Daily Business Report-March 13, 2015
The Prado has been called ‘the heart & soul’ of the Cohn Restaurant Group’s entire collection.
The Prado’s Classic Restaurant
Style Comes to Lindbergh Field
A taste of Balboa Park has moved into San Diego International Airport — sort of. The Prado at the Airport, an eatery based on the award-winning The Prado in Balboa Park, was officially opened on Thursday by the Cohn Restaurant Group and SSP America.
The 1,900-square-foot restaurant is the final concept to open in SSP America’s portfolio of 14 restaurants at the gateway and marks the completion of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s Concession Development Program . The CDP refurbished the shopping and dining offerings at San Diego International Airport, increasing the number of concession options from 55 to 84, adding local and national favorites such as The Pacifica Breeze Cafe, Panda Express and Jack in the Box.
“The opening of this restaurant marks the culmination of a two-and-a-half-year effort to revamp the shopping and dining experience at the airport,” said Thella F. Bowens, president and CEO of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. “One of our key goals was to seek out dining concepts that pay homage to the kinds of things that make San Diego special, with The Prado being a prime example.”
The Prado has been called “the heart & soul” of the Cohn Restaurant Group’s entire collection. Named one of “America’s Best Restaurants” by Gourmet Magazine, At the airport, the full-service restaurant will feature Executive Chef Jonathan Hale’s menu of Modern American grill classics combined with seasonal California influences.
“The Prado has been a staple in San Diego for 15 years and we’re happy to be expanding the brand to a second location to offer guests another wonderful dining option at the airport,” said David Cohn, founder of the restaurant group.
Port to Celebrate Opening of Park Where
Pacific Coast League Padres Once Played
A special ceremony will be held Monday for the grand opening of Lane Field Park, the Port of San Diego’s newest waterfront park that used to be the home of the Pacific Coast League Padres, who played there from 1936 to 1957.
The 11 a.m. ceremony will have as a special guest, original Pacific Coast League Padres player Rudy Regalado, who played in the final game at Lane Field in September 1957.
The park was conceived as part of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan’s Phase I project as a condition of approval of the project’s Coastal Development Permit. It was built by LFN Developers LLC and designed by Civitas. Ground was broken for the park on May 8, 2014.
The design of the park celebrates its baseball heritage and includes a home plate and pitcher’s mound. Special lighting designates the three bases and at night a path leading the way to each base is illuminated.
A special tribute to Padres legend Ted Williams is incorporated at home plate and the original historical sign designating the baseball park is inlaid near home plate.
The park also features open grassy areas, seating, trees and natural landscaping. A second phase, anticipated to be completed in early 2016, will include public restrooms and concessions.
Stadium Advisory Group Chooses
Mission Valley as Stadium Site
The Citizens’ Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG) announced Thursday that the Mission Valley site is the best choice for a new multi-use stadium. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer had asked the committee to choose between the Downtown site and the Mission Valley site, which is where Qualcomm Stadium is located.
The committee listed 8 reasons why it selected the Mission Valley site.
“Each site has its pros and cons, but for several reasons the Mission Valley location is the best choice for a multi-use stadium,” said CSAG Chairman Adam Day. “For starters, building on this site saves the city approximately $250 million, and it protects the city, the Chargers, and the fans from years of uncertainty.”
Added Day: “The city owns the Mission Valley site, which covers 166 acres of land. A lot of that land could be developed to help pay for the stadium. The development could open up the San Diego River to walking and biking paths. The entire area could become a village within a city — a place for families and tourists to visit year-round. It’s also important to note that the site is already connected to freeways, major roadways, and the trolley.”
The CSAG is now focused on drafting a financing plan, which the committee expects to present to Mayor Faulconer by the end of May.
Port Issues Proposal for Modernization
Of the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal
The Port of San Diego will hold a “scoping” meeting on March 18 to give the public the opportunity to comment on a proposed modernization plan for the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal located off Harbor Drive and Cesar Chavez Parkway.
The proposed plan will create three terminals and bring additional cargo through the terminal within its current specialties of break-bulk cargo such as military and energy parts, refrigerated containers for fresh produce, and clean bulk cargo used in construction. The proposal includes removal of obsolete infrastructure and upgrades facilities in order to handle more cargo efficiently.
“The proposed plan will optimize the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal as a vital, global gateway for imports and exports and boost San Diego’s role as a true global city of the 21st Century,” said the Port of San Diego’s Maritime Director Joel Valenzuela.
The scoping meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Port District Administration Building’s Training Room, 3165 Pacific Highway.
Housing Market Overview Program
Selma Hepp, senior economist with the California Association of Realtors, will be the featured speaker at the 2015 Housing Market Overview program on March 17 sponsored by the Pacific Southwest Association of Realtors. It will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at PSAR’s East County Service Center, 1150 Broadway, in El Cajon.
Hepp will discuss the local housing market and forecast trends for 2015, including the latest research in housing and urban economics, foreclosures and demographic trends. At CAR, she works with the Research and Economics Group, which produces comprehensive research and analysis of housing market and economic trends, member and consumer surveys and the impact of real estate regulatory and legislative policy. She is a recognized expert in the latest academic research in housing, as well as international housing markets.
Cost to attend is $10 per person for PSAR members and $15 per person for non-members. For more information, call PSAR at (619) 579-0333 or visit www.psar.org.
City Wins Legal Challenge
To Marijuana Ordinance
The City Attorney’s Office successfully defended the city’s medicinal marijuana ordinance against a lawsuit by a Los Angeles group that claimed the ordinance violates the California Environmental Quality Act.
The Union of Medical Marijuana Patients argued that, by allowing marijuana dispensaries to operate only in designated commercial and industrial areas, the city will force patients to drive long distances and thereby add to traffic and air pollution.
