The Quiet Zone Act stretches from Laurel Street, all the way to Park Boulevard and will reduce the places that the trains have to blow there horns, which can reach up to 120 decibels (a gun shot registers at 140 db).  The construction will begin this August and is supposed to be completed by November of 2011.

Built in 1992, the Harbor Club towers are each 41 stories high and offer some of the best city and bay views that downtown San Diego has to offer.  The Harbor Club is unique in a variety of ways.  For starters, each high rise has at most, only three condos per floor.  On a typical floor, either Harbor Club tower consists of A) a 1,036 sqft one bedroom, one bath condo, B) a 1,572 sqft two bedroom, two bath condo and C) a 1,474 sqft two bedroom, two bath “bubble” unit. The Harbor Club bubble units are on the southern most side of the building and has a circular wall of glass that overlooks the San Diego bay.

One some floors, there are only two condos per floor.  Some people have combined the one bedroom and the bubble unit, creating a 2,510 sqft condo which offers three full bathrooms and some incredible views.  These floors would also have the larger 1,572 sqft two bedroom, two bath condo that face towards the outside of the towers(east in the 200 Harbor Drive tower and west on the 100 Harbor Drive tower).  On higher floors, the Harbor Club has two equally sized condos, which either take the east or west side of the building.  These half-floor condos are 2,085 sqft feet and have two bedrooms and two and one half bathrooms.  Additionally, the harbor Club offers whole floor condos if you need even more space.

What I like about the Harbor Club, is it’s classic feel.  Now this might not make much sense to you now, but once you enter the building and walk through it, you’ll know what I mean.  As you approach the building, you’ll be greeted by some of the friendliest concierges and staff you’ll come across, who will open the front door for you.  The Harbor Club condos by the way, are the only self-managed condos downtown, that I’m aware of.  Once inside, you’ll see a quaint lobby that leads to the two elevators that service the tower.  The Harbor Club amenities are all located on the 6^th floor.  The two highrises share a swimming pool, hot tub, community room, out door BBQ areas, fitness center and a sauna.

The draw back to this building however, would have to be the windows.  The Harbor Club condos were built in 1992 and only have single pane windows.  This means two things – it get hotter/colder than a newer building with dual, or triple, pane windows and external noise is more noticeable.  Additionally, the windows in these downtown San Diego condos do not do much.  They’re only small windows/vents and they do not provide much ventilation.  With that said, I still love this building and wouldn’t mind calling it home.

Click here to see which Harbor Club condos are for sale.

At 1,036 sqft, the Harbor Club one bedroom condos are some of the largest one bedrooms in all of downtown San Diego(the Meridian has some that are around 1300 sqft!).  The thing that I like about the Harbor Club condos is that they’re in a great, convenient location and the building is truly one of a kind.  With only three or fewer condos per floor, you don’t have the long apartment-like hallway feel.  The Harbor Club staff are some of the best in town and the pool area is also great.

The one bedroom condos at the Harbor Club face inwards – the 100 and 200 Harbor Drive towers are mirror images with the one bedrooms facing each other.  The one bedrooms in the 100 Harbor Drive(the west tower) high rise face east and have some very nice city and partial bay views.  These condos end in ‘06, the prefix indicating the floor number.  In the eastern 200 Harbor Drive tower, the one bedrooms end in ‘03 and face west.  The ‘03 one bedrooms have incredible bay views(from about the 10th floor and up) which are very protected.  I personally prefer the one bedrooms in the east tower because they are less obstructed by the west tower.  The way the 100 and 200 towers are positioned, the 100 tower is slightly further north and the one bedrooms face slightly south.  The 200 tower one bedrooms face south as well(and west), but since the tower is further south than the 100 tower, you’re seeing more water than building.  Have I lost you yet?

What I’m trying to say is that in addition to having a south west view, the one bedrooms in the east tower of the Harbor Club are less obstructed by nearby buildings.  And while these one bedrooms only come with one bathroom, they make up for in living space.  These condos, especially from about the 10th floor and up, offer some great, protected bay views.  If you’re looking for a one bedroom, definitely check out the Harbor Club.

Click here to see condos for sale at the Harbor Club

The following updates are based on the San Diego Union Tribune’s April 26th, 2009 edition.

Pacific Gateway – This is the Navy Broadway complex, located just south of Broadway, between Pacific Hwy and North Harbor Drive.  According to the UT, the $1.7 billion project should have all it’s legal issues resolved by the end of the year.  There was no indication as to when construction would actually begin, but my guess is not until at least 2011.

The Pacific Gateway complex is supposed to bring 1.5 million square feet of office and retail space(some of which will be occupied by the Navy) and 1,400 more hotel rooms.  To put that into perspective, the new Hilton Bayfront in downtown San Diego is 30 stories and has 1,190 rooms.

