Daily Business Report: April 4, 2022
CEDARst plans $74.4 million, 190-unit
residential development in North Park
CEDARst Companies, a multifamily developer, announced plans to bring a new ground-up residential development to San Diego’s North Park neighborhood.
4135 Park Blvd. is expected to break ground later this month and open its doors 24 months after construction begins.
The 205,000 square foot, $74.4 million project includes a seven-story midrise building that will offer a wide range of amenities, including a café, fitness center, spacious lounge, game room, and exterior deck with a pool, hot tub, cabanas, and communal kitchen.
4135 Park Blvd. is in a Qualified Opportunity Zone and is one of several CEDARs properties under contract in the San Diego region
Bridge Investment Group is an equity partner in the 190-unit project and BMO Harris Bank is the project lender. Construction will be managed by general contractor Suffolk Construction, and the project’s architect is Studio E.
Top Photo: Rendering of project at 4135 Park Blvd., San Diego.
Julie Neward reappointed to State Council
on Developmemtal Disabilities
Julie Neward, 41, of San Marcos, has been reappointed to the State Council on Developmental Disabilities by Gov. Gavin Newsom. She has served on the council since 2019.
Neward has been property manager for Federal Realty Investment Trust since 2020. She was portfolio manager for Kilroy Realty from 2019 to 2020, property manager for Urban Retail from 2016 to 2019 and general manager for Madison Marquette from 2015 to 2016. Neward was property manager at Macerich from 2014 to 2015, property manager for Shea Properties in 2014 and assistant property manager at Westfield from 2009 to 2014.
Neward is a board member and founder of The California Sibling Leadership Network, “CaliforniaSibs” and project founder of The Natalie Project. She earned an International Master of Business Administration degree from the University of San Diego. The position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Neward is a Democrat.
SDSU joins research on tribal video game participation
San Diego State University is part of a partnership launching a national survey on American Indian tribal participation in video games and esports.
The Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming in the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management is funding a pilot project by incoming Assistant Professor Brandon Mastromartino to help the university, the Sycuan Institute, and tribal communities understand the breadth and depth of video gaming participation across Indian Country. The school is in SDSU’s College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA).
“This project with Project Quipu to gauge the scope of participation in video games and esports in Indian Country extends the Sycuan Institute’s commitment to produce academic research related to tribal government gaming and to engage in public policy work related to tribal return on community and nation-building,” said Katherine Spilde, endowed chair of the Sycuan Institute.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir to speak
at UC San Diego commencement
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir will serve as keynote speaker at the University of California San Diego’s 2022 All Campus Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, June 11. The UC San Diego alumna credits her experience at the university—where she studied marine biology at Scripps Institution of Oceanography—with preparing her for a career spent conducting bold research.
Meir completed a six-month expedition in 2020 to the International Space Station and was recently selected as a member of NASA’s 2025 Artemis moon exploration program.
She fulfilled her lifelong goal of spacewalking on Oct. 18, 2019, when she and fellow astronaut Christina Koch conducted the world’s first all-female spacewalk. The two astronauts made history as they ventured outside the station—attached via safety tethers—to replace a faulty battery charger. People around the world tuned in via livestream to watch the incredible seven-hour feat, the first of three spacewalks completed by the two women.
San Diego Botanic Garden to create a national
medicinal plants collection and consortium
The San Diego Botanic Garden, in collaboration with Salk scientists, launched a national medicinal plants collection and research consortium made possible by a $384,000 grant from the Conrad Prebys Foundation.
The consortium’s goal is to acquire and grow at least 500 new medicinal plants, develop comprehensive living pant collection protocols to optimize drug discovery, and establish a garden to teach botanic garden visitors about medicinal plants.
“In the coming months, we will organize a San Diego-based consortium of scientists and stakeholders from plant biology institutions, drug development researchers, and experts on traditional uses of plant medicines,” said SDBG President and CEO Ari Novy, PhD, who also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Salk Institute. “This group will help guide the development, curation, and use of a diverse, medicinal plant collection, with the goal of improving human health outcomes and plant conservation. The collection will also be available to medical and botanical resea
Cue Health and Major League Baseball
expand league-wide testing partnership
San Diego-based Cue Health, a health care technology company, and Major League Baseball announced a national partnership that expands Cue’s support of the league-wide COVID-19 testing program. As MLB’s at-home testing solution, Cue will provide Major League Clubs as well as the MLB league office with its integrated care platform, featuring both the portable and reusable Cue Health Monitoring System (Reader) and the most accurate COVID-19 self-test.
Cue’s molecular test uses nucleic acid amplification technology (NAAT) to provide lab-quality results directly to connected mobile devices in 20 minutes. Cue can detect all known COVID-19 variants of concern and can be used on people ages 2 years and over, with or without symptoms.
“Major League Baseball, like other world-class organizations, continues to turn to Cue for testing when the stakes are high and when accuracy, speed, and reliability cannot be compromised,” said Ayub Khattak, co-founder and CEO of Cue Health.
KB Home announces grand opening
of single-family homes in San Marcos
KB Home announced the grand opening of Ridgeview, a new single-family home community in San Marcos. The one- and two-story homes at Ridgeview showcase popular design characteristics like gourmet kitchens overlooking large rooms, expansive bedroom suites with walk-in closets, and ample storage space. The community’s floor plans feature up to five bedrooms and four baths, and range in size from approximately 2,200 to 2,900 square feet.
The Ridgeview sales office and model homes are open for walk-in visits and private in-person tours by appointment. Homebuyers also have the flexibility to arrange a live video tour with a sales counselor. Pricing begins from $1.3 million.
City of San Diego revives Commission on the Status of Women
The City of San Diego is reviving he Commission on the Status of Women, which has been inactive for more than two decades.
Created to advise the mayor, City Council and other agencies of city government, the Commission on the Status of Women will help address the needs of women in the San Diego area and recommend programs designed to alleviate any inequities that may confront women in social, economic and vocational pursuits.
First established in 1973 as the “Advisory Board on the Status of Women” and subsequently revived and renamed in 1991, the commission has been inactive with the last of expiring terms ending in 2001. Its revival reflects city leaders’ commitment to equity and ensuring San Diego women are positioned for success.
Re-establishing the Commission on the Status of Women is a great first step to ensure a more equitable future for San Diego’s women,” said Councilwoman Marni von Wilpert. “Until we achieve true equity for women in our country, it’s up to leaders at every level of government to act and I am proud that we as a city are recommitting to achieving gender equity here at home.”
School of Public health at SDSU draws a top 20 ranking
San Diego State University’s School of Public Health, which participated in the forefront of the County of San Diego’s COVID-19 testing, prevention and mitigation efforts, is No. 19 in new rankings of the nation’s best graduate programs by U.S. News & World Report.
The College of Education received a first-ever ranking of No. 26 in educational administration, a category that encompasses its graduate program in educational leadership, and the college itself rose to No. 52 overall in the publication’s 2023 Best Graduate Schools.
The College of Engineering’s aerospace engineering program climbed into the top 50 of its list, released March 29.
The No. 52 ranking for the College of Education is up from No. 55 last year.
USD ranks among the best graduate
business and law schools in U.S.
The University of San Diego (USD) jumped in Graduate School rankings for the 2023 U.S. News and World Report in both the Best Law School category (#64 from #86) and the Best Business School category (#85 from #92).
The Law-Full Time program jumped by 22 points, ranking the program #64 in the country and #9 in California. The Full-Time MBA at the University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business earned the #1 spot for MBA programs in San Diego and #9 in all of California.
According to the U.S. News & World Report, the rankings are designed for prospective students looking to further their education beyond college.
