Daily Business Report: July 31, 2026
How Three Art Spaces are Defying a Hostile Real Estate Market
by Evan Apodaca | Voice of San Diego
Throughout the 2010s, a single night of events in Barrio Logan reliably enticed curling lines of art-goers on the corner of Logan Avenue and Sampson Street. The neighborhood’s arts and culture scene was booming.
But a cultural bust loomed. The area was hit by a number of gallery closures including Voz Alta in 2014 and TheChrch in 2017, followed by La Bodega and Chicano Art Gallery in 2019.
While the neighborhood’s cultural vibrancy is still there, real estate prices pose a continual threat, and the Covid-19 pandemic only made things worse. According to Marketpointe Realty Advisors, San Diego’s median monthly rent has nearly doubled since 2014.
City-wide planning committee votes to oppose state Senate Midway Rising bill
by Nicole Abrams | Times of San Diego
The Community Planners Committee, a group made up of leaders of San Diego’s various planning groups, has voted to oppose a Senate bill tied to the controversial Midway Rising development.
On Tuesday night, about 50 community planning group members and residents gathered at the Point Loma/Hervey Branch Library to discuss Senate Bill 958, which would clear the way for Midway Rising despite the 30-foot height limit for buildings in the Midway District.
SB 958 “applies only to the Midway Rising project” and would, under “strict conditions,” prohibit building height from being considered a significant impact on the environment under the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA. The bill was authored by State Senator Akilah Weber-Pierson, D-San Diego, and is sponsored by Mayor Todd Gloria.
Escondido Residents Left Waiting on Ice Rink Deal at Kit Carson Park
by Tigist Lane | Voice of San Diego
When Escondido residents checked the agenda for tonight’s City Council meeting, many of them expected to see a highly anticipated discussion about Kit Carson Park scheduled. But alas, it is not so.
If you haven’t heard, Escondido leaders are seriously considering a controversial offer to turn a portion of the 285-acre park into a huge ice rink complex. The offer came from the Rinks Foundation, a nonprofit run by billionaire philanthropists Henry and Susan Samueli. They own the San Diego Gulls and the Anaheim Ducks.
What they’re proposing: The foundation wants to lease a portion of the park from the city to build a 16-acre ice sports complex with three rinks, up to 3,000 spectator seats, a restaurant, retail space and 430 new parking spaces.
