SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[CoastersBolts]

I have to say it's weird seeing a tall building (Vantage Pointe) rising up behind Symphony Towers.

Back to the Harbor Drive Bridge, will its construction also result in Park Blvd. finally connecting to Harbor Drive? That'll really clear things up nicely and will also make having to never go all the way around Petco Park on Tony Gwynn Drive/7th Avenue that much better.

[malsponger]

Man Vantage Pointe sure is turning out to be tall. You lose a lot of the sense of height looking at it close considering how massive the building is, but from a distance it sure seems tall (ok.. for san diego standards).

Mi Arbolito looks like a pile of junk IMO. Why would they make nearly an entire wall bordering a street solid with no windows? Just seems dumb and I couldn't imagine anyone paying so much for a unit with hardly any windows in it, not to mention the actual view so much wall is depriving of!

[Derek]

Thanks for the photos!

[bushman61988]

Originally Posted by malsponger

Man Vantage Pointe sure is turning out to be tall. You lose a lot of the sense of height looking at it close considering how massive the building is, but from a distance it sure seems tall (ok.. for san diego standards).

Mi Arbolito looks like a pile of junk IMO. Why would they make nearly an entire wall bordering a street solid with no windows? Just seems dumb and I couldn't imagine anyone paying so much for a unit with hardly any windows in it, not to mention the actual view so much wall is depriving of!

Yea, I totally agree and noticed this, it looks absolutely DISGUSTING, and completely unworthy of being so close to Balboa Park...I think it would go pretty well in downtown El Cajon, but nowhere near central San Diego...it looks pretty close to a prison w/ the enormous canyon walls that have almost NO windows...

I love density and height, but San Diego would be a better city without this piece of junk. Shame on the Nutjobs that approved this piece of crap

[SD_Phil]

Here's the rendering from the developer's website:


and their website:
http://www.miarbolito.com/building.html

Here's what THEY say about the prison like facades:

Originally Posted by Developer Website

The architectural design of the tower is based on providing a very, very thin vertical composition when viewed from Balboa Park, the tower’s south facade. This can be seen in the articulation of the glass-skin on the left-hand portion, the 150-foot high "wedge", and horizontal "banding" (balconies) on the right-hand portion of the façade.

In a similar fashion, the other facades -- west, north and east -- are also tailored to respond to their unique orientation and their adjacent site characteristics.

[mello]

Mi Arbilito needs to have a death match with Allegro Tower for America's most but ugly residential tower of the New Millenium. I am absolutely appalled by that buildings design. Who would want to live in that thing, it would be embarrassing. Your friends drive by and snicker "Ha look what Dave is living in for a couple of million". No view at all to the west and south.... Amazing.

The western view from that area is awesome and you can see Mt. Soledad nicely on the Northern side, wow what a waste. BTW, whats going on with the Federal Courthouse?

[bmfarley]

Originally Posted by bushman61988

Yea, I totally agree and noticed this, it looks absolutely DISGUSTING, and completely unworthy of being so close to Balboa Park...I think it would go pretty well in downtown El Cajon, but nowhere near central San Diego...it looks pretty close to a prison w/ the enormous canyon walls that have almost NO windows...

I love density and height, but San Diego would be a better city without this piece of junk. Shame on the Nutjobs that approved this piece of crap

Shame on the nut jobs that designed it; not approved it. If there are no/few architectural design guidelines... and the design is consistent with whatever guidelines there are... the approving agency has little influence.

What makes me wonder; what in the hell were the architects, or owner, thinking! And, I too immediately wondered if the building is intended for challenged or imprisioned persons. Or, at a minimum people that are averse to sunsets.

[SDCAL]

SDPhil,

Thanks for posting those photos!!!!!

I have been wondering what that stalled project on Park and Rosewood is as well. Everytime I come down Park Blvd I think what a prime loacation, but I have no idea what that building will be or why it's stalled

anyone have any info?????

[SD_Phil]

Originally Posted by SDCAL

SDPhil,

Thanks for posting those photos!!!!!

I have been wondering what that stalled project on Park and Rosewood is as well. Everytime I come down Park Blvd I think what a prime loacation, but I have no idea what that building will be or why it's stalled

anyone have any info?????

No problem. Hopefully I'll get out more often to take pictures. I agree that the project on sixth and rosewood is bizarre. It IS a prime location; my guess is that it would be too expensive to continue whatever project there was there and that the cost of the land + tearing down what's already been built make the parcel unattractive. Still, it is a prime location and really blights what would otherwise be a really attractive street.

[SDCAL]

Originally Posted by SD_Phil

No problem. Hopefully I'll get out more often to take pictures. I agree that the project on sixth and rosewood is bizarre. It IS a prime location; my guess is that it would be too expensive to continue whatever project there was there and that the cost of the land + tearing down what's already been built make the parcel unattractive. Still, it is a prime location and really blights what would otherwise be a really attractive street.

