I was honored to take this rental listing at Icon with the owner the other day. This is the perfect condo for a professional to come in and immediately feel at home with this fully furnished property. The condo is located on the 7^th floor and is located on the corner with fabulous wrap around windows that allows a lot of daylight into the unit as well as providing a spectacular urban feel with the downtown skyline as the backdrop.

This is a large 1bedroom 1bath 930sqft condo. Icon is located in the Ballpark District with many local eateries and bars around all corners. Gaslamp District is only blocks away with Petco Park right across the street.

Icon has many amenities throughout the complex. There is a security guard at the front door as you walk in off 10^th avenue that makes you feel safe and secure. The Awesome Roof Top Skybox where you have incredible views of downtown San Diego and also have season tickets the Padres play baseball from there. On the skybox, there is a widescreen TV and also speakers to also enjoy while using the BBQ’s for enjoying your guests. Icon has one of the best downtown Fitness Centers where you can even watch TV while getting a good workout. There is an amenity located on the ground floor that has a full kitchen and seating area for another great place to entertain guests or have a business meeting for clients. Icon has the largest Theater room in downtown San Diego for condos and it’s a great place to watch the Chargers.

 

Contact Michael Long to View:

619.846.0892

michael@92101condos.com

 

Pictures of the Condo at Icon

 

Downtown San Diego has many different parks around the city and now we currently have a movable park.  That’s right, a park that moves to different locations throughout the year. Downtown San Diego Partnership and the city of San Diego created a contest for a movable park design last month.  The other day is when the winner’s park was on display.  I was not there when they revealed the park but from the looks of the picture, they did a pretty good job.

When I first took a look at the picture and the new park, I thought to myself, that’s an odd place to place a park.  Right in the middle of the street where people could get hurt.  Then I noticed the street was blocked off.  I like this creative thinking for urban cities.  I hear other cities are coming up with different ideas for their own activities for their own city and people are really getting into it.  Little things like this could spark Big ideas that could be really successful.  More downtown San Diego real estate and other companies could benefit from a small idea.

So when you’re walking our street of downtown San Diego and see a random parklet, stop and take a minute to see what ideas may come from this.

One of the hottest nightclubs in downtown San Diego is about to close down for renovations. November 1, 2014 is when the doors will be closed and the renovations will begin. 111 employees will be laid off from the general manager to dozens of security hosts and bartenders. Stingaree opened its doors in 2005 in the Gaslamp District and quickly became the nightclub everyone wanted to go to. I have even gone to Stingaree a time or 2 or 3 from work functions to friends inviting me out. There have been many celebrities that have visited this establishment from Chargers players to other sports stars. It’s a 3 level club that even has a roof top patio to enjoy the downtown skyline and fresh air. You can see the roof top from Alta across the street.

 

Will Stingaree keep its name or will the new owner Hakkasan change the name? Hakkasan acquired Stingaree earlier this year and seems like he has a plan for this great venue. Hakkasan also purchased an interest in Enlightened Hospitality and wants to expand the restaurant to Stingaree, which used to have a restaurant. Apparently the renovations will last around 6 months so let’s check back then and see what updates they have for us then.

Last week, the mayor of San Diego Kevin Faulconer and Nick Canepa had lunch to discuss the possibility of having the Chargers Stadium in Downtown San Diego.

 

If you have been keeping up with the Chargers and their stadium, it’s been going on for years now. At least ever since I moved to San Diego back in 2003. Everyone wants a new stadium but nobody wants to pay for it. I’ve heard talk about having the Chargers move to LA, rebuild on the parking lot beside Qualcomm and multiple locations in downtown San Diego. So what’s going on with the Chargers?

 

The mayor said that Qualcomm stadium is not in good shape and he wants to make something work for the Chargers while he’s mayor. The previous oil spills on the current land would cost too much money to clean up and rebuild on the current site. I’m not sure how much but it much cost a fortune because that seems like a great spot for the stadium since it already works there with the trolley line and all. The developers would build the stadium but they also wanted the land around it to build properties and keep it for themselves. The city didn’t want to give the land away so that fizzled away. Now, downtown San Diego might be a viable option again for the new stadium.

