Daily Business Report-April 16, 2021
Port of San Diego advances Sunroad’s proposed Harbor Island East Hotel
The Board of Port Commissioners has approved an option to lease agreement with Sunroad Hotel Partners for the proposed Harbor Island East Hotel that would be built on a seven and a half-acre parcel next to Sunroad Resort Marina on Harbor Island.
Sunroad is proposing to develop a 450-room hotel with two yet-to-be-determined brands on East Harbor Island: a 12-level wing with extended stay rooms and a 15-level wing with limited service rooms. Amenities open to the public would include a walk-up restaurant and bar area accessible via the sidewalk on Harbor Island Drive, a 15-foot wide promenade, interior pathways, and an open space area.
There will also be retail shops, parking, and temporary and permanent mini destinations to draw people to and through the hotel and amenities, mobile carts for retail/specialty items and/or food, and game/exercise spots. Amenities for hotel guests include an outdoor swimming pool with jacuzzi spa and outdoor private function space, a fitness center, meeting rooms and ballrooms.
The Port and Sunroad have negotiated a 66-year lease, which would require Sunroad to invest a minimum of $153 million into the hotel project.
For next steps, Port staff is working to finalize a draft Coastal Development Permit for the project and anticipates bringing it to the board for consideration, along with requesting concept approval for the project, potentially in late spring or early summer.
PHOTO: Conceptual rendering of Sunroad’s proposed hotel project on East Harbor Island. (Courtesy: Carrier Johnson + CULTURE)
Short-term vacation rental ordinance for San Diego signed into law
Four months into his administration, Mayor Todd Gloria on April 14 put to rest an issue that had been unnecessarily difficult for city leaders to solve as he signed into law an ordinance regulating short-term vacation rentals.
“These regulations should have been put in place long ago,” Gloria said. “Thanks to the leadership of Council President Jennifer Campbell, who worked closely with me to get the job done, San Diego finally has a clear set of rules governing short-term vacation rentals. Now, the work turns to thoughtful implementation, faithful enforcement and careful monitoring to enhance the quality of life in our neighborhoods.”
As he signed the ordinance at City Hall, he was joined by Campbell, who shepherded the ordinance to a pair of 8-1 council votes on Feb. 23 and April 6. The ordinance puts regulations on the books that seek to protect neighborhoods while providing San Diegans with opportunities to rent out their homes, should they choose to do so.
SANDAG report: Property crime at 41-year low
Property crime in the San Diego region reached a new low in 2020, according to the new annual crime report released by the SANDAG Applied Research Division.
The SANDAG report, “41 Years of Crime in the San Diego Region: 1980 Through 2020,” found property crimes, including burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft, were at a 41-year low. Robbery, which is categorized as a violent crime, was also down in 2020.
Homicide and aggerated assault increased from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, there were 115 homicides in the San Diego region, up 35 percent from 85 in 2019. The number of aggravated assaults increased 8 percent.
The SANDAG report also found that although residential burglaries were down in 2020, non-residential burglaries were up, consistent with more people adhering to the statewide stay home order and temporary business closures.
While property crime rates were at a historic low in 2020, nearly one in every 68 residents was a victim of a property crime reported to local law enforcement.
According to the new SANDAG report, in 2020, an average of $546,000 was stolen per day in property crimes.
Meredith Montrose joins Dinsmore & Shohl as associate
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP has welcomed associate Meredith Montrose to the firm’s San Diego office. She will practice with Dinsmore’s national litigation and insurance defense groups.
Montrose comes to Dinsmore from Wingert Grebing Brubaker & Juskie LLP, where she worked on legal malpractice, personal injury and general commercial litigation claims. She is active with the San Diego Defense Lawyers as well as the Lawyers Club of San Diego.
Dinsmore’s San Diego office opened in 2015 and has welcomed several new attorneys in recent years. The addition of Montrose follows a nationwide trend that has seen Dinsmore grow by more than 200 attorneys since 2014 and open offices in six different states since 2017.
Outside the office, Montrose teaches barre, a form of physical exercise, and is learning to surf. She earned her J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and received her B.B.A. in economics from Baylor University Hankamer School of Business.
Navy decommissions USS Bonhomme Richard
The Navy held a decommissioning ceremony for amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) at Naval Base San Diego April 14.
The ceremony highlighted the history of the ship, its crew, and their legacy. Bonhomme Richard was the third ship to bear the name. It was named in honor of John Paul Jones’ famous frigate, named the French equivalent for “Good man Richard.” This was in honor of Benjamin Franklin, the U.S. Ambassador to France at the time. The name Bonhomme Richard is derived from Franklin’s pen name.
Like the previous five Wasp-class ships, Bonhomme Richard was designed to embark, deploy, and land elements of a Marine landing force in amphibious assault operations by helicopter, landing craft, or amphibious vehicles.
Alicia Garza to deliver keynote address at UCSD commencement
Author, political strategist and organizer Alicia Garza will serve as keynote speaker at UC San Diego’s Commencement 2021 ceremonies, which will be held June 12-13.
A UC San Diego alumna and co-founder of The Black Lives Matter Global Network, Garza believes Black communities deserve what all communities deserve—to be powerful in every aspect of their lives.
Ceremonies will be held for each undergraduate college as well as the Graduate Division, Rady School of Management and the School of Global Policy and Strategy.
Events will reflect the culture of each college and division, and will feature an address from the Chancellor, a keynote talk by Garza, and a student speaker.
Graduates can find more details on the Commencement 2021website.
Jackie Robinson Day grant supports new
Black women entrepreneur initiative
In honor of Jackie Robinson Day, The San Diego Foundation and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) announced a $42,000 grant to the Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce (CSDBCC) in support of a new initiative to support Black women entrepreneurs in San Diego.
“Black women entrepreneurs are among the fastest-growing group of women-owned businesses, but they still face the dual challenges of racial and gender discrimination,” said Tashonda Taylor, SDG&E’s vice president of customer operations. “We remember #42 for breaking the color barrier in professional baseball, but he also opened the door for greater equity and diversity in business as the first Black vice president of a major American corporation after baseball. In his honor, we hope this grant will contribute to greater equity for Black women-owned business in the San Diego region.”
This grant is in addition to the Black Business Relief Grant Fund, launched in June of 2020 by the CSDBCC to provide pandemic relief to thousands of San Diego Black business owners. Supported by the City of San Diego, SDG&E, The San Diego Foundation, Sony Electronics, the San Diego Padres, Cox Communications, and several other individuals and organizations, the Fund provided assistance to 200 small, Black-owned businesses.
