REAL ESTATE

Downtown high-rise ‘Revel’ to break ground in 2025

A new development in the East Village at 611 Island Ave. is targeted to break ground in early 2025 and an early interest list is being formed.

Designed by San Diego-based Carrier Johnson Architects, Revel preserves the historic façade of the 1869 Klauber-Wangenheim Company Building, currently known as Ballpark Storage, and will provide attainable options for Downtown’s workforce, including those in hospitality and tourism-related industries. At 40 stories, Revel’s 443 designed studio, one, two, and three-bedroom units, offer many options for urban living. Limited parking will be on site.

CH Projects to build hotel in Little Italy

CH Projects’s founder Arsalun Tafazoli recently purchased six properties for $13 million with his new LLC Inside Voice on the northern end of Little Italy. He plans to build a boutique hotel, two restaurants, offices and a wellness center but will need to win an appeal with the San Diego Airport Authority as the hotel is in the flight path. CH Projects is the hospitality group behind the Lafayette Hotel’s $31 million renovation and manages two other hotels, La Pensione Hotel in Little Italy and La Avenida Inn in Coronado.

Attached home sales picked up in January

Sales of attached properties in San Diego County, consisting mainly of condominiums and townhomes, saw a welcome pickup in January, while single-family homes sales dipped. Data on the current resale market is compiled by the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS® (SDAR) through the San Diego Multiple Listing Service (SDMLS).

Resales of condos and townhouses increased by nearly 6% in January, compared to December, and were almost 12% higher than January of last year. Single-family purchases, on the other hand, were down 4% month-over-month, and 5.5% lower than a year ago.

The median price of single-family resale homes in the county increased by 4%, to $980,000, which is more than 15% higher than last January. The price of attached homes was unchanged over the past month at $650,000 but is still more than 10% higher than in January 2023.

FOOD AND DRINK

Hotel del Coronado to open Nobu restaurant

Hotel del Coronado has announced plans to open Nobu at Hotel del Coronado, marking the continued expansion of The Del’s culinary experiences and the newest addition to the world-renowned Japanese restaurant founded by Nobu Matsuhisa and Robert De Niro. The opening of Nobu at Hotel del Coronado in 2025 is part of the last phase of Blackstone’s more than $550 million restoration and revitalization of The Del.

Lala debuts in Little Italy

After much anticipation, cocktail bar and restaurant Lala is now open for business at 1919 India Street. Situated just one door north from its acclaimed sibling, Barbusa restaurant, the launch of Lala simultaneously marks a milestone for Busalacchi Restaurants, as 2024 commemorates their 40th year serving the San Diego community.

Executive Chef Nino Zizzo’s menu mirrors modernized Italian classics and comfort foods served up at the family’s preceding concepts and own dinner table. The bar program created by Busalacchi Restaurants’ Antonio Gonzales (Juniper & Ivy, Stake Chophouse & Bar) is intended to show the versatility and range of Italian spirits alongside a barrel-aged cocktail program.

Postino WineCafe coming to Little Italy

Phoenix-based Postino WineCafe is rapidly expanding, with two flagship locations in San Diego slated to open this spring. In addition to opening the all day restaurant at Del Mar’s One Paseo village, the wine cafe is also coming to Little Italy.

Postino Little Italy will land on the corner of Kettner Ave and Ivy Street across from Chef Brian Malarkey’s Herb & Wood, within Kilroy Realty’s LEED-certified 2100 Kettner in a 2,652 square foot space, including a spacious outdoor patio along the district’s buzzy main thoroughfare.

The winecafés will pour an ever-changing selection of boutique wines expertly curated by Advanced Sommelier and Beverage Director Brent Karlicek, including 30 available by the glass, and a variety of craft brews (including, local, San Diego labels). A decked-out menu of bruschetta, panini, salads and a lineup of crave-worthy charcuterie boards and shareables will be served daily, for lunch and dinner, plus brunch on weekends.

Eppig Brewing to open outside Petco Park

Eppig Brewing hopes to open its new tasting room at 795 J Street in the East Village ahead of the Padres season. Craft brewery Eppig Brewing took over the space occupied by Stone Brewing since 2014 that is directly outside of Petco Park.