The U.S. Courthouse – located at Broadway and Union, this 467,000 square foot building should break ground this June.  The new court house is expected to cost about $412 million dollars.

The State Courthouse – the UT reports that downtown San Diego’s State courthouse will probably begin construction in 2012.  This courthouse will cost an estimated $1.2 billion dollars, providing 703,000 square feet which will replace the existing county courthouse-jail complex.  This building will be located at Union and C Street.

Lindbergh Field - the addition of a second terminal at the San Diego airport will undergo a budget review on July 2nd.  Assuming all goes well this summer, construction is anticipated to begin this year and should be completed by 2013.

North Embarcadero Visionary Plan – Phase one of this $228 million project is set to begin this Fall. This first phase will target the areas between Broadway and B St, in an attempt to widen the sidewalks on Harbor Drive and “improve landscaping.”

Lane Field – what’s been talked about for years is still, well, being talked about.  The $400 million deal to build two hotels just north of Broadway, between North Habor Drive and Pacific Hwy, is set to expire this year.  An extension is expected, but not without better financing options.  I don’t see anything happening for several year – good news for all you people living at The Grande and Electra!

Broadway and B Street Piers – The $28 million Broadway pier should begin construction in July and the B Street pier will follow.  The goal is to add a cruise ship terminal and improve San Diego’s ability to accommodate the growing cruise ship industry.

Old San Diego Police Head Quarters – The old police headquarters is the pinkish 1930s looking building, located on North Harbor Drive at Pacific Hwy.  Terramar is supposed to develop the 21.3 acres, but final lease terms are being negotiated.  The land will be used to host more retail, restaurant and public space.

Please let me know if you have any questions/suggestions.  Thanks.

Denny Oh 858-243-2092  denny@sandiegoh.com

This Centurion Properties highrise offers a welcomed change from the typical Bosa condo layouts.  Located just to the north east of The Grande condos and to the south east of Bosa’s Bayside, Sapphire Tower still gets great, unobstructed water views.  The highrise sits right in between the to towers and looks right out onto the bay.  Sapphire Tower also has great city views to the north, east and south.

What I like most about Sapphire Tower is the design – it has high ceilings, open floorplans and floor to ceiling windows.  If you like Pinnacle, you’ll love Sapphire Tower – they have the same architecture.  These finishes at Sapphire Tower remind me of the Metropolitan.  And while I love the look of the condos here, Sapphire Tower did skimp a little.  For example, they used really cheap, hollow core doors.  Now this isn’t a huge deal, but if you’ve ever been into a Bosa building, or practically any other high-end San Diego highrise, you’ll be able to see the difference immediately.  Centurion Properties also got cheap on the flooring.  Some condos at Sapphire Tower have carpet in the living areas, which I think is a huge mistake.  Buyer’s who are spending big bucks shouldn’t have to pay more for wood floors.

The pool area is ok, but I’d expect something nicer in a luxury highrise…then again, I guess you can’t really expect much with such a small building footprint.  The lobby is so so, again, nothing spectacular.  I have no problems with this, but I imagine some people will be turned off by the casual decor.  I’m not asking for something like Electra’s Conservatory, but something would have been nice.

All in all, I think Sapphire Tower is a great condo tower.  The important things(location, floorplans, views, etc) are great and the not so great items can be upgraded/fixed.  I think my favorite layout is the Penthouse A floorplan.  These condos are part of the Penthouse Series and are located on the north side of floors 24–32 of the Sapphire Tower.  Ranging from 2,939–2,976 square feet, you’ll have plenty of room to entertain.

The Penthouse B floorplans are pretty much the same, but are slightly smaller – 2,801–2,919 square feet and on the south side of the tower.  Another nice thing about these Penthouse floorplans, is that there are only two condos per floor.  This also means that you enter your penthouse, straight from the elevator – no hallways!  Oh yeah, these Sapphire Tower penthouses have 2 bedrooms, a den and 3 bathrooms, not just the standard 2 or 2.5 bathrooms.

The Sapphire Series, floors 8–23, also offer some incredible views and some good sized condos.  With only four condos per floor, each condo is a corner unit, giving a variety of vantage points.  My favorite condo in this series is the Sapphire A floorplan, which is similar to the Penthouse A floorplan, but smaller.  These condos range from 1,765–1,944 square feet and are on the north west corner of the building.  The Sapphire D floorplan is similar, but slightly smaller and on the south west corner.  These 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condos range from 1,535–1,707 square feet.

The last two floorplans in the Sapphire Series are the Sapphire B and Sapphire C floorplans.  The 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom Sapphire B floorplan is on the north east corner of the highrise and range from 1,283–1,538 square feet. The Sapphire C floorplan is on the south east corner of the highrise and are 1 bedroom, 1 bath condos.  These range from 903–1,100 square feet.