Looking at the location I'm also wondering if they could be in a legal dispute with the hotel - - the Park Manor has a restaurant famous for their sweeping views of downtown. If this was going to be something tall that would obstruct it, I could see a legal dispute. But, I'm sure it would have been in the news if that were the case

[stockjock]

Disregard this post.

[yerfdog]

Thanks for those pics. I can't get over how terrible Mi Arbolito is.

From http://www.miarbolito.com/building/residences.html: (click pic for larger version)

There appear to be NO windows on the entire east side (on the top of that floor plan picture), including no windows from the "master" bedroom on that side. What the heck? Who would want that, even apart from how the building just looks like a prison with those lack of windows, like others have said.

Kinda reminds me of a skinny version of the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA (Federal Jail):

[SD_Phil]

^ Also from the website (and this explains a lot):

Originally Posted by website

Architects

Martinez + Cutri Corp. are the executive architects for the project. The San Diego-based firm has designed more than 5,000 urban residential units of housing. Some of their current projects include DOMA condominiums, M2i condominiums, The Mark (a 32-story condominium), Cortez Blu, and the recently completed 33-story Grand Hyatt Expansion.

[HurricaneHugo]

Well...M2i, the Mark, and the Hyatt Expansion were all good IMO

[malsponger]

I can understand why the North and East sides of the building would be left windowless considering theyre right on the border of the other lots around it. However, you'd think an architect would make up for it and let tons of light in from the South and West sides of the building, not to mention the downtown skyline, bay and balboa park. It looks like the prison downtown across from Meridian! I can't believe a renown architecture firm with such good projects under their belts designed this.

Big screw up in my book. I don't see this being a successful project by any means. Couldn't picture anyone dishing over that kind of money to live in a cave.

[SDCAL]

Originally Posted by malsponger

I can understand why the North and East sides of the building would be left windowless considering theyre right on the border of the other lots around it. However, you'd think an architect would make up for it and let tons of light in from the South and West sides of the building, not to mention the downtown skyline, bay and balboa park. It looks like the prison downtown across from Meridian! I can't believe a renown architecture firm with such good projects under their belts designed this.

Big screw up in my book. I don't see this being a successful project by any means. Couldn't picture anyone dishing over that kind of money to live in a cave.

It looks pretty different from the rendering

It could be successful just because of it's location alone. It is one unit per floor, so they don't need to find too many buyers, but they do need to find well healed buyers because they go for over a million each.

I am thinking they could get people to buy just based on the location and if the interiors are nice

[bushman61988]

Originally Posted by mello

Mi Arbilito needs to have a death match with Allegro Tower for America's most but ugly residential tower of the New Millenium. I am absolutely appalled by that buildings design. Who would want to live in that thing, it would be embarrassing. Your friends drive by and snicker "Ha look what Dave is living in for a couple of million". No view at all to the west and south.... Amazing.

LOL, that would actually be a really difficult choice, and a TRUE deathmatch! But at least Allegro Tower looks reasonably descent at night, and from the bay, I would say it's Sub-Par, but not absolutely disgusting like Mi Arbolito (and what a stupid name! My Little Tree?! For a Residential Tower?!)

Originally Posted by malsponger

I can understand why the North and East sides of the building would be left windowless considering theyre right on the border of the other lots around it. However, you'd think an architect would make up for it and let tons of light in from the South and West sides of the building, not to mention the downtown skyline, bay and balboa park. It looks like the prison downtown across from Meridian! I can't believe a renown architecture firm with such good projects under their belts designed this.

Big screw up in my book. I don't see this being a successful project by any means. Couldn't picture anyone dishing over that kind of money to live in a cave.

I seriously think that the downtown prison looks a HELL of a lot better than Mi Arbolito

[OhGreatOne]

The city fathers in San Diego would do well do jettison their 500 foot (152 m) height limits.

[malsponger]

Originally Posted by bushman61988

I seriously think that the downtown prison looks a HELL of a lot better than Mi Arbolito

LOL.

Regarding Allegro Tower. I think it's at least much more functional. You gotta realize if you put units or windows on the backside of the building, as soon as a building goes up behind it which it will, you can kiss the desireability of those units goodbye. Once a building goes up it'll look fine, until then, its quite the eye sore. I might be of a rare breed but I don't think the front side of it looks all that bad. I wouldn't want to see every building looking like that but it's different and I think it works. Industrial contemporary I guess you could call it.





About 150 times better than Mi Arbolito if you ask me. It's funny cause in some of the interior renderings it shows the place has more windows than what the floor plan looks like now. Maybe they went cheap and didnt wanna cover the thing in as much glass?

[HurricaneHugo]

Originally Posted by OhGreatOne

The city fathers in San Diego would do well do jettison their 500 foot (152 m) height limits.

It's not the city's, it's the FAA's.