One Paseo

Postings on the proposed One Paseo, San Diego project by Kilroy at the corner of El Camino Real and Del Mar Heights Road

The One Paseo Project in Carmel Valley, San Diego

One Paseo - A Main Street for Carmel Valley, San Diego (Kilroy)Kilroy Realty has proposed a super-dense, urban development called One Paseo in our home, the community of Carmel Valley, San Diego. Placed in an area that includes mostly 1 to 2 story buildings, this massive development (see a larger image of One Paseo in Carmel Valley, San Diego) includes 8 and 10 story commercial towers; 4 to 6 story residential blocks; a 10 story residential tower; as much retail as the Del Mar Highlands Town Center; a hotel; a large cinema; and a massive, multi-story parking structure. The developer, Kilroy Realty, continually presents this as a human scale, neighborhood village (see a Kilroy Marketing Rendering of One Paseo), but the reality is far more urban, more suitable for a downtown locale (see the One Paseo model from a Kilroy Investor's Presentation). PS: Yes, I know that this view is slightly out-of-date, but Kilroy won't release anything new. If you want, you can download and read the Kilroy Investor's Presentation Jan 2011 yourself. See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject.

The Fake Grassroots Support for One Paseo

A letter about the fake grassroots support for One Paseo, read it on the Carmel Valley News website. It seems like the PR Firms are continuing to churn out letters and reports of community support for One Paseo, even though many of the sources seems suspicious. The Carmel Valley Main Street website has more.

One Paseo Could Be a 40 Story Building

While One Paseo may not be a 40 story building, the development has the floor space to be one. If you count all the parking, the One Paseo project has over 3.6 Million square feet of developed space. This is enough to build a structure the size of two football fields that is 40 stories high! So, if we built a 40 story building with a 2 acre footprint, we could then have 20 acres of parkland in Carmel Valley. I'm being totally sarcastic here, but which would you rather have? A tall building with a large park, or the One Paseo solution, where lower buildings reduce the open space to almost zero? Would it help if it was a 4 acre building that was 20 stories high?

Street Comparison to One Paseo

This is a street in Barcelona that, while more scenic than One Paseo will ever be, gives a comparison as to how tall the buildings might be on Main Street in Carmel Valley. Actually, many of the One Paseo buildings will be one floor taller. I can imagine something like this downtown, but it really doesn't look like a suburban village street to me.

Carmel Valley Does NOT Support One Paseo!

One Paseo will generate more trafficIt's time for us to stand up and tell Kilroy that their vision of One Paseo is NOT what we want for Carmel Valley. We're willing to agree to a mixed-use project that is appropriate to the community, but not to the monsterous Urban Mall that they've proposed. We don't want a Los Angeles Infill Project. San Diego is a City of Villages, and we want our Village!

Atlantic Times Square

Atlantic Times Square Development

The Atlantic Times Square development in LA (500 N. Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA) is a very urban, very dense development: 600,000 sq ft of space on 7 acres of land (see the Risha Engineering Page and click on the Image above for a larger view). It includes a 14 screen theater, 200,000 sq ft of retail and 210 condos. View the thing in Google Maps. One Paseo will be like 3 of these developments next to each other -- 1,800,000 sq ft of buildings on 22 acres. One Paseo is 600 condos/apartments, 270,000 sq ft retail, a hotel and 2 large office towers.

One Paseo Proposal

When Kilroy talks about Main Street in the One Paseo development being 5 stories of apartments over retail, this is what they mean. Is this what we want in Carmel Valley? It doesn't look very much like a village to me! Check out the "A Better One Paseo" posting to see the difference.

One Paseo - Videos with Alternate Densities

I was looking at the ShowYourLoveSD.com site, where they discuss alternate development in different areas of San Diego. They have some greate videos like This One of University Heights. So, why can't Kilroy provide something like this for One Paseo?

A Better One Paseo

We've spent so much time talking about how the current One Paseo project is bad, that we've forgotten that a scaled-down, mixed use development at this site could be great! It's time that we start telling our side of the story, how Carmel Valley residents aren't against development, we just want something better. For example, look at the above picture. Here's a human-scale Main Street where I could imagine spending time. It's the kind of relaxing, small-town village that we'd all love to visit. If you compare this picture to the massive, 6-story retail and residential block that Kilroy is proposing, you'll see that there are alternatives that still provide mixed use, but at a lower development intensity. So, how about it, Kilroy? San Diego is the "City of Villages", so, where's our village? See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject, and the One Paseo overview image.

One Paseo - Blending with the Character of the Neighborhood?