Floors 5–7 are called the Cosmopolitan Series and have six condos per floor.  There are two bedrooms, one bedrooms and studios.  These condos range from 505–1,765 square feet.

With less than half of the building sold and it’s neighbor, Bayside, finishing up, I think we’ll see some deals being made.  Bosa is selling off it’s remaining inventory at The Legend and at Electra so that they can focus all their efforts on Bayside, which will being closing units in June.  Sapphire Tower has already closed on some units and there are more to come.

If you have any questions about Sapphire Tower, or any other real estate in San Diego, please contact Denny Oh at 858–243–2092 or denny@sandiegoh.com

Click here to read more about the Sapphire Tower condos in downtown San Diego

Click here to see what’s currently for sale at the Sapphire Tower condos(not all condos that are for sale are listed – contact Denny Oh for a full list).

As a result, San Diego’s airport will see an additional 10 gates and 3,500 parking spaces added to the busy Lindbergh Field.  The plan has estimated a budget of over $1 billion dollars, but according the the SDDT, “it may cost another $4 billion to build out the airport [which} would soon be gridlocked.”

Iraj Ghaemi, the Airport Authority’s director, fears that this is only a short term fix and that San Diego will need to find a new solution by 2025.  The once proposed relocation to Miramar air base would have costed $7.3 billion, but never made it past the 2006 polls.

For now, the small but conveniently located, Lindbergh Field will continue to service San Diego county.  Ghaemi stated that the airport currently “generates $10 billion and 6,000 jobs” and occupies 661 acres.  I guess we’ll see what happens…

According to the San Diego Daily Transcript(9/26/08), the San Diego Convention Center Corporation recently voted to begin an 8.5 acre expansion to the Downtown San Diego Convention Center.  This will add up to 500,000 square feet of meeting space, to the existing 2.6 million square foot facility.  The Downtown San Diego Convention Center is a popular meeting venue and the expansion is long over due. 

This expansion is crucial in the growth and development of the Downtown area.  According to Mayor Jerry Sanders, “For every $1 of tax revenue invested in the facility, it has returned $2.36 in tax revenues this past year.”  Clearly, this is a good investment. 

Started by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in 1971, London was introduced to the first Hard Rock Cafe. As it’s popularity grew, the founders moved overseas and began to expand their franchise in 1982. The two opened several more HRCs together, but eventually Tigrett sold off his share of the company. Morton however, continued to expand and in 1995, he opened the first ever Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. As we all know, this was a huge success and has been monumental in growing the Hard Rock image.

The Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, again, is a condo-hotel. This means that each room is owned as a fee simple property, but the condos are hotel rooms and can be rented out. Imagine a 4 Star hotel in an incredible location, add the fact that it’s in an even better location(sunny San Diego) and then add the fact that you can own a part of – that’s the Hard Rock San Diego. And did I mention that it’s a HARD ROCK HOTEL?

There are 420 rooms that consist of studios, one bedrooms and for those who really want to party, there are the Rock Star Suites. Owners at the Hard Rock Hotel, Rock Royalty, have priority access to the Gerber bars and to Nobu. They also get first dibs on concerts and events that come to the Hard Rock.

Located across the street from the San Diego Convention Center(which is expanding) and in the heart of the famous San Diego Gaslamp Quarter, the San Diego Hard Rock is an incredible venue. Patrons can enjoy a drink at the Sweetwater Saloon, or go upstairs to the rooftop and enjoy drinks at Moonstone Lounge. During the summer, the Hard Rock Hotel hosts Intervention, which is San Diego’s slightly tamer version of ReHab in Las Vegas.

And if you’re looking for a place to stay midweek for business, the Hard Rock has you covered. With over 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space (and more on the way), you’ll be well taken care of. The hotel has multiple meeting/event spaces and is the perfect destination for those who work hard and play hard. And don’t worry, if you’re over worked, or hung over, you can go and relax at the Rock Spa or work it out at the gym.

If you’re hungry, you can stop in at Maryjane’s, Pinkberry, or grab some incredible sushi at the Nobu. Owners like the Black Eyed Peas and Shawne Merriman often frequent the hotel, and other celebrities such Jessica Biel and Matthew McConaughey have also been spotted there.

Having such huge names (Hard Rock, Nobu and Rande Gerber) come to Downtown San Diego is a clear sign that we’re growing up. Whether you’re in town for business or pleasure, or you live down the street, the Hard Rock Hotel is a great place to be.

Contact Denny Oh for more info at 858–243–2092 or denny@sandiegoh.com

Click here to search the Hard Rock Hotel listings.

*photos courtesy of Hard Rock Hotel