After delays caused by property line issues, the first condo move ins are expected mid month for Smart Corner, the angular mixed-use tower at Park Boulevard and C Street that has a trolley running through it. To reward patient buyers, the Downtown project’s developers threw a party last month to showcase the 19-story building’s rooftop deck. Open to all residents, the deck features spectacular sweeping views and a kitchen area, barbecue and spa, which was taken over that evening by the band Dirty Sweet.
Among the project’s partners in attendance were Jerry Trammer of J&T Consulting, Sherm Harmer of Urban Housing Partners and Doug Austin of both Avion Investment and the building’s architect. Developer Rob Lankford was represented by his daughter, Stacey Lankford Pennington, who had urged her father to bid on the challenging project, which has a five-story, 115,500-square-foot office attached. “I couldn’t believe it when they told us we were the only bidder,” she says, laughing.
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Technology is a conundrum for Steve Rodgers, the new president and CEO of Prudential California Realty who stopped by our offices for a chat. Using a Blackberry has cut the number of his daily phone calls from between 50 and 100 to 25, a phenomenon his agents also are experiencing. But as the market slows, he’s encouraging agents to use some old methods. “Get back out there. Get in front of their faces. See smiles and see tears,” he says. Leading by example with weekly telephone calls and more face to face meetings, he’s also planning a streaming podcast to keep his nearly 4,000 agents abreast of his understanding of the changing market. Technology is a tool, he says, but can’t provide answers in today’s changing market. “People are bombarded with information,” he says. “What they want is wisdom and guidance.” So what about the market? “The house in the next two to three years will not be the ATM it was,” he says. Yet historically California has been a good real estate investment, and he expects that to continue, especially for homes within 15 minutes of the coast. For the next 18 months, prices will be tricky, and fall in many places. Most sales will be related to events such as relocations, divorces or dream homes. “It is not the move-across-the-street market,” Rodgers says. He expects staff attrition with the strong agents getting stronger, and to grow his commercial real estate segment which now represents about 5 percent of business.
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The median price of a resale condo Downtown was $570,000 in the first 21 days of August, up $11,000 from July but down 5.02 percent ($30,000) from $600,000 in August 2006, reports Realtor Lew Breeze of sdcondo.com. The number of condos pending sale during the past 30 days was 34, compared to 39 from the same period last year. The number of condos closing sale during the 30 days prior to Aug. 21 was 36, compared to 27 from this same period last year.
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The City Council meeting won’t start until 10 a.m., but Sept. 18 is still the date the council will declare “Fred Lewis Day” in San Diego to honor the legendary broadcaster whose “Heart of San Diego” interview series with movers and shakers has been embraced by academics and the San Diego Historical Society.
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 Walt and Mary Smyk
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A modest memorial plaque is planned by friends at the Meridian condominiums so San Diegans can honor Walt Smyk, the pioneer of modern high-rise living in Downtown San Diego, who died at his home in New Hampshire at age 78. He is survived by wife Mary.
Smyk opened the Meridian at 700 Front St. in 1985, an accomplishment that Centre City Development Corp. didn’t think could be done when Smyk and partner Jim Hill proposed the project a few years earlier. While it took another 12 years for the project to sell out, the Meridian is still cited as a higher quality development than any of the many condo towers that eventually followed in the 1990s and 2000s.
Smyk also was a key figure in helping to secure Kyocera’s presence in San Diego, an effort that has provided thousands of local jobs over the past 30 years, and was the founding chairman of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp.
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The drums were beating and the protesters, some from Los Angeles, chanted at the tops of their lungs: “Tear down the statue! Tear down the hate! Tear down the statue! Tear down the hate!”
Short of violence, they made their point in the most obnoxious ways, alleging Pete Wilson hates Latinos because he championed Proposition 187 in 1994. They all but ruined what was supposed to be a charming unveiling of a statue of Wilson, a tribute to the former mayor, U.S. senator and governor whose leadership in redeveloping Downtown San Diego in the 1970s and early ’80s ignited its modern success. A few hundred friends came to bask, remember and say “thank you” to the finest mayor they had known.
They didn’t expect posters of Wilson costumed as Hitler bouncing above a crowd of protesters, marring the front of Horton Plaza near the Lyceum Theatre. Across Broadway Circle on the plaza of the NBC Building, the larger fenced-in group of Wilson’s supporters sat in the heat and the din, barely able to hear the formal ceremony from the dais because of the protesters’ screaming.
“Boo! Boo!”
Roger Hedgecock, who succeeded Wilson as mayor, emceed. Pointing to Horton Plaza and the San Diego Convention Center as evidence, he called Wilson San Diego’s best mayor ever.”
“Shame! Shame!”