The One Paseo website shows the above image as an example of how their proposal will blend with the character of our neighborhood in Carmel Valley, after all, they've put residential near other residential, commercial near commercial, and retail near retail. What could be better?!! The problem is, that they don't really show or compare adjacent heights. For example,

  • The existing residential on Del Mar Heights Road is 1 to 2 story condos (East Bluff). One Paseo calls for multiple 4 and 5 story residential blocks across the street.
  • The existing offices at the corner of High Bluff are 1 and 2 story. One Paseo places a 10 story residential tower at this corner, along with a 4 story residential block.
  • The Del Mar Highlands Town Center is 1 and 2 story retail, but One Paseo proposes an 8 story office tower, a 10 story office tower, and another 4 to 5 story residential block across the street!

How on earth is this "Blending with the Character of the Neighborhood"?!! Can you think of anywhere in San Diego where this might fit, other than possibly UTC or Downtown? See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject, and the One Paseo overview image.

One Paseo - What Kilroy is Showing Investors

One Paseo - Carmel Valley, San Diego early Kilroy proposalOne Paseo - Carmel Valley, San Diego Jan 2011 proposal

Kilroy has conveniently placed on their website (inside of a Jan 2011 Kilroy Investor's report covering San Diego) some nice overviews of the One Paseo project in Carmel Valley. So, while they show their investors this Early One Paseo Development Overview and this Later One Paseo Development Overview, they continue to show us One Paseo Marketing Imagry. Look at how massive the development is when presented to investors and compare it to the marketing fluff we get to see. Yes, I know the images are out-of-date, but the newer one isn't that far off. FWIW, I welcome any new photos from Kilroy! See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject and the One Paseo image.

Against One Paseo, It's too Big

If you haven't already noticed, I'm against the One Paseo, San Diego project that Kilroy is proposing to build in Carmel Valley. And, unlike Kilroy, who is probably spending boatloads of money to try to convince you that there is broad community support for this project, and unlike other websites that might have conflicts due to sponsors or financial contributions they receive, I'm a totally independent, totally volunteer voice in the community. No real estate connection, no sponsors, no donations, no support -- just me. And, it's not like I'm a NIMBY sort, or anti-development: I was an early proponent of the idea of having a mixed-use project on this site. When Kilroy mentions that they're only doing this because it's what the community wants, they're talking about me -- literally: I was one of the "community leaders" at the first meeting with Kilroy where they asked if Carmel Valley would be interested in a "mixed use" project at this site. I was picturing a development like the Del Mar Plaza, possibly with a Trader Joes and some restaurants, plus some office buildings, and some residential, so, I said, yes! After all, Carmel Valley doesn't want just another office complex, we want something better!

Unfortunately, the scale of the proposal is now beyond my ability to imagine it. If you want a rough estimate, imagine taking the Town Center shopping center across the street and putting it into this much smaller space. Then add the Pell Place apartments (next to the Rec Center), twice! In addition, add two buildings the size of the Marriott hotel (down by the ARCO) and the 8 story office building next to it, and finally, add the Doubletree hotel across the street! I think that’s roughly the amount of development proposed. I just can't support this much development at this small site. And, the traffic that goes with it! See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject and the One Paseo image.

So, let's ask Kilroy to come back with a reduced, mixed use development that better fits Carmel Valley! I hear they're taking input at talk@onepaseo.com. How about 200 apartments, some restaurants, a community gathering space and a Trader Joe's? We're not against development, but there should be a better idea that gets us something great for the community and allows them to build a profitable center. Anyway, that's my opinion.

Ken Farinsky, Community Volunteer

One Paseo, More Comparisions to Local Developments

One Paseo - Carmel Valley, San DiegoI'm not against the idea of a large, mixed use project in Carmel Valley. In fact, I support the general idea (if it's at the right scale.) However, I believe the developer of the One Paseo, San Diego project is not providing a true picture of what the project will look like, and we deserve full disclosure for a project of this magnitude. So, until Kilroy gives us some good comparisons, I'll continue to look for my own. See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject and the One Paseo image.

Here's a Picture of the La Jolla Crossroads (click for larger image) development in UTC (or, click here for google maps). I first thought this was way too dense for comparison, but I now believe it's not that far off -- 5 stories of residential (One Paseo is 5 to 6 stories), and the four buildings along Sydney Ct. (click for google maps) are about the same length as the Del Mar Heights Road frontage of One Paseo (click for google maps). That is, if you look at the Google Maps view, the 4 buildings on the right are similar in size an scale to what is being proposed for residential development along Del Mar Heights Road in Carmel Valley. Not exact, but similar (I believe these buildings have a bit larger footprint, but the height and density are similar. If Kilroy has a better comparison or any comments, I'd love to post it.)

