SDCNN Staff

On Oct. 11, The Casey Brown Company officially cut the ribbon on AMP&RSAND, a new office campus in the former Union Tribune building in Mission Valley.

The modernized building now consists of approximately 340,000 square feet, and features two interconnected buildings. The repositioned, five-story office tower is where editors and journalists once published the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, and the adjacent three-story building housed their printing presses. The interior design has an industrial loft-style feel, featuring exposed brick, concrete pillars and 14-foot ceilings, along with floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

The campus also features nine patios and 64,000 square feet of outdoor collaborative space, and 5,000 square feet dedicated to a fitness studio. Other amenities include an outdoor multifunctional amphitheater, craft coffee, a café, concierge services, valet services and electronic vechile (EV) parking onsite. The campus also boasts additional outdoor spaces and parks both within and between the buildings and along the San Diego River.

“AMP&RSAND is a historic location, reimagined for the demands of the modern workforce,” said Casey Brown in a press release. “We thoughtfully developed an innovative campus that offers a high-end lifestyle experience, indoor-outdoor spaces, an exercise facility, luxury business amenities — while preserving the historical aspects of the San Diego Union-Tribune.”

One of those preserved historical aspects is the name of the building itself. An ampersand is the last character of the traditional alphabet, and when the Union-Tribune stopped its presses at the Mission Valley building in 2016, its last impression the press made was the ampersand character.

The Oct. 11 ribbon cutting — with an Oktoberfest theme — was not only a celebration of the building’s nearly complete remodel; it was also a celebration of AMP&RSAND signing its first tenants. In late September, International finance company Encore Capital announced it had signed a lease to take the entire third floor and a portion of the ground floor of AMP&RSAND — approximately 95,000 square feet. The move will allow Encore to consolidate their current two Mission Valley offices into one building.

“Encore Capital puts a premium on our employee experience, and we are excited to have found a new home that will help drive greater collaboration and ultimately provide our consumers with better solutions for a better life,” said Encore Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Carl Eberling in a press release. “We are investing in our most important asset, our people, and we believe our new space will help with recruitment, retaining top talent, and fostering a stronger company culture.”

The AMP&RSAND campus is located at 350 Camino de la Reina, near the intersection of Interstate-8 and State Route 163, and is in walking distance to the Green Line Trolley stop and Fashion Valley mall. For more information, visit ampersandsandiego.com. For inquiries about leasing space at AMP&SAND, contact Matt Carlson of CBRE Group, Inc. at [email protected].