Downtown office development gets a shot in the arm if a redevelopment deal is signed by January 2007 for the Navy Broadway Complex, as required by the BRAC decision pending President Bush’s signature. The redevelopment authority approved by Congress calls for up to 1.65 million square feet of office space in the 3.2 million-square- foot project. The Navy gets a new building but is unlikely to need more than 400,000 square feet, leaving the rest for the private sector. The eight blocks will come to market as Downtown’s residential population is soaring, creating an urgency for more employment. Redoing the deeply permitted master plan for tons of residential, while potentially more profitable in today’s market, would create uncertainty and add five years to the process.

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With six to 10 interviews scheduled, expect CCDC’s board to name a replacement late this month for Peter Hall, its retiring president.

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JMI and Lennar roll the development dice Sept. 20 by taking their $1.4 billion, 3 million-square-foot Ballpark Village project to the six- member City Council. Councilwoman Donna Frye already opposes the project over concerns its twin 500-foot condo towers are too close to a marine shipping terminal. With five votes needed for approval, a second “no” vote kills the project.

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Shea Homes’ Sedona at Rolling Hills Ranch in Chula Vista is offering $7,000 move-in incentives buyers can use to add designer upgrades to their new three-story townhomes. Models average about 1,500 square feet with two or three bedrooms. Prices start in the low $400,000s with no Mello-Roos taxes. For more, call (619) 397-4245 or visit sedonasheahomes.com.

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Has Science Applications International Corp. diversified into foreign auto manufacturing? A lengthy New York Times article last month on the success G.M. is having with a small van in China noted that S.A.I.C. owns 50.1 percent of the Liuzhou joint venture that produces the vehicle. But the initials stand for Shanghai Auto Industry Corp., not San Diego’s home-grown defense stalwart.

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Mark Fabiani, hired by the Chargers to sell the city on a new stadium, will present that proposal at a Sept. 13 Urban Land Institute program. Fabiani is special counsel to Chargers President Dean Spanos. Construction of a new stadium and the redevelopment of the 166-acre Qualcomm Stadium site are the major features of the Chargers’ proposal. The meeting will be from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at The University Club, 750 B St. Downtown. Preregistered cost is $35 for ULI members, $45 for nonmembers and $25 for students; add $10 at the door. To register, call (800) 321-5011.

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Intergulf has applied for a Centre City Development Permit to construct a five- and 31-story (307 feet) mixed-use project with 360 residential units and 2,654 square feet of commercial space on a 55,000-square-foot lot on the block bounded by 16th, 17th and C streets and Broadway in East Village.

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Crystal Pyramid Productions doubled down its video production services when company co-founder Patty Mooney (left) got actress Jennifer Tilly and Pechanga Casino p.r. manager Ciara Coyle at the casino for James Woods’ ‘Poker Royale’ on the Game Show Network. Crystal Pyramid shot other productions this summer for AMC, Discovery Channel Canada, Procter & Gamble and the California Nurses Association.

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A nine-story, 164-unit, market-rate condominium development on the northeast corner of Pacific Highway and Ash Street has won design approval from CCDC. The project, a joint venture between Lennar Corp. and Intergulf Development, will include 7,000 square feet of retail space and 283 parking spaces. It is located across the street from the County Administration Building’s parking lots. It is one of nine residential projects planned or under way in Little Italy. Another is Kettner and Laurel, a project proposed by Brett Farrow that would include 10 two- to three-story commercial condominiums at the southeast corner of Kettner Boulevard and Laurel Street.

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Turner Construction has signed on as general contractor for Doug Manchester’s $240 million Grand Del Mar project that includes a 40-unit fractional ownership villa adjacent to a 260- room luxury hotel. “Turner Construction is a general contractor with tremendous hotel experience and a reputation for quality and schedule to match,” says Perry Dealy, executive v.p. of the Manchester Financial Group Inc., the overall corporate umbrella that oversees Manchester Grand Resorts, as well as all Manchester developments and business. Altevers Associates Architecture and Planning will lead the design team. Warren Sheets Design, which has worked for Manchester for 15 years, will handle the interiors at the resort. For more information, visit thegranddelmar.com.

