban skills elsewhere, including planning a 300-unit infill project called CentrePoint near SDSU at the corner of 64th Street and El Cajon Boulevard. Expect a mix of fun and affordable housing. “I’ve proved I can build 30- to 40-story buildings; now I will try three stories,” he laughs.
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 The Jean Anne, the first pure car truck carrier to be built in the United States, was christened at the National City Marine Terminal and immediately embarked on its initial trade voyage to Hawaii loaded with cars, yachts, construction equipment and other rolling stock. The $100 million, 579-foot-long, roll on/roll off car carrier was built by VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Miss., for Strong Vessel Operators and The Pasha Group, which handles about 300,000 vehicles annually on 137 acres at the National City terminal. “The Jean Anne is the only fully enclosed pure car truck carrier in the trade from the mainland to Hawaii,” says Pasha spokeswoman Jill Ivie. It will make the San Diego-Hawaii run every two weeks with up to 3,000 cars.
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As The Lodge At Torrey Pines is celebrating its third anniversary, repeat business is stronger than projected. One VIP the hotel declines to identify has enjoyed 56 stays.
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Five years after starting Citymark Development to build homes Downtown, Rich Gustafson and his partners are on a roll. Along with three projects under construction, their firm has seven in the planning stages in Downtown, Oceanside and Las Vegas. “Las Vegas is looking at San Diego and saying that is what they want,” says Gustafson, who responded to an RFP to land the Las Vegas site. “It reminds me a lot of San Diego five to seven years ago.”
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 Barnhart Inc. has completed three floors of office tenant improvements including a new elevator and water tower system at Copley Symphony Hall Downtown. The $2.7 million remodel was designed by Dominy & Associates.
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One prominent San Diego businessman exaggerates that City Attorney Mike Aguirre has done one thing that seemed impossible. “He has united the City Council.”
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With two councilmen under federal indictment and Mayor Murphy’s leadership of the city’s fiscal problems being scrutinized for the multiple federal investigations into city finances, look for one of the remaining six council members to grab for a leadership role April 12 when the City Council takes up the contentious topic of the living wage ordinance. In hindsight, it may be a turning point.
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A contingent of 95 Seattle civic leaders cascade into San Diego April 20-22 to learn the local experience with redevelopment, the homeless, transportation and life sciences. “The (Seattle) mayor’s office is very interested in Downtown redevelopment and bringing people to Downtown, and the (Seattle) Technology Alliance interest is in how you built your life sciences cluster,” says Susannah Malarkey, executive director of the alliance. The last time a Seattle contingent came to visit was five years ago. Among their stops this time will be the San Diego Chamber, Regional Economic Development Corp., CCDC, Urban Housing Partners, UCSD, High Tech High and Petco Park for a Padres-Dodgers (not Mariners) game. “The (Seattle) chamber is interested in how the (San Diego) region was able to pull together a 67 percent approval rate on Proposition A (the 40-year sales tax extension for transportation funding),” says Charles Knutson with the chamber. “There are lessons to be learned.”
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In the days and weeks after Qualcomm’s announcement Paul Jacobs would be taking over as CEO for his father, Irwin Jacobs, the markets barely moved on the stock, which traded in the range of $36 to $38 and at typical volumes. The headlines lasted little more than a day, probably just how the company wished, no doubt helped by the promotion of the respected Steven Altman to Q president. Despite the low-key, straight forward way the transition was handled, there was a feeling of history in the air at the news conference in a small 12th floor conference center at the Sheraton in the Symphony Towers complex Downtown. The senior Jacobs took all questions relaxed, smiling, proud. Paul Jacobs was professional. Most stressed was Marc Stern, the board member who led the search committee and had to field gentle questions about nepotism. Life has changed in San Diego’s telecom arena. With its godfather exiting, it is now officially grown up.
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 Sundt Construction breaks ground in July on a $70 million, 20-story, 184-unit second tower at the continuing care retirement community on Costa Verde Boulevard called Classic Residence by Hyatt at La Jolla Village. Completion of the tower, designed by Nadel Architects, is set for summer 2007.
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San Diegans this month will get the use of the largest project ever undertaken by UCSD Health Sciences, the John Moores UCSD Cancer Center. The official opening is 10 a.m. April 8 with luminaries that include the director of the National Cancer Institute, Andrew von Eschenbach, UC regent and donor John Moores, and UCSD Chancellor Marye Anne Fox. At $105 million and 270,000 square feet, the building contains state-of-the-art clinical space that is also comfortable and welcoming for patients; modern laboratories to support research that advances prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malignancy; and areas dedicated to patient support and education — all core missions of the region’s only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center.