Padres specials at Margaritaville

Margaritaville will offer specials and live entertainment for the San Diego Padres home opener. Guests can swing by LandShark Bar & Grill for live entertainment, chicken wing roulette, and drink specials like the Pina Machado, Fernando Tatini, or Joe Musgarita, all inspired by favorite Padres players. At rooftop bar 5 o’Clock Somewhere overlooking Petco Park, step up to the plate for DJ spins, beer pong, a Sonoran hot dog cart and more. For post-game, score a free margarita with your Padres ticket stub at Margaritaville after the game (while supplies last). These offerings kick-off on March 28 from 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and will run all season long, ensuring every Padres home game is a homerun.

Whole Foods Market to open in Downtown skyscraper

Upscale supermarket chain Whole Foods Market will open a location in Downtown San Diego at the Front & A project at 201 West A St., project developer Holland Partner Group confirmed to the Union-Tribune. The high-end grocery tenant is set to take over roughly 50,000 square feet of ground-floor and mezzanine space at the base of the 34-story, residential tower, according to a permit application submitted to the city of San Diego in December.

Lazy Acres Natural Market accepts EBT SNAP benefits on deliveries

Community grocer Lazy Acres Natural Market announced that it will now accept Electronic Benefits Transfer Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (EBT SNAP) online for same-day delivery and pickup via Instacart. With this program, EBT SNAP participants will now be able to use their benefits to shop for local and organic produce and groceries online for delivery or pickup from six locations throughout Southern California. This launch follows the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service’s recent approval. With transportation often serving as a barrier to the grocery store, Lazy Acres hopes to increase access to organic and natural food throughout the community by enabling online grocery shopping and delivery.

Feeding San Diego names new CEO

 Feeding San Diego, the county’s leading hunger-relief and food rescue organization, has named Bob Kamensky its new chief executive officer. A longtime San Diegan and U.S. Navy veteran with over 35 years of service, Kamensky transitioned to the not-for-profit sector in 2021 when he accepted the role of chief strategy officer at Feeding San Diego. He stepped into the role of interim CEO last fall upon the retirement of Dan Shea.

In the role of CEO, Kamensky is primed to lead the county’s Feeding America partner food bank to continue its role as the leading hunger-relief and food rescue organization. Under his leadership, the organization will continue to invest time and resources into food rescue to divert surplus food from local stores and food businesses, quickly respond to crises, and will work closely with elected officials on the local, state, and national levels to advocate for hunger relief policies.

EDUCATION

City College grad earns 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award

Former San Diego City College student Katya Echazarreta, who went on to work as an electrical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and later became the first Mexican-born woman in space, has been honored as one of just three people selected by the American Association of Community Colleges as a recipient of its 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award.

The honor is the latest for the City College alumna whose accomplishments include earning the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship that enabled her to attend and graduate from UCLA and securing a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Echazarreta currently serves as president at Fundación Espacial Katya Echazarreta, a nonprofit she founded to encourage and prepare young people, women and children, as well as scientists and engineers in Mexico, to develop the knowledge and skills for carrying out advanced studies in the cosmos.

San Diego County Credit Union returns as spelling bee sponsor

San Diego County Credit Union returns as a sponsor of the San Diego County Scripps Regional Spelling Bee, presented in collaboration with the San Diego County Office of Education and ABC 10News on March 14, at the Jackie Robinson Family YMCA. The spelling bee is open to 6th, 7th and 8th grade students in public or private school with a combined enrollment of 30 or more children. The winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip to compete in the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

San Diego High School debuts new baseball, softball fields

San Diego High School celebrated its renovated baseball and softball fields with a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring generations of Caver alums who played ball for the region’s oldest high school. Current and former students, staff and district officials, and representatives from the San Diego Padres gathered. In addition, the school is gathering memorabilia to store in a time capsule near the fields.

