Daily Business Report-June 14, 2017
G.J. Gardner Homes, a Central Valley-based home building company, has unveiled 10 Granny Flat home designs to be built throughout the state of California.
‘Granny Flats’ May Spread
Under San Diego Proposal
Times of San Diego
A proposal to reduce regulations on San Diego homeowners who want to build so-called “companion units” on their properties is scheduled to go before the City Council’s Smart Growth and Land Use Committee today.
The prospective municipal code amendments are in response to state laws that took effect recently seeking to ease California’s housing crunch. According to a city staff report, the proposal would both conform city regulations with the new state law, and go further with some extra incentives for homeowners.
The units, also termed “accessory dwelling units” or more commonly known as “granny flats,” could be conversions or additions to existing residences or garages, or an entirely new structure built on a property.
Supporters tout their low cost, small environmental footprint, flexibility in an era in which family members come and go, and ability to generate rental income for homeowners who could be cash-strapped or on fixed incomes.
Under the proposed rules, companion units could be up to 1,200 square feet, but no more than half the size of the existing structure if attached to it and would not be subject to additional water or sewer fees.
Additional parking would not be required if certain conditions were met, including proximity to public transportation. The city also proposes to add a junior unit category, which sets rules for structures up to 500 square feet in size.
The city’s Planning Commission gave its blessing to the regulations last month. The panel recommended a minimum 30-day rental period, that the main house be occupied by the owner and, to the extent legally possible, minimizing front yard parking, excessive hardscaping and extended curb cuts.
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Friars Road Mixed-Use Project Gets
OK from San Diego Planning Commission
A 319-unit mixed-use project proposed for Friars Road in Mission Valley has received approval from the San Diego Planning Commission. Latitude 33 Planning and Engineering and Tucker Sadler Architects are the development team.
The Friars Road project will be located on a 5.43-acre site directly across from Fashion Valley Mall and the Fashion Valley Transit Center. It will consist of two buildings with eight and nine stories of residential homes, over two stories of parking and six shopkeeper units. The homes will provide several amenities, including exercise, recreational, and concierge services. The project is designed to achieve LEED Silver Certification.
“The buildings are designed to reflect the natural topography of the hillsides. The rooflines swoop and undulate as the bluff does today,” said Greg Mueller, CEO and principal of Tucker Sadler Architects.
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Construction Starts on $39M Reconstruction
of Skyline School in Solana Beach
Balfour Beatty US joined the Solana Beach School District to kick off the reconstruction of the district’s oldest school, Skyline School in Solana Beach, at a groundbreaking ceremony on June 9. Together with the project architect, Davy Architecture, Balfour Beatty presented a donation to the Solana Beach Schools Foundation to help pay for a future garden shed located on the school’s property.
Balfour Beatty is providing lease-lease back services to oversee the demolition and reconstruction of the new $39 million, 75,239-square-foot facility consisting of one, two-story classroom building with 27 classrooms, a media center, technology lab, art room and administration/student services. It also will include a kindergarten building with four classrooms, a STREAM (science, technology, research, engineering, arts and math) building, and multi-purpose/music and kitchen building. The project scope includes 9.6 acres of site improvements that include an amphitheater, play courts, garden areas, ball courts, and a decomposed granite track and turf field.
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City Council Override Fails
Controversial modifications made by Mayor Kevin Faulconer to the city of San Diego’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year will stand after a pair of override votes by the City Council failed Tuesday. On Friday, Faulconer restored $5 million to fund a special election this fall after it was removed from the spending plan by the council several days earlier. The mayor also slashed the office and programs budgets of council members Barbara Bry and Chris Ward,, who opposed holding a special election. Bry, Ward and their allies on the panel, who voted for the override, harshly criticized the mayor for what they called a “vindictive action.”
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USD to Host Mandela Washington
Fellowship for Young African Leaders
The University of San Diego has been selected as an Institute Partner for the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. eginning in mid-June, University of San Diego will host 25 emerging African leaders and entrepreneurs for a six-week academic and leadership institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The goal of the Mandela Washington Fellowship is to empower the next generation of great African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking, all in line with USD’s mission to create a world of Changemakers. Fellows will arrive at USD on Friday.
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North San Diego Business Chamber Names
New Emerging Leaders Advisory Council
Paige Bryant, assistant director of SDSU CIBER, and Nathan Clookie, account manager-corporate relations for the American Cancer Society, have been appointed co-chairs of the North San Diego Business Chamber’s Emerging Leaders Advisory Council for the 2017-2018 term.
The council is a working board of young professionals that meets monthly to strategically plan and host a quarterly networking and professional development event. The purpose of these events is to assist young professionals in building their professional networks early on in their careers, keeping them tethered to the San Diego region.