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Western Pacific has applied for permits to build an eight-story (95 feet) mixed-use project with 244 residential units and 23,521 square feet of commercial space on the full block bounded by 15th, 16th and J streets and Island Avenue in the East Village.

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The Mark, the 32-story mixed-use project rising on Market Street Downtown, has made the scene with a mural by East Village artist Rafael Lopez wrapping around the project’s construction fence. Between Eighth and Ninth avenues, a couple of blocks from Petco Park, The Mark will have 244 luxury condos when the 380-foot, $155 million Douglas Wilson Cos. project opens in early 2007.

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KB Home has achieved National Housing Quality certification for both its San Diego and Riverside divisions, which make up KB Home Coastal Inc. The company is one of only eight builders in the nation to earn certification as part of the NAHB Research Center’s NHQ Certified Builder Program. “We not only build houses, we build the homes where families spend their lives and raise their children,” says San Diego Division President Martin Lighterink. “KB Home constantly looks to raise the bar on quality and customer satisfaction. The NAHB Research Center has used its unique resources and knowledge to create this pioneering program for the benefit of the home building industry.”

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Ed Zander, the chair and CEO of Motorola, is the keynote speaker for a Sept. 22 breakfast at the Manchester Grand Hyatt sponsored by the Venture Group and Telecom Council. Zander will be interviewed by Scott Horsley, an NPR business correspondent. The breakfast is free for Venture Group members who register at sdvg.org by Sept. 16. Otherwise it is $45 in advance, $55 at the door.

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Nextel Wireless is seeking permission to install 12 architecturally integrated panel antennas and an equipment shelter at 750 State St. Downtown.

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Construction by Swinerton Builders has begun on the $11 million build-to-suit office and light manufacturing building designed by Ware Malcomb of Irvine to be dj Orthopedics’ corporate headquarters in the Vista Oaks Business Park. The PRES Cos. of Newport Beach is developing the 110,000-square-foot, two-story structure to open by the second quarter of 2006.

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When Harold Eales founded San Diego Burglar Alarm Co. in 1930, he used old automobile brake drums to fashion rudimentary bell alarms. Today his son, Rod Eales, as president of the renamed SDA Security Systems Inc., installs and services access, video surveillance and other security systems for corporations, small businesses and homes throughout the county. The only brake drums he has are on his car. The company is marking its 75th year in business with celebrations for employees and customers and will host a commemorative event Sept. 29 at the Prado in Balboa Park.

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Tijuana-born models are in demand in Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines, says an Aug. 19 article in the newspaper Frontera. “Asian agencies are attracted and very captivated by the prototype of Tijuana beauty,” talent agent Rene Tamayo tells the paper. Men are more in demand, Tamayo says, earning up to $150 for every two minutes of work.

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Recently named the No. 1 real estate law firm in California by Chambers and Partners, Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Mallory is moving up in San Diego, from the ninth floor to the 15th floor at Downtown’s Koll Center.

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San Diego Harbor Excursions christens this month the California Spirit, a 160-foot dinner cruise and charter megayacht. The vessel can seat 500 in its two dining rooms, with service from a 900-square-foot galley and 500-square-foot storeroom. More appointments include double deck bars, dance floor, multimedia system and big-screen plasma televisions. Full passenger capacity is 600 with a crew of 100.

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Applying for CCDC permits to build 82 residential units, 7,000 square feet of retail and 22,000 square feet of office in a 32-story tower at Columbia and Ash streets is 445 West Ash LLC.

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Ira Fefferman is asking for permits to build Dynasty Lofts, a five-story, 20-unit housing project with 2,900 square feet of commercial space on the southwest corner of Third and Island avenues.

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Chabad, a Downtown Jewish outreach center, is preparing to hold its first Jewish High Holiday Services. Yom Kippur services are at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 12 and 10 a.m. on Oct. 13. Guests do not have to read Hebrew or be a member to attend. The services are held at the Horton Grand Hotel, 311 Island Ave.