Relatives of former Padre and San Diego High graduate Johnny Ritchey helped commemorate the new fields. Ritchey helped to break the color barrier for the Pacific Coast League in 1948 when he was the first Black player drafted for the Padres. Ritchey’s image is memorialized in a campus mural.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Cozy critter event warms pets of unsheltered individuals

Helen Woodward Animal Center assisted approximately 85 pet owners at a special Cozy Critter Event on Feb. 15, providing pet sweaters, blankets, leashes, collars and other pet supplies at Father Joe’s Neil Good Day Center.
Lucky Duck Foundation attended to provide sleeping-bag-jackets and care kits (including food and water) to the human clients too.

Father Joe’s provided 28k shelter bed nights during rain

Father Joe’s Villages, San Diego’s largest homelessness services provider, served nearly 4,000 neighbors in need in January, including inclement weather shelter during recent unprecedented rainstorms.

The latest “Compassion in Action: Our Neighbors by the Numbers” report includes data on the number of people experiencing homelessness in January. In that month alone, Father Joe’s Villages provided 28,506 shelter bed nights, defined as one person sleeping in a safe shelter for one night. This number includes activation of the Inclement Weather Shelter during a storm that brought catastrophic flooding to many areas in San Diego.

Additionally, Father Joe’s Villages’ medical staff also provided care to 1,015 neighbors last month through Street Health, dentistry, mental health, and psychiatric care. The organization also helped 36 individuals find housing and exit homelessness.

Nonprofits repay COVID-19 loans

San Diego Foundation and Mission Driven Finance announced that $5.2 million lent to nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic has been successfully repaid with less than one-tenth of one percent in losses.

Seeded by San Diego Foundation, the loan program was launched in April 2020 to assist San Diego County communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The fund provided zero-interest gap financing to San Diego County-based nonprofits, particularly for those providing front-line care to affected communities, with a priority on those serving communities disproportionately affected by the global pandemic and its economic consequences.

“This trust-based loan program helped keep the doors open at many of our safety-net organizations at a critical time during the pandemic, and no doubt supported many individuals and families in need. We were grateful to be in a position to support the community through this important program,” said Sarah Lyman, Executive Director, Alliance Healthcare Foundation, which also invested seed funding in the program.

GOVERNMENT

City to receive $29.9 million homelessness funds

The City of San Diego will continue tackling homelessness by supporting shelter space, outreach efforts and housing programs thanks to an additional $29.9 million grant allocation from the State of California. The California State Legislature made the money available through the latest round of funding from the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention Program (HHAP-5).

This year’s $29.9 million allocation is the largest award the city has received from the state’s HHAP grant.

City Council approves proposal to waive fees for storm-related reconstruction

The San Diego City Council approved a proposal by Mayor Todd Gloria to waive fees for building and demolition permits on property damaged by the Jan. 22 storm and flooding.

An estimated 1,000 San Diego residents suffered damage to homes, businesses and personal property in the storm, primarily in the communities of Mountain View, Encanto, Mount Hope, Shelltown, Southcrest and Rolando.

The savings from the fee waiver, which will cover reconstruction or repair of structures the same size as the one that was damaged, is projected to save residents approximately $2.41 million in total.  Any residents who may have already paid building or demolition permit fees to the city will be eligible for reimbursement.

The action also established a Debris Assistance Program, which would allow for debris-management services at no cost to residents in the impacted communities. This will help provide for the collection, handling, and proper processing, recycling and/or disposal of demolition waste generated by storm victims.

County supervisors approve gun violence reduction work plan

The County Board of Supervisors approved a work plan to reduce gun violence activities in San Diego County.  The Board voted to receive the Gun Violence Reduction Work Plan, using recommendations from the Gun Violence Community Needs Assessment Final Report authored by Health Assessment and Research for Communities. The plan includes 17 actions for the county to take to protect against and prevent firearm-related violence.

RANDOM

San Diego indie film channel on Roku

The San Diego Indie Film Network (SDIFN) announced the launch of their new Roku channel, dedicated exclusively to showcasing independent films created by local filmmakers in San Diego. This innovative platform offers a unique opportunity for emerging filmmakers to reach a wider audience and for viewers to discover exceptional independent cinema. Now, film enthusiasts can enjoy a variety of locally produced films right from the comfort of their own homes.’