After decades Downtown, Pep Boys has closed its retail and service location at 10th Avenue and Market Street “as part of Pep Boys’ ongoing evaluation of individual real estate properties,” says the company. All the employees moved to other Pep Boys locations, and none of them are planned for closure. Bosa Ventures purchased two thirds of the 60,000-square-foot site, which would be a likely candidate for retail and condo development like nearby blocks. CCDC has received no development proposal from Bosa. “It was negotiated privately,” says CCDC’s Derek Danziger. “We didn’t know Pep Boys was going to close. Nothing has been submitted to us.”
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   Sundt Construction Inc. and Roesling, Nakamura, Terada Architects have been awarded the design-build contract for the new Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista for the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego. The $63.5 million, 12-building, 283,000-square-foot campus will accommodate about 2,000 students. Construction is scheduled to start in July with a projected July 2007 completion date.
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The push is on for a Business Improvement District that would cover about 35,000 hotel rooms in the city of San Diego, adding a 2 percent tax to generate about $24 million annually for tourism marketing, freeing up more than $8 million of city hotel taxes for other uses. Hurdles are plenty, but if it makes a ballot, owners who control more than 50 percent of the rooms would have to vote “no” to defeat the measure. A non-vote counts as a “yes.” San Diego’s most prominent hotelier, Doug Manchester, is skeptical. “It is premature to opine on this subject as we do not know what the proposal actually is,” he says in an e-mail. “We keep on wanting in this city to look at the revenue side and refuse to look at the expense side. The expenses incurred for the city are absurd and need to be reduced. There is no real reason why ConVis cannot have its original funding restored if we have proper city leadership. This would alleviate any need for added hotel taxes which have been proven to reduce occupancy. LIA (Lodging Industry Association), of which I am a founding member, should work to get a responsible mayor elected to restore our financial house rather than proposing hotel burdens.” LIA’s executive director, Mike McDowell, is likely to head such a BID.
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Going beyond simply providing a bus ride, Riverside Transit Agency Route 202 between Oceanside and Murrieta now offers free Cingular Wireless Wi-Fi Internet access and six 7-inch flat-screen satellite television monitors to riders on reclining cushioned seats. A federal capital grant to the RTA paid for the $47,000 upgrade. The fare is $2.25. Total monthly boardings on the Monday through Friday runs were about 450, when the fare was $4 in 2003. Boardings now total 1,200. The 37-mile route to the Oceanside Transit Center has a San Diego County stop at the park and ride lot at Highway 76 and Interstate 15.
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 More than 15 local artists will have one-of-a-kind pieces for sale from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 18 at Mixture (2210 Kettner Blvd.), A portion of the proceeds from the event, sponsored by Nissan, will purchase art supplies for The Storefront, the homeless youth shelter of San Diego Youth & Community Services. Admission is free. Call (619) 239-4788 or visit mixturedesigns.com.
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When attorney and longtime civic player Patrick Shea decided to enter the mayor’s race, his advisers joked he should be prepared initially to be known as Mr. Diann Shippione. She’s his wife and the one who blew the whistle on City Hall’s pension scandal. One political consultant not connected with the Shea campaign says Shippione brings another benefit, especially if she is used on campaign materials. “She is hot,” says he.
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The annual Taste of Gaslamp, a two-day restaurant walking tour set for June 18, will feature 20 or more restaurants and a Samuel Adams beer garden. The cost to attend the event is $25 for one day, $40 for both. It runs from 1-4:30 p.m. each day. More information is at gaslamp.org.
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 Construction starts in December on UCSD’s East Campus graduate student housing project, designed by Studio E Architects and MVE Institutional, with Sundt Construction as design-build contractor. The $66 million project will have four four-story buildings, including offices, meeting rooms, lounges and retail space, and a six-story garage with additional surface parking for a total of 800 cars. The phased project will finish in May 2007.
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Top money managers will be at the national Financial Planning Association’s annual conference and exhibition Sept. 15-18 at the San Diego Convention Center. Stephen Covey, co-founder and vice chairman of Franklin Covey Co., will speak Friday on “The Eighth Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness.” On Saturday, Peter Ricchiuti, finance professor at Tulane University and founder of the Burkenroad Reports investment research program, will present “Market Outlook: What’s Ahead for Financial Planners?” Jim Stovall, who became an Olympic champion in weightlifting after losing his eyesight, will pump up a presentation titled “Yes You Can!” on Sunday. A description of the entire program and registration for the event is available online at fpaannualconvention.org.