Which was gracious of Hedgecock, since Hedgecock had more to do with the convention center’s ultimate success. He acknowledged the irony of the immigration protesters, observing that Wilson had brought more Latinos into city administration than his predecessors. Art Madrid was in the crowd of well-wishers.
Jack Anthony and the Rotary Club 33 Singers — Kimberley Layton, Larry Showley, Suzy Spafford, Debbie Day, George Harris, Julie Golden and Ross Pyle — sang the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
“Tear down the statue!”
“And the rocket’s red glare...”
“Tear down the hate!”
“...the bombs bursting in air...”
The drumbeats and protests grew louder. Bob White scowled. The crowds were angry, edgy in both directions. Security was tight, with police undercover and in uniform but riot gear invisible. Grim-faced Steve Williams, about to take the podium, was annoyed; for a decade he’d imagined the unveiling of a statue of Pete Wilson, part of his and Doug Foxworthy’s “Walk of Fame” that started with Alonzo Horton and Ernie Hahn’s statues nearby. And this moment was being ruined.
“Thank you for being down from L.A. or wherever you’re from,” Hedgecock chided the protesters.
“Listen to the music of freedom,” Herb Klein tried to yell into the good guys’ microphone, standing at the very place the Union-Tribune abandoned for Mission Valley in 1972, where Morley Golden demolished the old U-T Building and built the Central Federal Tower, now the NBC Building, the first project in the Horton Plaza district. “It’s time to return to civility,” said Klein, to no avail with the protesters.
“Isn’t this a great country?” yelled Pete Wilson, throat sounding strong. “Anyone can stand up and make a horse’s ass of himself anytime.”
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Mark Fabiani, special counsel to the Chargers, presents a status report on the team’s pursuit of a new stadium at a Sept. 18 meeting of the Association for Corporate Growth. It will be held from 7 to 9 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in Mission Valley. With the season underway, reports due in on Oceanside and Chula Vista locations and private interests still advancing options in the city of San Diego, a lively Q&A is likely. The event is free to sponsors and members. Others are $50. To reserve a space, visit acteva.com/go/acgsd.
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Barbara Hosaka, COO of Neighborhood National Bank, now has the additional title of bank president. She replaces bank founder Robert McGill, who continues as chair and CEO. Hosaka has more than 30 years of banking experience. She began her career at Neighborhood National Bank in 2001 as executive v.p. and CFO. Previously she was executive v.p. at Peninsula Bank of San Diego.
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Two decades since deciding he’d had enough after a single four-year term as a 21-year-old member of the Del Mar City Council, Scott Barnett is preparing to run for the San Diego Unified School District board. A serious candidate, he’s even shaved his beard. Barnett is seeking the seat now held by Mitz Lee, who is running now for the District 5 seat on the San Diego City Council being vacated by termed-out Councilman Brian Maienschein.
Having served as president and CEO of the Lincoln Club, as head of the San Diego Taxpayers Association and as a mayoral race campaign manager, Barnett is wiser than most to the peculiarities of politics. He promises to soon release ideas and plans at BarnettForSchoolBoard.org. “I am excited at the prospect of making real positive change for our kids on the school board,” says the single father who is helping raise two daughters. “But it is amazing that one has to go through a year plus process just to be given the opportunity to do so.”
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Does the green construction movement have an element of hype? Doug Barnhart chuckles at the question, but his answer is mostly no. “In five years, everything will be built green,” says the president of Douglas E. Barnhart Inc. “We are getting all of our project managers LEED Certified.” Being green in some cases is old, Barnhart notes, such as when an old road is ground up and used for the base of a new road. “What you are trying to do today is be green everywhere you can, even with the paper you do your proposals on,” he says. Green also means doing a better job on how a building is oriented for energy efficiency. “There may be parts (to the green trend) that have some fluff, but there is substance there,” says Barnhart. “A lot of it is just being smart. To do that, you have to be there early and it has to be designed into the job. You just can’t have a project started and then decide to make it green.”
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Cymer, San Diego’s world leading supplier of excimer light sources used to create cutting-edge semiconductors, is doing its part to clean up the digital waste stream that expands as our electronic devices die or become obsolete. The third semi-annual Cymer e-Cycle is set for Sept. 29, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Del Mar Fairground’s main parking lot. Drop off your old or broken equipment and receive a bottle of water and T-shirt in exchange. If you are a business looking to dispose of a quantity of old tech stuff, contact the Technology Training Foundation of America at computers2learnby.org. Jeanette Roache’s nonprofit recycles what it can for classroom usage and earns revenue by recycling the rest.
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Marine Room chefs Bernard Guillas and Ron Oliver host 10 of La Jolla’s finest cooks for a $95 per person, family-style (no intimate tables for two) dinner on Oct. 10. Rounding out the culinary all-star list are Michele Coulon (Michele Coulon Dessertier), Evan Cruz (Roy’s La Jolla), Tony DiSalvo (Jack’s La Jolla), Trey Foshee (George’s California Modern), Jesse Frost (Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa), Jeff Jackson (The Lodge at Torrey Pines), Ryan Johnston (Fresh), Jason Knibb (Nine-Ten), Damaso Lee (Trattoria Acqua) and Stephen Window (Roppongi). The menu is at marineroom.com.