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Standard Pacific Homes has begun framing on the Ranch House, the 3,000-square-foot welcome center to what will be Del Sur, Black Mountain Ranch LLC’s 1,800-acre master-planned community adjacent to Santaluz off Interstate 15 and Highway 56. Pre-sales begin in the fall with a grand opening in February. For more, visit delsurliving.com.

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After more than 90 years of operation, the San Diego Employers Association holds its first legislator reception 4-6:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at its office, 12255 Parkway Centre Drive in Poway. All state legislators have been invited. “We’re into the realm of tracking bills now,” says SDEA Foundation President Robert Bruni. “Most of it is state legislation.” The event is free to members and nonmembers; call (858) 679-7332 or e-mail rbruni@sdea.com by Sept. 15.

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Financing options for export sales will be the focus of a Sept. 15 morning seminar offered by Southwestern College at Point Loma Nazarene University’s Mission Valley campus, 4007 Camino del Rio S. Sponsors include the San Diego World Trade Center and Comerica Bank with presenters from the SBA, Department of Commerce and Export-Import Bank of the United States. Cost to attend is $45. For more, call (619) 482-6391 or visit sbditc.org.

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Sharp HealthCare is preparing San Diego’s largest Hispanic women’s health conference from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 24. The event, with speaker presentations, exhibits and lunch, is open to the public at the Convention Center. Tickets are $35. For more, call (800) 827-4277 or visit sharpenespanol.com.

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Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, Audrey Geisel’s daughter and Dr. Seuss’ stepdaughter, has cast a bust of Old Globe founding director Craig Noel, whose 90th birthday party unveiled the sculpture for the theater lobby. Noel has been with the Globe since it began in 1937. (Another Dimond-Cates’ sculpture, of Dr. Seuss and the Cat in the Hat, is at the Geisel Library at UCSD) The Old Globe’s annual fund-raising gala Sept. 17 is co-chaired by, from left, Harvey White, Harry Cooper, Todd Figi, Tony Thornley, Conrad Prebys and Donald Cohn. It includes a preview of the musical ‘Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life.’ For tickets, call (619) 231-1941. (Photo/Sandy Huffaker)

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The San Diego Regional Energy Office, SDG&E and Kyocera have turned on the pilot light for the first San Diego Solar Energy Week Sept. 25 to Oct. 1. Free highlights will include a solar homes tour, commercial solar tour, solar energy conference and family solar energy day at the Fleet Science Center. For details, visit solarweek.sdenergy.org.

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When finished in summer 2007, the aquatics complex at the 33-acre Alga Norte Community Park in Carlsbad will be the largest of its type in the county and one of the largest in California. The complex will span five acres and include an Olympic-size competition pool and a 12-lane instructional pool. Separate play pools are planned for toddlers/pre-schoolers and pre-teen/teenagers. Aquatic Design Group of Carlsbad is handling design and engineering. Wimmer Yamada and Caughey is supervising the design of the entire park, scheduled to open at the same time as the aquatic complex. Architectural firm Hannah Gabriel Wells of San Diego also is involved in the development.

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World traveling author Frank Nelson returns Oct. 2 to talk about his unusual lifestyle and read from his two lighthearted travel books. When the kids left home nearly 10 years ago, so did Nelson and his wife, Maria. These middle-aged world travelers have been living and working in different countries and visiting many others along the way. Nelson’s 2 p.m. appearance at Borders in Mission Valley will feel like home: the couple lived here for two years. Originally from England, both immigrated to New Zealand in 1979. They have lived and worked in Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia, all over England, and in Boulder, Colo., Seattle and currently Santa Barbara. Nelson’s books are “All You Need is Luck” and “A Little More Luck.” These days Nelson is a business writer for the Santa Barbara News-Press while Maria, a registered nurse, is a hospice case manager.

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Sundt Construction has completed the $14 million Solana Beach Corporate Center, a two-building office complex at 420 Stevens Ave. Designed by Carrier Johnson, the three-story, steel-framed project included a 275-space, below-ground garage along with 439 spaces of surface parking.