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The San Diego Building Owners & Managers Association is hosting an April 12 drive to collect gently used business attire for the Dress for Success San Diego program. Last year BOMA collected nearly 600 articles of professional attire. The program helps women in need make tailored transitions into the working world and provides ongoing support to help them build successful careers. “As a professional association, we realize the importance of feeling confident and prepared when going into an interview,” says Glenn Fibiger, property manager for Landmark Asset Management Group and president of BOMA. “These programs allow our members to aid those seeking to enter the workforce and give them the extra boost of confidence they need.” Racks will be available for dry cleaned clothing and accessories donations when BOMA holds its monthly lunch April 12 at the San Diego Marriott and Marina.
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Designed by Blue Motif, the new Downtown sales office for Centex Homes, 930 Market St., features distinctive urban design and chic interiors. Visitors can see state-of-the-art virtual tour displays with interactive software as well as scale building models of the homes at Element, Centex’s first Downtown project, being built at 15th and Market streets. A cross section of a typical kitchen demonstrates designer-selected standard finishes, options and upgrades available in each home. “Our design team worked very hard to capture the essence of the East Village at 930 Market,” says Matthew Ellis, principal of Blue Motif. “The sales gallery has a very urban look and feel, but is very warm and inviting to potential homebuyers.”
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Jimsair Aviation Services has installed an automated external defibrillator in its corporate and general aviation terminal on Pacific Highway. “We had planned to put an AED in our proposed new terminal building, but with up to 30 corporate aircraft a day passing through our facility and given the experiences at the Lindbergh terminals, we decided it was prudent not to wait,” says Jimsair v.p. Michael Bracamonte.
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Rancho Bernardo’s Sensoria Corp. was named “the most likely to succeed” by more than 100 venture capitalists gathered for the Under The Radar series sponsored by the International Business Development Network. The company, which works on wireless mesh communications that deliver voice, video and high-activity data for public safety, military and security systems, came home from the Mountain View competition with the Top Innovator award.
“It’s validating to know that the investment and analyst community as well as our peers see the future of mesh communication technology,” says Sensoria CEO Dave Gelvin. “Better still, that they favor our solution, which works without a reliance on traditional infrastructure or dependence on one radio spectrum.”
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More than 120 employers are expected at the 16th annual Urban League of San Diego County Career Fair/Expo April 21 in Golden Hall at the San Diego Concourse, 202 C St. Downtown. “A Bridge to a Brighter Future” is the theme for the event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jobs will be available at a variety of levels, including management, technical, administrative, clerical, trade and apprenticeship. In addition to hiring for current openings, employers will collect resumes and applications for future positions and provide free advice to people looking for new jobs and career opportunities.
This year the Urban League is offering a new workforce development program, Diversity Works! which combines behavior modification training with the agency’s work readiness training. For information on booth and sponsorship packages, visit ulsdcjobs.net or call (619) 263-8196.
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The San Diego County Bar Foundation has installed Alec L. Cory as its Inaugural Fellow. To commemorate the occasion, $20,000 was donated to the foundation’s Fellows Fund by Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, the firm Cory founded in 1946. The installation was celebrated at Cory’s 90th birthday party March 10 in the restored San Diego Trust & Savings building, where he founded the law firm. Bar Foundation President Cindy Davis presented Cory with an engraved clock to commemorate the event. After serving in the Navy in World War II, Cory returned to San Diego where he opened his law practice with an emphasis in business, real estate and banking. He actively practiced law for 47 years before retiring in 1993.
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In the list of Top 25 Developers in the March issue, the top local executives for Pardee Homes and Pacific Coast Communities were listed incorrectly. Beth Fischer, vice president, is the top executive in San Diego for Pardee while Ron Baldwin and Steve Baldwin are the top executives for Pacific Coast Communities. San Diego Metropolitan regrets the error.
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 Anne Sneed and Janice Howard are even smarter than they appear, having seven years ago bought from Seaport Village this building at Kettner and Harbor Drive for their Howard-Sneed Architecture and Design. One of the oldest masonry buildings in the Marina District, in the 1930s it was a Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Repair shop and still has the original wood ramp and pulley used to haul motorcycles to the second floor for repair. The team just sold the 4,267-square-foot parcel to their next door neighbor, Creative Capital Leasing, for $2.3 million, or $539 a square foot. See. Smart.
