SAN DIEGO
The City of San Diego’s strong economy, diverse
population, great educational institutions, unsurpassed quality of life,
and world-renowned location make it the ideal place to do business, to
work, and to live. San Diego is the region’s economic hub, with
well over half of the region’s jobs and nearly three-quarters of
the region’s large employers. Thirteen of the region’s 20
major colleges and universities are also located in the city limits of
San Diego.
As the second largest city in the state of California and the largest city in San Diego County, San Diego contains roughly half of the County’s total population of 3.02 million people. By 2020, the City’s population is forecasted to be 1.9 million with 3.85 million people in the entire county. As the population rapidly increases, the demand for mixed-use development in walk-able and transit rich neighborhoods, in particular Downtown San Diego including Gaslamp Quarters, East Village and Cortez Hill, continues to grow.
GASLAMP QUARTER
The Gaslamp Quarter is a 16.5 block neighborhood, housing more
than 70 restaurants and nightclubs, movie theaters, retailers, offices,
galleries and urban live/work lofts. The addition of new residential,
commercial and retail projects in the Gaslamp continues to earn the
city’s
leading core entertainment as well as one of the top San Diego tourist
destinations. With the San Diego Padres PETCO Ballpark district and
the expanded $450 million Convention Center within walking distance of
each other, San Diego visitors and residents are ready to take advantage
of the existing and growing downtown areas.
EAST VILLAGE
The East Village, just east of the Gaslamp Quarter, was once the
warehouse district for a growing San Diego from the late 1800’s
to the late 1900’s. Now known as San Diego’s arts district,
as it is spotted with artists’ homes, studios, galleries and shops,
the former warehouses and Victorian buildings of the East Village have
been transformed into charming live/work lofts complimenting the remaining
historic elements of the district and making it San Diego’s largest
and most rapidly developing neighborhood.
Boosted by plans surrounding the Padres PETCO Ballpark, East Village development in the past few years has skyrocketed. Nearly 7,000 parking spaces; 1,056,900 square feet of retail space; 2,396 hotel rooms; and 2,429 residential units are planned for completion by 2006. Other projects include: Park at the Park, a picnic area and neighborhood park; East Village Square, a 500,000 square foot retail, entertainment and office development north of the ballpark; Campus at the Park, space for technology and office buildings on Park Boulevard; and the Park to Bay Link, a tree-lined promenade linking Balboa Park and San Diego Bay along Twelfth Avenue. Further, four hotels, a new Main Library, San Diego City College, the New School of Architecture and numerous public improvements are planned to help augment this neighborhood’s youthful and creative population.