 

Since the expansion of the Convention Center was ruled unconstitutional, Faulconer is looking into possibly combining the 2 to make each work out. I think this is a fabulous idea. We do need the expansion of the convention center to keep large conventions here such as Comic Con and other large groups that wanted to come here in the past but haven’t had the opportunity because of the space issue.

 

Now what will this mean for downtown San Diego Real Estate? Well, let’s just take a look at what Petco Park did for downtown. Petco Park was HUGE for downtown! An area where nobody wanted to go is now a booming place for people to live and enjoy going to restaurants and bars. For now, nobody goes east of Park Blvd because there’s nothing out there and it’s kind of scary with our urban campers. With this new stadium, new developments will have people walking east of Park blvd for more downtown options for all.

 

All I can say is: I want the Chargers to stay in San Diego and it would be awesome to see them in Downtown!

For downtown San Diego, there has been 2 major developments that have boosted this city and have brought millions to America’s Finest City. Those 2 are Petco Park where the Padres play and also the Convention Center.

With the city growing more and more and expected to double to 90 thousand people living downtown by 2030, the city has been trying to expand the convention center for years now. Just the other day, judges ruled how the city is trying to pay for the expansion is unconstitutional. They went on to say: “while we understand the City would like to expand the convention center, we are duty bound to uphold the provisions of the California Constitution and the City Charter that require that the City’s registered voters approve the special tax at issue in this case.”

The convention center expansion was estimated to be $520 million dollars. Most of the proposed money would come from 1-3 % increase from hotel tax. Surprised they didn’t try to add on any downtown San Diego real estate tax as well?  Closer you are to the convention center, the more tax a guest would have to pay. This plan was accepted by the San Diego city council 7-1 years ago but San Diegans for Open Government (SDOG) didn’t like it and took it to the Superior Court. They said the people that will pay the fees don’t have a vote on it; so they took it to court.  March 2013, the superior court Judge decided with the city but again, the SDOG appealed that ruling and landed this case on the court of appeals. Well, this time around SDOG got their wishes and the judges decided with them.

So what’s next for the convention center? Will we loose our largest client, Comic Con, whose contract ends in 2016? Right now, the city can appeal this new decision, have voters vote on this current plan in 2016 or recreate a new plan. Either way, costs are going up and regardless, we need additional convention center space for our clients. We thrive on tourism here in San Diego and the expansion is necessary for this city.

Take a look at a new property for sale at Harbor Club. It’s one of the one bedroom downtown San Diego condos in the 200 Harbor dr. building. These one-bedroom properties are very spacious with 1031 square feet of living space and the balconies are a good size.

 

This particular property at Harbor Club is located on the 23^rd floor and has some amazing views of the city skyline and San Diego bay. The floor to ceiling windows allows for great viewing and also allows lots of daylight to enter the condo. There are hardwood floors that were installed in the unit that makes a nice upgrade. The kitchen and bathroom are original where some other units within the complex have upgraded these to improve the overall appearance and value.

 

What’s going on at Harbor Club?

Harbor Club is currently in renovation from the lawsuit the HOA sued the developer for. They resurfaced the pool deck, redoing the amenity room with kitchen and also redoing the gym room with equipment. I’m sooo happy these are being renovated because the complex is very nice and the amenities were lacking with quality that the neighboring complexes.  There are also many shops on the first level of Harbor Club that include Morton’s Steakhouse and other nice places.

 

Call me today to view this great condo! Michael Long 619.846.0892

Horton Plaza has been one of the few developments in downtown San Diego that has really made a big impact for the city. A couple others are the Convention Center and Convention Center and maybe one day, the new home of the San Diego Chargers. Horton Plaza is now expanding and currently in progress of developing the new downtown park for public use.

 

Now along Broadway on the construction wall of the park project we are now presented with 10 murals. Contestants were asked to submit a sketch of “Why I Love San Diego”. 10 winners were selected and those had to then create the design on a 6’ x 10’ canvas. I have to say as I walked by and looked at each, these are pretty nice and much better to look at than a green wall.