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The Downtown Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will present a four-screen video installation in linguistics by UCSD visual arts professor Barbara Kruger Sept. 29 through Dec. 11. Admission is free.

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The Balboa Theatre Foundation has contributed $249,889 for the installation of a historic Wonder Morton Organ similar to the one that was originally installed in the theater shortly after it opened in 1924. The theater is expected to open in the summer 2007 as a 1,300-seat live-performance venue.

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NextG Wireless is seeking city permission to install wireless communications antennas on streetlights or traffic signals at three locations in the Marina District and five in East Village.

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Stingaree has applied for a Gaslamp Quarter conditional use permit to open a full-service restaurant with outdoor dining, event center and lounge at 454 Sixth Ave.

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Amy Caldwell, co-owner and head instructor of Yoga One at 1150 Seventh Ave. Downtown, is featured on the cover of Yoga Journal’s 30th anniversary issue.

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GEICO, the nation’s fourth largest auto insurer, was named to the select Ward’s 50 Benchmark Group. “We are very pleased and proud to have earned this distinction for the 15th year in a row,” says Nancy Pierce, regional v.p. of the San Diego regional office that oversees operations in California, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

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ArtPower! at UCSD and UCSD Extension’s Revelle Forum will present Salman Rushdie on Sept. 20 at 8 p.m. in Mandeville Auditorium. The author’s visit coincides with the release of his new novel, “Shalimar the Clown.” Tickets are $35. To order, visit artpower.ucsd.edu.

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North County writer Kirby Wright’s first novel, “Punahou Blues: a Hawaiian Novel,” a coming of age adventure set in multicultural Honolulu during the ’60s and ’70s, has been released by Lemon Shark Press in Vista. Wright studied at USCD and under the tutelage of Frances Mayes (“Under The Tuscan Sun”) at San Francisco State University. For ordering information, visit lemonsharkpress.com.

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The final relief upon climbing three floors of stairs to the men’s room stalls at the Old Town Market, off San Diego Avenue and Twiggs Street, is a loo with a view — a priceless, unobstructed vista toward Mission Bay. Just picturing the price of a hotel room offering the same view is enough to make the payoff that much more satisfying.

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With several hundred people on its interest list, Barratt American’s Urban Division has opened presales on its three-story Aragon project in downtown La Mesa. The $24 million condominium revitalization project will sit above underground parking on 1.5 acres at El Cajon Boulevard and Maple Street. It will include six live-work units with retail space on the ground floor, as well as 52 condominium residences. Prices start in the mid-$400,000s. Sales are being conducted out of the Metrome showroom in Downtown San Diego at 660 Sixth Ave. For more information phone (619) 237-7626 or visit aragonliving.com.

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The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center is the first cultural institution to participate in IBM’s World Community Grid, which collects the unused computer power of the world and directs it to efforts that help society. In nine months, the grid has donated nearly 15,000 years of computer run time to scientific research through more than 130,000 of the world’s computers. “We’ve been involved with the museum through our KidSmart and TryScience programs and are very excited to welcome the Fleet Science Center as a partner,” says William Ray, IBM’s senior executive in San Diego. “The Fleet Science Center has the unique ability to reach educators, students and families and teach them how a small contribution can help make a huge difference.”

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Parking is a profitable business for CCDC, which in the last several years has opened two parking garages Downtown to serve Gaslamp and East Village patrons. In operation since 2001, the 500-space Park it on Market produced gross revenue of $162,962 in July yielding a profit after debt service of $82,752. The 1,000-space Sixth & K Parkade, open since August 2004, grossed $211,000 for the month, $19,168 more than debt service. Ground floor conference meeting rooms and an art gallery should open this month. Located across the street from Petco Park, its $10 deal remains the best parking value for baseball games. But get there at least 45 minutes early, word is out.

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Speaking of Sixth & K, the parking garage will host video art during inSite 05, the three-month, 24-project binational art event that runs through Nov. 13. The internationally acclaimed film maker from Amsterdam, Aernout Mik, will display a new video at the garage, as will Swedish artist Mans Wrange. For more information, visit insite05.org.