Update: Kilroy claims that "Most of the residential proposed is 4 stories as it faces the outside community, mirroring the other residential on the other side of Del Mar Heights Road." I don't see how this makes sense. The residential across the street is 2 stories, not 4 or 5. And, their own One Paseo Detailed Site Plan shows 5 and 6 story buildings along Del Mar Heights, although it could be 4 and 5 story, with the 5 and 6 story buildings reserved for "Main Street". And, what about that 10 story residential tower at High Bluff... More info, Kilroy? Please?

As a reality check, here's an image of those same four La Jolla Crossroads buildings overlayed on the One Paseo site (images from Google Maps). I believe I've kept the same scale, you're welcome to check my work:

One Paseo - Carmel Valley, San Diego

One Paseo - Are the Pictures Deceptive?

The One Paseo website and facebook page (One Paseo, San Diego) continue to show us beautiful little vignettes, like this:

The question is, is this a fair depiction of their project, or of the location they show? Well, the building in the background of this image is 4 or 5 residential floors on top of one floor of retail, so it's 5 or 6 stories tall. So, the above picture is sort of like saying that this close-up picture of City Heights Square, a rental development in San Diego.

well, that the above picture is an accurate representation of this larger image, below, which is the same image as above, at the same magnification, with the cropping removed (picture borrowed from the BIA Facebook page, where it was publically posted) :

One Paseo

This is more like what's being proposed at One Paseo, 5 or 6 stories with retail on the first floor. And, I don't know for sure, but I believe the One Paseo development will have TWO or THREE times the number of residential units as the above picture (that is, one of these blocks, next to another, next to yet another), plus more retail and two large office towers. I'd love to have the developer (Kilroy) provide these images, but until then, we'll have to make do with trying to find our own comparisons.

Update: By the way, the One Paseo Facebook is requesting that you send your thoughts and feedback to the following individuals:

Renee Mezo, City of San Diego Project Manager – rmezo@SanDiego.gov
Frisco White, Carmel Valley Community Planning Board – white@wwarch.com
Sherri Lightner, Councilmember – sherrilightner@sandiego.gov

See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject and the One Paseo image.

How Big Main Street

So, we've seen alternative visions of what the One Paseo, San Diego project will be: one is the developer's version, where all the views portray low, human-scale buildings; and the other is the opponent's www.WhatPriceMainStreet.com version, where the development appears to be larger and more walled-in. While a few people are in favor of the minimum, all-office and parking lot version, most people in the community seem to want something more: a community plaza, some retail, some residential, etc. See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject and the One Paseo image.

But how much is enough, and what is too much? Read the full article for more...

Perhaps we need to look at what 4 or 5 stories of residential on top of retail looks like. It seems that a company called Risha Engineering has a 210 residential unit, 200,000 sq. ft. of retail mixed-use development called Atlantic Times Square that has some similarities to the proposed One Paseo. Sure, it's smaller, but there are 5 stories over retail and lots of underground parking. Here's a picture:

One Paseo

I don't know if that's representative of the proposal, but it is 5 stories of residential over a retail floor. If you want a real shock, go to the web site for the project and look at the construction pictures (there are numbers 1 to 6 on the right)...

Here's a 4 story over retail image in Virginia:

One Paseo

A lot of the apartment buildings in the UTC area seem to be 4 stories of residential (no retail below), and they always look pretty dense to me. The above images and the proposed One Paseo development are taller. In my mind, I had envisioned a couple of stories of residential (perhaps 2 in parts and 3 in others) over retail.

Note that Pell Place, near the Carmel Valley Recreation Center, seems to be 3 (and 4) stories over parking garage.

What do you think?

CV Planning Board Community Forum on One Paseo

The Carmel Valley Planning Board is holding a community forum on the One Paseo Project on September 24th, from 9:00 am to noon, at the Ocean Air Elementary School's Multi-use Room. One Paseo is a proposed multi-use development at the corner of Del Mar Heights Road and El Camino Real. The development would include commercial space, residential, hotel and retail components. Come and express your concerns or support for the project at the community forum. The Ocean Air Elementary School is located at 11444 Canter Heights Drive, south of SR-56. See the One Paseo section for more posts on this subject and the One Paseo image.

Update: Just to note that the One Paseo website is fairly biased in favor of the project (it's run by the developer!) The opponents of the project have asked me to post a link to their website, www.WhatPriceMainStreet.com. Go there for the other side of the story.

Syndicate content