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Custom furniture will be on display, and for sale, during the sixth annual Home & Furniture Expo set for Oct. 4-7 on the grounds of Baja’s landmark Rosarito Beach Hotel. “In Rosarito, furniture making is an art,” says Juan Bosco, president of Rosarito’s home furnishing association. The expo, which has attracted thousand of visitors in past years, will feature fine hand-made furniture, wrought iron, flooring and accessories. Details are at afamaro.com.
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Sweeping through the old Wonder Bread bakery behind Petco’s Tailgate Park, Graham Downes pushes open a door, exposing yet another airy space with brick walls and a 20-plus-foot ceiling. “This room should be open too,” he tells a colleague during archiCHAT, a business social sponsored by the American Institute of Architects and hosted by Downes to expose the space to a wider audience. With a limited renovation, Downes and his Blokhaus partner Jim Torti have transformed the single-brick building’s 56,000 square feet into an open canvas for future tenants. The partnership has a six-year lease with owner Robert Sinclair and is working toward a purchase. When spaces, at $1.50 to $2.25 a square foot, hit the market next month, some tenant interest will likely be piqued. Where else can you get to incorporate an old 40-foot flour silo or brick oven?
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Advent Product Development is handling licensing and sales for the handiwork of three area innovators. Reinhold Marquart of Carlsbad invented the Race Car Tent, a camping tent in the shape of a race car. Robert Harris of National City created the Crutch Mounted Grabber, configured to be a useful attachment to any kind of crutch. Juan Herrera of San Diego came up with the EZ Wipe Bug Killer, a cleansing cloth treated with a pesticide on one side. For details on any of the inventions, call the APD licensing department at (843) 237-5915 or go to adventproduct.net.
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 Eric Northbrook (far right), founder of the HeadNorth Foundation, a San Diego-based nonprofit foundation that helps people with spinal cord injuries, received the Hope and Freedom Award from the Ability Center. It is given to individuals dedicated to improving the quality of life of others by providing mobility equipment to those in need. Northbrook, a broker and prominent member of San Diego’s commercial real estate community, was paralyzed in a January 2006 motorcycle accident. He and his family started HeadNorth Foundation to help others with spinal cord injuries. Pictured from left are the foundation’s Bill Lundstrom, board member; Randal Schober, executive director; Steve Rosetta, president; and Denise Northbrook, Eric’s wife.
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More than 700 supporters are expected to turn out at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Oct. 11 annual fund raising luncheon for Words Alive, a small non profit literacy group. Guest authors are Pulitzer Prize-winner Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres, and San Diegan Marjorie Hart whose debut memoir is “Summer at Tiffany.” Tickets are $75; details are at wordsalive.org.
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The Carlsbad-headquartered Gemological Institute of America’s chairman Ralph Destino says the GIA plans to add more laboratory, research and education services in southeast Asia and southern Africa to its existing 21 global centers. The next opens this year in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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San Diego Green 2007 is set for Sept. 26-28 at USD’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. Zach Pannier of DPR Construction and event co-chair, says the conference will look at sustainable construction. Click on sandiegogreen.org for details.
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Mark Trotter wants to take a big bite out of the youth obesity epidemic. His Solana Beach company, YoNaturals Inc., is providing free healthy vending machines to schools. The “YoZone” machines contain healthy snacks and drinks ranging in price from 75 cents to $2. Trotter, 52, founded the company 18 months ago. “We picked YoNaturals out of a group of several healthy names as it was similar to yogurt,” he says. Products in the healthy machines include Clif Bars, Function Drinks, Fiji Water, Hansen’s Natural, Kashi Granola Bars, Pirates Booty, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Tazo Iced Tea and others.
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La Jolla native Brett White, president and CEO of CB Richard Ellis, will be the featured speaker at the second annual Breakfast at USD’s Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate event scheduled for Sept. 13. The lecture series features speakers and panels of industry experts whose exposure to San Diego audiences previously has been limited or non-existent. White leads the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm, with 2006 revenues of more than $4 billion. He began his CBRE career in 1991 as a sales manager in the company’s Downtown office before working his way up the ranks to president in 2001 and CEO in 2005. Event details are at usdrealestate.com.
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Expected to draw more than 300 professionals from the architecture, engineering, construction and commercial real estate industries, San Diego Green 2007 is set for Sept. 26-28 at USD’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. Zach Pannier, a project manager for DPR Construction and event co-chair, says the conference will provide a realistic look at sustainable construction. Click on sandiegogreen.org for details.
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