 

The contestants were pretty happy with their final canvas results. I don’t believe any had ever painted on a canvas this size before and I think they all did a great job! A few contestants included Downtown San Diego and Coronado Bridge into their artwork and others designed other hip designs about San Diego. Next time you go to Horton Plaza or in the neighborhood, take a look at these 10 murals yourself and see what you think.

What? How is Twinkle Lights going to fight crime in Downtown San Diego? Well, Major Kevin Faulconer and local leaders are coming up with alternate ideas of fighting crime besides having the local police department trying to always do it themselves. The Downtown San Diego Partnership cites studies around U.K. and United States where crime is decreased by 21% when lights were improvements were done the city streets.

 

Currently, 400 twinkle lights have been installed on trees around Downtown San Diego courtesy from the Clean and Safe Program. Now they want to expand the twinkle lights onto C Street but the local community must raise the money. C Street is one of those busy streets in downtown San Diego that the San Diego Trolley goes down. The trolley even goes through Smart Corner that’s a Downtown San Diego Condo and Loft property.  Because of this, there are many unwanted people that kind of hang around the area and sometimes feels, not so safe. With the twinkle lights installed, I know I would feel safer walking down a street that’s more lite up. I always tend to walk on the side of the street where it’s lighter because of safety.

 

There are many local owners that like the twinkle lights and are very excited it’s already here and also hopefully extended throughout downtown. Besides the safety, I love seeing twinkle lights on trees that are lined up down the street. It always makes me think about Christmas even when I live in a city that never snows.

 

 

If you know San Diego and also Downtown San Diego, you’ll know there are many areas around San Diego that display a sign for the neighborhood it’s within.  Some that I know outside downtown are: North Park, University Heights, Hillcrest & Kensington.  Downtown currently has 2, one in Little Italy on India street and one in the Gaslamp District on 5th ave.  Now, there is a push to have a new sign for East Village Condo residences and business owners to appreciate.

East Village is the largest neighborhood in Downtown San Diego so why not have a sign to embrace this area?  The (EVA) East Village Association is a nonprofit  company that helps improve the East Village industry and businesses.  They are currently trying to raise money to build the East Village sign.  Their goal is $250,000 by the end of 2014 that will come from grants, community donations & Corporate donations.  This will help pay for everything from the designs to permits to contraction.  There have been 5 design proposes and have selected Selbert Perkins Design to design the sign.  We don’t exactly know where the sign will be located but are currently looking into: earthquake fault lines, street lights and traffic studies.  

The completion of the sign is suppose to be in 2015 before Balboa Park Centennial celebration.  If you would like to donate and help raise money for the sign,

Checks made payable to: East Village Association, Inc. – Landmark Sign.

EVA East Village Association

1041 Market St. #200,

San Diego, CA 92101.

 

Is there going to be a new downtown San Diego home built in the middle of Horton Square?  If you answered yes, then you are correct.  Right now, there’s a 3bedroom 2bath home being built by volunteers and some of the volunteers haven’t even used a hammer before.  This is all part of Habitat for Humanity.

When I first heard about this myself, I was like, who is going to build a home in the middle of Horton Square?  Who’s allowing this?  But after I read more, I think this is a great idea to bring awareness to this great cause and Habitat for Humanity.  It’s kind of like the ice bucket challenge (did you do it? I did!) but with a twist for San Diego.  Habitat for Humanity is building this home in downtown San Diego for people to see what they are doing and after they complete the framing, they will transport the fame to Foundation Lane in El Cajon and complete the construction of the home.  There are also others that are being built across the county.  There are 11 homes being built in Escondido and another six homes in Imperial Beach.

The residents will be families that make 80% of the area’s median income.  Those residences will also help with building other homes and show they are creating new opportunities for themselves and their family.  Since the land is typically donated and with free labor, it doesn’t cost much from helping hands to build these great homes.  Habitat for Humanity has been around San Diego for 26 years and continue to build and help communities.