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When Paul Jacobs makes his first appearance as a headliner at the San Diego Telecom Council on June 16, it will be to share his perspectives about the convergence of high-speed computing and mobile services. What happens when you have the power of a PC in your hand with a hard drive that can support multi-megabytes of storage? On July 1, Paul Jacobs takes over the CEO slot at Qualcomm from his father, Irwin Jacobs. Paul Jacobs, an engineer, built Qualcomm’s former phone business from zero to $1.5 billion, has secured more than 30 patents in the wireless arena and conceived and developed both the BREW platform that allows for the downloading and paying of applications and MediaFLO, which will essentially create a lineup of television programs for wireless devices. More information is at sdtelecom.org.
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 Construction starts in August and the first stores will open next spring at the 53-acre 4S Commons Town Center west of Rancho Bernardo off Camino del Norte. Leasing space are Ralphs Marketplace, Savon Drugs, Cost Plus World Market, Bed Bath & Beyond, Griffin Ace Hardware, Metropolis Furniture, Chili’s Bar and Grill, Wendy’s Hamburgers, Bank of America, Washington Mutual and Wells Fargo Bank. The center also will have office space, library, apartment community and town green. Newland Communities is master developer of the 2,900-acre 4S Ranch.
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An environmental impact report on the proposed Carlsbad desalination plant identifies no significant unavoidable impacts on noise, traffic, growth, air and water quality, land use, public utilities and natural resources. The city of Carlsbad released the EIR for public comment. A copy of the EIR and a video of the project are posted on the Web site of Poseidon Resources Corp. (carlsbad-desal.com). The report, prepared by Dudek & Associates Inc., also is available as part of a presentation that Poseidon can schedule for community groups. For information, call (619) 595-7802.
Poseidon has been working with the city of Carlsbad since 1998 on a public-private partnership to construct a 50 million gallon-per-day plant at the site of the Encina Power Station. The plant is scheduled to be completed by 2008 and will produce enough drinking water to serve 300,000 residents annually.
Poseidon and the city reached a water purchase agreement in 2004 that would provide the city with its entire daily requirement for water, up to 25 MGD. The agreement says Carlsbad’s cost for the water will never exceed what it would otherwise pay to purchase imported water. Poseidon also is talking with the San Diego County Water Authority and local water agencies about purchasing the remaining 25 MGD capacity from the plant.
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 A home designed by Ekaterina Kohlwes, a master’s student at NewSchool of Architecture & Design Downtown, for the national C2C competition, has started construction in Roanoke, Va. The design features rammed earth walls whose thermal mass can store heat, on-site water collection and storage, natural daylight and ventilation, cool roof, solar panels and storm water bioswale for treating auto pollution. Kohlwes works with Platt/Whitelaw Architects. Construction by builder Fralin and Waldron will conclude in October.
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Swinerton Builders’ San Diego division has been awarded $61 million in separate construction contracts to expand the Hotel Del Coronado and to build office buildings in Kearny Mesa and Sorrento Valley. The $30 million hotel expansion includes construction of 10 North Beach Villa condominiums, a new fitness center, renovation of the spa and site improvements for KSL Development and CNL Hospitality Corp., owners of the hotel. The company was given an $18 million contract to build a 12-story steel office tower on the Sunroad Centrum site in Kearny Mesa, the fifth building that it has constructed for Sunroad Enterprises. Swinerton was awarded a $13 million contract by Diversified Properties and RREEF America to construct a six-story, 141,000-square-foot office building in the Pacific Corporate Center in Sorrento Valley.
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Mayor Murphy has appointed Donald H. Harrison, author of “Louis Rose: San Diego’s First Jewish Settler and Entrepreneur,” as a member of the city’s Historical Resources Board. The Sunbelt Publications author was nominated by Councilman Jim Madaffer. He was confirmed unanimously by the City Council on May 16, which still can agree unanimously on occasion.
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 Laguna Point, a collection of 21 condominium townhomes by Buena Vista Lagoon off State Street and Laguna Drive in Carlsbad, opens for sale this month. The three-story project, designed by McGee/Behun Architects and developed by WaveCrest Resorts II LLC, has parking and recreation areas on the first floor with two- to three-bath and bedroom homes, sized from 1,600 to 2,095 square feet, above. Prices start in the mid-$800,000s. For more, call (760) 720-7828.
