Coming to Little Italy is a 36-story residential complex with about 400 units.
The project at the junction of Union and Ash streets was overwhelmingly authorized by Civic San Diego, the planning organization for downtown, on Wednesday. The structure will be among the city’s tallest residential buildings at about 400 feet. With 395 units, it will also contain the most apartments of any downtown building.
There is a gym, a pet facility outside, 16,600 square feet of shared outdoor space, a sky deck, and a rooftop pool among the amenities. By the end of 2019, construction is anticipated to start.
403 parking spots are planned by Dallas-based developers Trammell Crow Residential for three underground levels and four above-grade levels. The project is anticipated to provide eight permanent employment in addition to 404 construction jobs. Trammell Crow declined to estimate the project’s cost.
The company is happy to have another skyscraper bearing the Alexan brand downtown, according to Jessica Cassolato, a development associate at Trammell Crow. Early in 2018, Alexan ALX, its additional downtown structure, opened.
She exclaimed, “We are incredibly thrilled to bring our distinctive building to San Diego.”
The project’s location is at 232 West Ash Street, where IDEATE High Academy is a charter school and there is also office space. 32 units in the project will be subsidized for renters with low incomes.
The project will also include five three-bedroom apartments, 97 two-bedroom apartments with an average size of 1,088 square feet, 223 one-bedroom apartments with an average size of 730 square feet, and 70 studio apartments (average 1,525 square feet).
There isn’t any suggested retail space for street level. Planned tenant amenities would instead include a business center, lounge, speakeasy-style bar, and bike storage.
The structure was designed by Joseph Wong Design Associates of San Diego, who stated that the project would work toward “sustainable across all spectrums, including economic vitality, environment, and social and cultural vigor.”
Civic San Diego also examined the following two housing projects:
Broadway and 13th
The East Village City Council unanimously approved and forwarded a $140 million subsidized housing project that would contain 273 affordable rental apartments to 13th Street and Broadway.
The 14-story building by the Chelsea Investment Corp. will only have 65 parking spaces, which is fewer than the permitted number due to exemptions for low-income housing.
The East Village City Council unanimously approved and forwarded a $140 million subsidized housing project that would contain 273 affordable rental apartments to 13th Street and Broadway.
The 14-story building by the Chelsea Investment Corp. will only have 65 parking spaces, which is fewer than the permitted number due to exemptions for low-income housing.
About 45 members of the Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters nearly derailed approval by claiming Chelsea had a history of using outside laborers in public comments.
While some directors expressed sympathy for the workers, they pointed out that the project was merely up for a design hearing and that it was outside the agency’s purview to halt it due to labor difficulties. Project manager Steven Blanden, who represented Chelsea at the meeting, claimed that some decisions were “beyond (his) pay grade” and was therefore unable to respond to many of the board’s inquiries.
When a director questioned Blanden about whether prior labor issues on other projects had been addressed, Blanden replied that he wasn’t sure. He later clarified that he believed the business engaged in local recruitment and paid prevailing rate.
The board recommended that Chelsea speaks with the union before the city council reviews the project in January or February.
Quarter of Jefferson Makers
A $180 million project that had received negative feedback from Civic San Diego’s design committee in September was brought back before the board as a whole, and this time it was accepted. The committee claimed that because the initial JPI project took up an entire city block in the East Village, it did not include adequate housing.
The location has the capacity to house over 900 flats, but JPI was only offering 318. Additionally, the building did not contain any subsidized apartments in the original proposal. The land is a whole block in size and is bordered by Broadway, 15th, 16th, and E streets. It measures 12,000 square feet.
A revised JPI proposal increased the project’s height by one storey, included 50 additional apartments, and included 19 affordable housing units. In addition, it has 425 parking spaces spread across 3 1/2 storeys of underground parking.
The East Village Association, Downtown San Diego Partnership, and San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit all wrote letters of support for the project.
The lone board member opposed the project was director Michael Jenkins, who claimed there weren’t enough units for the location.
This is a missed chance, he declared. “This is an entire block, and increasing the density might have a big impact.”
Chairman Phil Rath said the JPI project falls within the minimums allowed in the community plan for density and should be approved. He also expressed his displeasure with the amount of apartments. Before the board starts rejecting projects that fall within the predetermined range, he urged that the law be altered to promote density.