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Time is running out to stroll down memory lane and remember your first birdbath margarita at Bazaar del Mundo in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Diane Powers, who revitalized Old Town and ran the concession for 33 years, has thrown in the tortilla in her battle to overturn the state’s decision to award the contract to Delaware North Cos. Powers’ shops start closing May 9 and are gone May 31. Rather than retire, Powers plans to reopen her restaurants and shops at three new sites. Bazaar del Mundo Shops will open in June adjacent to her Casa Guadalajara restaurant on the corner of Taylor and Juan streets. Casa de Pico, home of the famous birdbath margaritas, opens in July at La Mesa’s Grossmont Center, and Bazaar del Mundo at Seaport Village will open in late 2006 at the historic old police headquarters Downtown.
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Meanwhile, Delaware North Cos. Parks and Resorts, which dazzled the state with its plans and revenue projections for a 10-year lease, takes over June 1 and starts work on $12 million in improvements. The company will open three restaurants and 10 retail stores to be located in the Mexican Commercial Corner, now known as Bazaar del Mundo, which will be renamed Plaza del Pasado. The new restaurants include: Casa de Reyes; a restaurant to be called by its original historic name, the Jolly Boy Restaurant and Saloon; and the Cosmopolitan Restaurant and Hotel, a national historic landmark, which is now the location of Casa de Bandini. After remodeling, the existing retail shop area will feature 10 new historically themed shops offering clothing, jewelry, pottery and books, and items of significance to the early history of Old Town San Diego from 1821 to 1872.
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The International Community Foundation, dedicated to increasing giving and volunteerism across U. S. borders, particularly in Baja California, will celebrate its 15th year at a gala May 14. The event will be at the San Diego Sheraton Hotel’s east tower beginning at 6 p.m. with a VIP reception. A reception will follow at 7 p.m. with dinner and a silent auction and a program at 8 p.m. followed by dancing to the music of Rico Tumbao. For reservations, contact Anne McEnany at anne@idifdn.org.
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Seaport Village and Ben & Jerry’s are teaming up for “Free Cone Day” on April 19 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrity scoopers and various entertainers will greet guests who stop for a scoop of their favorite flavor. Both Seaport Village stores — in West Plaza near the carousel and East Plaza near the gazebo — will participate. Canine Companions will be the recipient charity for the day.
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 Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is wheeling its warnings on streets statewide as part of a publicity campaign to promote the concept that litigation is raising the cost of prescription drugs, health coverage and doctor visits while diminishing medical access. The group takes specific aim at the tort legal system and personal injury attorneys. For more, visit sickoflawsuits.org.
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Cox Communications Channel 4 goes “Outta Left Field” for an hour at 5:30 p.m. before every San Diego Padres night home game with viewer call-ins and a live audience at the Hall of Fame Bar and Grill inside the Western Metal Supply Building at Petco Park. The host of the new live sports talk show is Troy Johnson, who also bangs the music beat on “Fox Rox” on XETV Channel 6. The program debuts at a special time of 5 p.m. April 7. A total of 110 of the 150 Padres games being broadcast on Cox Channel 4 this season are in high definition.
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Although Jerry Coleman turned nine years of double plays as an All-Star second baseman for the New York Yankees, in San Diego the 80-year-old Coleman is known and loved for turning double meanings as the 32-year broadcast voice of the San Diego Padres — for whom he once intoned, “All the Padres need is a fly ball in the air.” Now the latest recipient of the national Ford C. Frick Award for sports broadcasting will be roasted by the San Diego Press Club at 6 p.m. May 12 at the San Diego Aerospace Museum. You can hang a star on that. Tickets are $50. For more, call (619) 231-4340 or e-mail sdpressclub@cox.net.
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The former Woolworth five and dime at 1055 Fifth Ave. changes character in May to become House of Blues San Diego, a 31,000-square-foot entertainment and dining venue — the ninth in a chain of clubs run by House of Blues Entertainment Inc. Official grand opening is May 19-21 with performances by The Blues Brothers featuring Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, but a soft opening May 11 will have the Wailers.
The Diegan, a luxury boutique hotel targeting a W Hotel type of clientele, will be built adjacent to the club. The combo will help pull the Gaslamp Quarter action across Broadway.
The House of Blues will have a 1,100-capacity multi-level music hall with a general admission dance floor, private seated boxes, a restaurant seating 215, bar and a company store selling souvenirs, music and clothing. The company will hold a job fair in mid-April. About 240 people will be employed. Jim Biafore, former g.m. of the House of Blues Anaheim, is assuming the same position in the San Diego club.
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