The Downtown Federal Courthouse expansion designed to start construction in fall 2006 will have 16 new courtrooms in the 600,000-square-foot building on West Broadway but only 106 new parking spaces. “There can be no public parking in a federal building,” says U.S. District Judge John Rhoades. “Oklahoma City is that reason. And there are no funds provided to build a separate parking structure.” Downtown officials are fretting over where visitors to the massive courthouse will park. Slated to open Aug. 1 a few blocks west of the courthouse site, Rob Lankford’s Broadway 655 office tower is 410,000 square feet and contains 765 parking spaces.

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The City Council is expected Aug. 2 to consider Pinnacle International Development’s plans for a 619-unit market-rate condominium project on the 120,000-square-foot “superblock” located between Island Avenue and 14th, 15th, and J streets. Rising as tall as 39 stories, the project will include 800 parking spaces, 19,395 square feet of retail space and a 57,000-square-foot neighborhood park.

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A $55 million affordable housing fund backed by CCDC ($40 million) and the city Redevelopment Agency ($15 million) has helped fund its seventh project by way of a $7.1 million loan to assist in financing construction of City Heights Square, a 151-unit senior affordable housing project proposed by Chelsea Investment Corp. and Senior Community Services in City Heights. So far, $30 million has been committed to build about 500 affordable housing units, most outside of Downtown.

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Up Inc., the residential development division of La Jolla Pacific Development Group Inc., has begun construction of Monde, a residential project of 12 two-story townhomes on Ninth Avenue between University Avenue and Washington Street in Hillcrest. The project will include ground floor commercial space. Homes in the development will average 1,575 square feet. Interiors will offer high ceilings, granite counters, stainless steel appliances, hardwood flooring and contemporary high-end fixtures. H2A Architects of San Diego designed the project. Midwest General Contractors is the general contractor. Construction is expected to be completed in 10 months. A sales center is taking reservations at (619) 501-9907. For more information, visit urbanproperties.com.

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The number of millionaire households in San Diego increased last year to 34,950 — a 10.72 percent increase from 2003 — and will continue to increase over a five-year period, reports Claritas, a market research firm. In the next five years, the total number of San Diego households worth at least $1 million will increase by 58.8 percent.

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Helping your son or daughter ponder a career? A survey by the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering of its seniors found that the median starting salary this year for those joining the workforce will be in the $51,000-to-$55,000 range. Last year’s median salary was in the $46,000-to-$50,000 range. The survey found that 59 percent said they were looking for jobs and 38 percent were pursuing post-graduate education.

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Joining the San Diego division of D.R. Horton (formerly Western Pacific Housing) as president is Doug Jaeger, a 30-year housing industry veteran who most recently led for 14 years, and founded, the local division of Centex Homes. Jaeger has contributed to the construction and sale of more than 5,000 homes with a total value of more than $2 billion and has managed asset portfolios in excess of $100 million.

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San Diego subcontractors will be treated July 23 to a gourmet buffet lunch and bus tours during the 2005 Subs for Subs event sponsored by the Public Agency Consortium. The outing is billed as the year’s top construction networking/outreach event. The 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. gathering at the Cruise Ship Terminal is free to attend, $65 to $100, depending on size, for those interested in setting up a booth. More information is at ptac-sandiego.org or by calling (619) 533-7137.

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La Jolla resident Thomas J. Lochtefeld has spent more than $15 million re-shaping Belmont Park. A San Diego tradition for generations, Belmont Park has two new rides this summer — the Beach Blaster and CHAOS — and just marked the 450 millionth ride and 80th anniversary of its Giant Dipper Roller Coaster. Once working in the park as a teen, the La Jolla resident now owns it and is revitalizing the landmark. Belmont Park is located on seven beachfront acres with eight buildings and attractions including the new Wave House.

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Stonefield Development will mark its part in rebuilding Scripps Ranch from the fire storm of October 2003 with a community homecoming at 1 p.m. July 16 on Pinecastle Street. Stonefield has completed nearly all of 81 homes of fire survivors in the community.

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Cox Channel 4 celebrates its 1,000th Padres broadcast on July 16 at Petco Park.

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CityMark Development’s 243-unit condominium project on the west side of Kettner Boulevard between Fir and Grape streets has secured CCDC design approval. The 15-story project will contain 366 parking spaces in three levels of underground parking and 10,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. It is one of 11 new residential projects planned or under way in Little Italy.

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Intracorp has landed CCDC approval for a 159-unit, market-rate condominium development on the south side of Market Street between Ninth and 10th avenues. The 17-story project will contain 9,300 square feet of ground floor retail space.

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Construction of the new La Jolla Country Day middle school has begun and will finish in August 2006. The two-story, 30,000-square-foot complex will have 20 classrooms, including four with labs, spaces for computer and performing arts and administrative offices. McGraw/Baldwin is the architect. Bilbro Construction Co. is the general contractor.