Judge Joel Wohlfeil disagreed, saying that plaintiff’s “flawed” argument assumed an increase in travel to and from dispensaries when no baseline for current travel, or evidence of an increase, were before the court.
In addition, Wohlfeil wrote, the ordinance does nothing to restrict the means by which patients travel to the dispensaries. Instead, the Court found the ordinance only adds another means to obtain medical marijuana.
The first marijuana dispensary permitted under the ordinance is expected to open soon in Otay Mesa. More than a dozen other applicants are working their way through the permitting process.
School of Nursing at Cal State San Marcos
Makes Top 15 List in New Ranking
The School of Nursing at California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) is one of only three in the California State University system to make the top 15 list in a new ranking of nursing schools in the western United States.
The school took the 13th spot in NurseJournal.org’s America’s Best Nursing Schools 2015 — Western Rankings. Criteria included institutional accreditation, National Council Licensure Examination pass rate, undergraduate and graduate degrees offered, tuition, convenience, student retention rate and salary of graduates.
“We have an exceptional nursing school where students get a quality education,” said school director Denise Boren. “We have a great faculty and the programs are rigorous. We focus on research and evidence-based practice.”
California Supreme Court to Review
SANDAG’s Transportation Plan
The state Supreme Court has agreed to review an appellate court ruling that the San Diego Association of Government’s 40-year transportation plan did not meet requirements for reducing greenhouse emissions, the agency announced Thursday.
SANDAG’s 2050 regional transportation plan, which called for $214 billion in transportation investments, was finalized in 2011.
However, the Cleveland National Forest Foundation and other environmental groups challenged its environmental impact report in court. Environmentalists also contend the plan prioritizes freeway expansion over public transportation.
In November, a three-judge panel split 2-1 against SANDAG’s Regional Transportation Plan, with the majority saying the environmental impact report needed more analysis.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to grant review is a key step forward to help clarify state law on greenhouse gas emissions,” SANDAG Chairman Jack Dale said. “The appellate court decision left agencies throughout the state with questions on what standards to apply. We are hopeful the court will help resolve the confusion.”
The state Supreme Court announced on Wednesday it would hear arguments on whether the transportation plan’s environmental impact report must include an analysis of its consistency with the California Environmental Quality Act’s greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, according to SANDAG.
— City News Service
Topping Off Ceremony March 20
For Viejas Casino’s 2nd Hotel
A topping off ceremony will be held March 20 at noon for Viejas Casino’s new $50 million hotel, which is in its final construction stages.
The new hotel with state-of-the-art ballroom and meeting facilities is scheduled to open by year-end. Guests of the new hotel will enjoy 104 deluxe rooms and five luxury suites, including a 2,000 square foot Entertainment Suite.
Also featured in the development will be an expansion of the casino floor, ushering in over 1,000 new slot machines to the property by December.
Acknowledging the Tribe’s partnerships, community support, and over 400 skilled workers involved in the construction, Viejas Tribal Chairman Robert “Cita” Welch stated, “The addition of the new hotel is vitally important toward promoting the economic self-sufficiency of the tribe, and we are blessed to play a part in contributing to the growth and viability of the San Diego region that we all call home.”
JCJ designed the hotel. The general contractor is Swinerton.
Shea Homes Opening 69-Home
Channel Island Project in Encinitas
Shea Homes is opening 1 Channel Island in Encinitas Saturday with five models that will be built in the 69-home development near the San Diego Botanical Garden.
The homes planned range from 1,955 to 4,052 square feet and are priced from $1.06 million to 1.4 million. There are one- and two-story designs with three to six bedrooms and 2.5 to 4.5 baths on home sites that average over 11,000 square feet.
The architecture is designed to evoke New Zealand and Hawaii, with metal standing roof elements over front porches, exposed rafter tails, eaves and nine different color themes of soft pastels. Other elements include vertical batt and board, as well as shutters, horizontal wood siding, decorative rock, and iron porch and balcony details.
The homes are also designed to meet new efficiency standards, with photovoltaic systems, wiring for an electric car charging station in the garage and tankless water heating systems.
The project is located off Quail Gardens Drive at 820 Channel Island Drive.
Shea Homes is one of the largest private homebuilders in the nation, having built more than 90,000 homes since the company was founded in 1968.
— Times of San Diego
San Diego Tech Coast Angels
Sponsors All-Day Seminar
The San Diego Tech Coast Angels will hold an all-day “Power of Angel Investing” seminar on March 26 designed for prospective and active angel investors. The workshop will provide an overview of the angel investing process, including details of finding, evaluating and structuring deals that lead to success. It will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the offices of Knobbe Martens, 12790 El Camino Real, Suite 100, San Diego.
“This program is designed for prospective, as well as active, angel investors who are interested in early stage investing toward not only returns but also to positively impact the innovation economy and helping to create jobs here in the San Diego area,” said Jeff Draa, president of San Diego Tech Coast Angels.
Headlining the program will be Bill Payne, an active angel investor, board member and adviser to entrepreneurs.
Personnel Announcements
Rich Horner Joins New Children’s Museum
Former board member Rich Horner is shifting from volunteer to full-time staff as he joins the leadership team at The New Children’s Museum as the director of development.
Horner will be responsible for the stewardship of donors and developing a future growth platform. Prior to joining the staff, he was a long-time supporter of the museum, not only as a donor but as a board member for five years. He chaired the finance and audit committee.
Before joining the museum, Horner worked in the corporate world for 30 years. He started his career with Xerox Corp. and left to start his own company with another colleague and grew the business from $1 million to $60 million over the next 20 years and created over 300 jobs in seven different cities. The business was acquired by Xerox Corp. and Horner stayed on for three years building out a Healthcare Business Unit.