New Council members for the 2017-2018 term include:
- Rosemary Reed Kessel, operations director, the National Association of Professional Women.
- Auggie Smith, financial adviser, Merrill Lynch, RB.
- Rhianna Smith, PDM Program Lead, Glanbia Nutritionals.
- Amanda Ojeda, senior development director, Arthritis Foundation.
- Jaclyn Carter, customer success manager, Oracle.
- Yesenia Tanner, design engineer, Northrop Grumman.
- Brett Yacko, outside sales manager, Cox Communications.
- Kimberly Nguyen, Printing Group Systems engineer, HP Inc.
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Personnel Announcements
Higgs Fletcher & Mack Hires 3 Attorneys
Higgs Fletcher & Mack announced the hiring of three new attorneys — Kyle Nageotte, and Ross Bautista — bring the total lawyer count at Higgs to 78.
Kyle Nageotte represents companies of all sizes in a variety of practice areas, concentrating primarily on employment litigation. He has successfully represented employers in a broad range of labor and employment law matters. Nageotte is the chairperson of the California Young Lawyers Association, co-chairs the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association’s annual dinner and awards ceremony and is a member of the University of San Diego School of Law’s LGBT Alumni Scholarship Committee.
Eric Tetrault focuses his real estate law practice on representing sellers, buyers, financial institutions, borrowers, developers, landlords and tenants in the structuring, negotiation and
documentation of transactional matters. This includes commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions, 1031 exchanges, development, financing, leasing and investment formations.
Ross Bautista is a member of Higgs’ Business Litigation practice group with a current emphasis on general business, health care and other related matters. Before Higgs, he was a tax consultant at the world’s largest professional services firm where he served both private and public multinational clients.
Bautista was recognized through awards and scholarships for his academic performance, proficiency in business and corporate law, student leadership and work to support diversity at the University of San Diego.
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Rick Miltimore Elected Partner at Allen Matkins
Rick Miltimore has been elected partner at the law firm of Allen Matkins, working in the firm’s San Diego office.
Miltimore represents private sector clients, including property developers, owners, and financial institutions. He has experience in a broad range of transactional project finance and real estate transactions, including secured lending, commercial leasing, project development, real estate joint venture and equity fund formation and investments, and real estate property acquisitions and dispositions.
Miltimore also representing both landlords and tenants on a variety of leasing matters, including negotiating leases for office space, bio-medical laboratory space, medical office buildings and data centers, as well as build-to-suit construction leases and ground leases.
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Shirley Gardner Appointed Director of Women’s
Services at Sharp Grossmont Hospital
Shirley Gardner has been appointed the new director of women’s services at Sharp Grossmont Hospital. Gardner will oversee Sharp Grossmont Hospital Women’s Health Center, which delivers 4,000 babies annually and was honored with a Women’s Choice Award as one of America’s best hospitals for obstetrics in 2016.
With 25 years of nursing experience, including progressive leadership experience, Gardner has extensive expertise in the areas of labor and delivery, antepartum, mother/baby care, neonatal intensive care, gynecological surgery, pediatrics, lactation and nursing administration.
From December 2016 to present, Gardner worked at the Fountain Valley Medical Center as interim director for labor and delivery, obstetrics, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and pediatrics; and prior she was with Kaiser Permanente as the director for perinatal services for almost three years.
Gardner holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Winona State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Rockville University.
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Ellen Chang Named VP of Operations
for Cognitive Medical Systems
Cognitive Medical Systems, a specialist in Clinical Decision Support software and health care IT infrastructure, has named Ellen Chang as its new vice president of operations. Chang brings more than 25 years of technology experience in the areas of strategy, business development, product development and systems engineering to the firm.
Chang began her career in the U.S. Navy developing analytical strategies for maritime intelligence operations. At mid-career, she left active duty to pursue a business degree and later joined JP Morgan as a banker in its West Coast office. In 1999, Chang left to found a start-up in the aviation industry where the team focused on building a B2B aviation part sourcing and brokerage service focused on business jets.
In 2002, she joined Northrop Grumman and the team designing the Global Hawk, the US Air Force’s first high altitude, long endurance, unmanned aerial system. Through 12 years she held increasing responsibilities throughout a variety of unmanned systems programs that culminated with a position as the director of the Advanced Mission Systems Division, where the charter was to anticipate and develop products that would be relevant 5-10 years out.
Upon leaving Northrop Grumman in early 2015, Chang co-founded Lightspeed Innovations, an accelerator for startup and early stage companies. She is chair of the Wharton Alumni Angel Network Southern California, having earned her Masters in Business Administration from the school in 1998.