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The Oceanside mayor and members of the City Council will preside June 10 over the grand opening of North County’s newest golf challenge, Arrowood Golf Course. Among those participating in the 9:30 a.m. ribbon cutting are Nicholas Arthur of Landbourn Co., Robert Henninger of Richland Ventures Inc., Ted Robinson Jr. of Ted Robinson Design and Domenic Labate of JC Resort, which will run the course. It is the first 18-hole championship golf course to open to the public in San Diego County in four years.
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Dr. R. Merrel Olesen of La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre and his wife, Marie Olesen, a plastic surgery consultant, have released “Cosmetic Surgery For Dummies.” The $21.95 book explores how to shop for cosmetic surgery.
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LSW Engineers earned the U.S. Navy Merit Award for Engineering Design for the 4.5 megawatt cogeneration plant at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Balboa Park. LSW was the prime engineering consultant under SDG&E for the $14 million project completed in November 2003.
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Cal State San Marcos will host a closed-circuit broadcast of the June 15 Luminary Series conference in Atlanta that again features Stephen Covey along with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former GE chief Jack Welch. The program, titled “Principles of Leadership: From Effectiveness to Greatness,” will be presented live to closed-circuit audiences throughout the United States and in 30 other countries. The program is produced by LumaCore, a corporate training and development company based in Lexington, Ky. For information on registration, call Leland Conway at (859) 252-5862 or visit luminaryseries.com.
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 The San Diego chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International’s annual gala raised a record $1.3 million. The party at the Manchester Grand Hyatt recognized Daren and Colleen Barone (above right), whose daughter Kendall has type 1 diabetes, Ure and Dianne Kretowicz and Jennifer Moores. JDRF’s major donors include Robert and Laura Kyle (above left) and Roberta and Malin Burnham.
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 Tisha McMurry
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Tisha McMurry, a broker with Pacific Pinnacle Real Estate Services, has moved into the firm’s new office in the Park Laurel condominiums at Fifth Avenue and Laurel Street. George Gilman, managing broker, says the combination of the new office and McMurry will boost the firm’s services to the expanding market in the Balboa Park, Bankers Hill and Downtown residential resale arenas.
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San Diego Art Institute: Museum of the Living Artist will present its C-Note Night on June 17, giving art collectors and others the opportunity to purchase original works at less expensive prices. The artwork is donated by members of the institute and is sold “right off the wall” for $100, $200 or $300. The fund-raising event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the institute, located in the House of Charm on the Prado in Balboa Park. There is no admission charge. A preview will be held June 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The artwork will be displayed at the institute through June 26. For information, call (619) 236-0011.
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 The Pete Wilson-headlined celebration of CCDC’s 30th anniversary at Horton Square in front of Horton Plaza drew 600, double expectations. It was Wilson as mayor who established CCDC. The hardest part, he recalled, was convincing the City Council to turn the redevelopment business over to professionals. ‘My delusions have been exceeded by the realty,’ Wilson said after reading a list of CCDC accomplishments and the 108 projects pending. Joining Wilson on the stage were Mayor Murphy, who has worked Downtown for the last 30 years, starting at Luce Forward, and Hal Sadler, CCDC’s chair. The audience was a who’s-who of past, present and future urban leaders. Some, but not all, in the group were Paul Robinson, Trudy Stambook, Tom Tourtellotte, Bruce Walton, Mike Stepner, Gil Johnson, Jennifer LeSar, Julie Dillon, Wayne Raffesberger, Robert McNeely, Donna Alm, Pete Wilson, Paul Desroshers, Jason Wood, Erik Judson, Charles Black, Toni Atkins, Jim Madaffer, Brian Maienschein, John Baumgardner, Mike Madigan, John Fowler, Jim Spotts, Dean Dunphy, Judge John Rhoades, Sandor Shapery, Ingrid Croce, Gene Cubbison, Jim Ellis, Tom Fat, Danah Fayman, Gail Goldberg, Ernie Hahn III, Gary London, Jerry Trimble, Pam Hamilton, Lynne Heidel, Robert Ito, Pete Davis, Ulvaldo Martinez, George Stevens, Mike McDade, Alan Nevin and Maureen Stapleton. CCDC used the May 25 occasion to honor its five most senior employees, who have a combined 119 years of service: Dave Allsbrook, 27 years, Frank Alessi, 25, Pam Hamilton, 23, Jodi Haley, 20, and Beverly Schroeder, 24.
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