Some developers land in a city, throw a few buildings on the landscape and move on to their next conquest. Not Edward Kaen.

Although he grew up in the Big Apple, Kaen, 29, decided to stay in San Diego after graduating from USD. Earlier this year, he opened The Keating, a Downtown luxury boutique hotel, as the flagship property for The Keating Hotel Group. He also owns prime land in the East Village, where he plans a 40-story tower.

“I have been all over the world and yet I live in San Diego and I want to see it continue to thrive and grow,” he says. “I believe San Diego is on the cusp of becoming a world-class metro destination.”

But Kaen’s vision isn’t focused just on Downtown. He is completing construction on a mixed-use project in the Escondido business district and is designing another mixed-use destination with 100 homes near the proposed Jamul casino.

“The unique blend of the older suburban rustic charm and the bold new urban architecture and services will make (Escondido) even more prosperous,” he says. As for Jamul: “(It) is a gem with everything suburbanites want … at relatively affordable prices and all less than 20 minutes from Downtown.”