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A revised design of Avian Development’s Sapphire Tower at the southwest corner of Kettner Boulevard and A Street near the Santa Fe Depot was approved by CCDC. The 32-story project will contain 96 condos, 2,000 square feet of retail space, 13,300 square feet of office space and 183 parking spaces.

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CCDC has approved the design of Market Street Village II, a 272-mixed use development proposed by Pacific Properties for the block bounded by Market, G, 13th and 14th streets. The project will include 24 single-room occupant units; one-, two-, and three-bedroom units; 19,000 square feet of retail space; and 444 parking spaces.

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OliverMcMillan’s designs for its G Lofts East rental apartment project on the north side of G Street between 10th and 11th avenues has received CCDC approval. The seven-story project will contain 208 apartments, 8,100 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 213 parking spaces.

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Trophy’s café is seeking a neighborhood use permit for a sidewalk café in the Trellis project at 570 K St. in the Gaslamp Quarter.

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Where once sailors were trained at the Naval Training Center, students are being taught at the 22-acre educational district of Liberty Station. The Corky McMillin Cos. is renovating this three-story, 100,000-square-foot building to house High Tech High and Middle School media arts and Explorer Elementary School this fall. Carrier Johnson is architect of the renovation.

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A license to sell alcoholic beverages is being sought by Rite Aid for a convenience store/pharmacy proposed for the Allegro Tower at 1401 Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy.

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Shea Homes has launched “Read With Your Child 15 Minutes A Day,” a literacy program focused on preschool children ages 2 to 6. “Setting aside 15 minutes a day is a very manageable time commitment for any parent or caregiver and the potential to impact our nation’s future is phenomenal,” says Paul Barnes, division president of Shea Homes San Diego. More information, including a list of books and links, is at sheahomes.com.

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The San Diego chapter of the American Marketing Association honored San Diego marketers for some of this year’s most outstanding work at the American Marketer of the Year (AMY) Awards gala. More than 150 members and guests attended the event at the Lyceum Theatre in Horton Plaza. Winners were: Alternative Strategies, for outstanding Web site, cause marketing campaign and integrated marketing campaign; Red Door for best general print collateral piece; MJE Marketing and San Diego County Water Authority for best annual report; Mires Design and Gemological Institute of America (GIA) for best catalog; Barona Resort & Casino for best direct mail/direct marketing; WD- 40, winner in the miscellaneous category for its product promotional video; Bailey Gardiner and Elite Racing for best special event; and Sharp HealthCare for integrated marketing campaign.

The People’s Choice Marketing Makeover Award went to Bardon Cabinetry. Honorable mentions were given to Red Door, Barona Resort & Casino, Four Square Productions, Mires Design and The San Diego Union-Tribune. The AMY awards were judged by Michael Belch, professor of marketing, SDSU; Aline V. Christiansen, adjunct professor of marketing, USD; and Leah Swearingen, guest professor of public relations and marketing, SDSU and USD.

As an additional benefit this year, guests in attendance took home a luxury gift bag valued at $400 and filled with donations from local companies including Complexions Rx, Creative Nail Design, Ecotique, The Gemological Institute of America, Iomega, Karl Strauss, PS Skincare, Penta Water, Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza, the San Diego Padres, Skin Medica, Surf Diva, Surfari Eats, Timothy Meier Design and WD-40.

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Los Angeles artist Yunhee Min describes her work as ‘a hybrid of painting, installation, architecture and design.’ Reviewers say she juxtaposes color and form in disarming and fascinating ways. Min’s work is featured at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s Downtown location at 1001 Kettner Blvd. through Aug. 21 as part of the museum’s continuing exhibition series called ‘Cerca.’ It is a Spanish word referring to things nearby and the process of bringing them closer. ‘My investigation is concerned with the relationship of the individual to a given space, specifically the way in which the relationship is mediated by surface/color and architectural/spatial configurations,’ Min says. She was born in Seoul, Korea, and moved to Los Angeles when she was 10. The Downtown museum is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Wednesday. Admission is free. For information, call (858) 454-3541 or visit mcasd.org.

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Set to debut next month is San Diego City NaviGaytor, a nationally branded gay and lesbian travel guide jointly produced by the Greater San Diego Business Association and the Philadelphia-headquartered Altus Group.

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Butler’s Mill, a company founded in San Diego in 1892 as a feed store and having since evolved into a supplier of landscape products, has been sold to brothers Tom and Jon Ewing for an undisclosed price. The brothers founded Miramar Wholesale Nurseries and later sold it to LandCare USA. Look for Butler’s Mill, which is located at 5180 Naranja St., to expand into the sports turf industry.

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The National Conflict Resolution Center will present a four-day training session Aug. 9-12 at the San Diego Training & Conference Center in the Wells Fargo Plaza building. Led by Barbara Filner, director of the NCRC Training Institute and mediator/trainer Jerry Harris, the classes will address problems at every level of society, business/workplace, family, neighborhood, consumer/merchant and more. The cost is $950; $850 if registered by July 26. More information can be found at ncrconline.com or by calling (619) 238-2400, Ext. 233.

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Kazakhstan, which remains the most Russian of the former Soviet republics in Central Asia, will promote its business opportunities for the West in a conference Sept. 8-9 at the Hotel del Coronado. Rep. Darrell Issa will speak. For more, visit jmkcontact.com.

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If house paint can get the lead out, then why can’t hull paint cut the copper? Driscoll Boat Works says more than two-thirds of the 48,000 pounds of copper discharged annually into San Diego Bay comes from hull paints, which have their high copper content to keep algae and marine growth from fouling a hull. Driscoll’s new solution is a self-polishing paint with half the copper content paired with a special hull maintenance system designed for the new paint.

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Bruticus Maximus, the world’s first surfing wave gadget suitable for both gidgets and gnarly dudes, has opened at the new Wave House in Belmont Park. The hydrodynamic machine shoots 100,000 gallons of water per minute at 30 mph over soft foam to curl a stationary wave tube that provides an endless summer for styling. Some of the best athletes in board sports already have tried it out, including Bill Bryan (going horizontal above). Rock concert light and sound create a show atmosphere and a private beach bar with surfboard tables completes the scene.

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More than 20 tall ships will be part of the Maritime Museum’s annual Festival of Sail Aug. 17-21 along the Embarcadero from the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal to Hawthorn Street. Highlights include the tall ship parade from noon to 2 p.m. Aug. 17 and cannon battle sails on selected days. For details, call (619) 234-9153 or visit sdmaritime.org.

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Stand Down 2005, a weekend event held each summer to provide services to the homeless veteran population and their families, is set for July 15-16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and July 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at San Diego High School football field, 1405 Park Blvd. Along with food, clothing, medical, dental, vision care, showers, haircuts, legal, mental health and job counseling services, this year’s stand down will include free massage and acupuncture treatments from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine.

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Patrick Osio, the wise and patriarchal writer behind the monthly The Connection column, is leading a class at the Learning Annex called “How to Make Big $$$ in Mexico: Looking for Opportunity? You Don’t Need to Go Overseas, Just Go Next Door to Mexico!” The classes will be held July 13, Aug. 11 and Sept. 14. The course number is 817F and online registration is available at learningannex.com.

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Business and private property owners have between July 2 and Nov. 30 to appeal their property tax assessments for 2005-2006. Applications and assistance are available at the Clerk of the Board Office in the County Administration Center, Room 402, 1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego. Taxpayers should know their parcel or tax bill number, property address and must state on the application their opinion of the property’s market value. For more information, visit the county Web site at sdcounty.ca.gov.

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The Paramount, 122 stacked Art Deco townhomes over underground parking on 4 1/2 acres, will break ground this fall in Escondido for a 2007 opening. The condominium project by Barratt American will be located at Escondido Boulevard and Woodland Avenue. Homes with two and three bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths will range from 1,830 to 2,102 square feet. Prices begin in the high $400,000s. Presales have begun. Call (800) 295-0096 or visit barrattamerican.com.

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SDSU’s College of Extended Studies in August will become the first accredited university to offer online a professional certificate in casino gaming. The online program will mirror the classroom curriculum the college has taught since April 2004. It will be interactive with video clips and discussion boards, and will be taught by industry experts in Native American Indian gaming. Five courses plus one elective must be completed to receive a professional certificate. The minimum cost to earn the certificate is $1,500. For more information on the Professional Certificate in Casino Gaming program, call (619) 594-6255 or visit neverstoplearning.net.

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Alzheimer’s Disease affects the rich and poor, all races and genders, presidents and media personalities. One popular and widely syndicated newspaper columnist, Jeanne Phillips, better known as “Dear Abby,” will speak July 18 about her personal experiences with the disease. Her mother, the original “Abby” columnist, Pauline Phillips, has been battling Alzheimer’s for several years. The luncheon and talk, titled “Dear Abby: My Mother Has Alzheimer’s,” will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine.

The sponsor is the Vista Hill Women’s Council on Mental Health in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association’s San Diego chapter. The program’s premier sponsors are Alzheimer’s activists Donald and Darlene Marcos Shiley. Individual seating begins at $45. Reservations are required and tables of 10 and sponsorship opportunities are available. To learn more contact Monica McDade at (858) 492-4400, Ext. 141 or at sanalz.org; or Linda Jones at Vista Hill, (858) 514-5153 or at vistahill.org.

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The annual “Taste of Downtown” has sold out for the past four years so the sponsoring Downtown Partnership is advising people to get tickets early for the Sept. 21 event. They’re $25. This year more than 30 restaurants, cafes and bistros will participate between 5 and 9 p.m. The self-guided walking tour through Downtown districts also will offer free shuttle service to each neighborhood. Proceeds will benefit the Partnership. For tickets or information, call McFarlane Promotions at (619) 233-5008 or visit dtsd.org.