Newsletter – Fall 2016

November 2016
Planning For The Future
Little Italy Hotel Breaks Ground
Award Winning Leadership
Supporting S.A.Y. San Diego

For any project to be successful, it needs a plan and the Latitude 33 Planning team can create one to fit any scope or need. Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering has extensive project experience within the Southern California region. Through high-level, hands-on involvement, the firm’s leaders provide a unique blend of strategic and operational expertise.

This guidance includes providing sound industry advice and direction throughout the project’s life span. Proactive incorporation of planning skills, combined with project management to ensure compliance with jurisdictional regulations and focus on key relationships, help to provide an integrated team approach with projects and problem solving.

Specialized tactics that frequently support Latitude 33’s planning efforts include:

• Entitlements
• Land Use Consulting
• Feasibility Studies
• General, Community and Specific Plans
• Master Planning
• Public Presentation
• Political and Community Outreach
• Project Management
• Graphics and Illustrations
• Geographic Information Systems
• Visual Simulations

If your project requires an experienced planning team with the knowledge, culture and track record to get work done, the Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering team is ready to help.

Carté Hotel & Suites San Diego officially broke ground on Sept. 9 in downtown San Diego’s Little Italy neighborhood. Latitude 33 Planning & Engineering, in association with Pierpoint Management, LLC and Tucker Sadler Architects Inc., is overseeing site engineering efforts on the project, located at 401 W. Ash St. This 14-story hotel will include 240 upscale guest rooms and suites along with a restaurant, wine shop, full-service upscale athletic club, outdoor pool with spa and meeting space. The 151,248-square-foot project includes about 3,900 square feet of street-level retail space and 127 parking spaces on two levels of subterranean parking. The hotel is set to feature a 2,000-square-foot plaza that fronts Ash St. and include 24-hour valet parking.

Carté Hotel & Suites San Diego will have LEED Gold Certification upon completion. Construction is anticipated to take 18 months and the first hotel guests can expect to check-in starting in June 2018.

Latitude 33 associate principal Jim Kilgore (left) and Latitude 33 principal Matt Semic (right)

Jim Kilgore was named Engineer of the Year by the Building Industry Association (BIA) of San Diego during its 2016 Icon Awards held at the Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter in downtown San Diego on Sept. 17. Kilgore, a registered civil engineer with more than 30 years of experience, earned the top honor from San Diego’s leading construction industry association in a category that fielded a record number of submissions.

For the second consecutive year, Latitude 33 had one of its team members named to San Diego METRO’s 40 Under 40 Awards. Matt Semic was officially recognized on Sept. 15 at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center in Mission Valley. Semic, a registered civil engineer with more than 14 years of experience, earned acceptance into this prestigious list of young professionals that includes some of San Diego’s best and brightest achievers in a wide range of industries.

To celebrate Latitude 33’s 23rd anniversary of operation, the team donated and filled backpacks with school supplies for the Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego’s Back-to-School program. 23 backpacks were filled for elementary school students and 23 were filled for high school and middle school students for a total of 46 backpacks provided. Unfortunately, many San Diego families are unable to support their kids with essential items like pencils and notebooks. That is why Latitude 33 wanted to help local youth in the area that are registered with the SAY San Diego program.

San Diego City Councilmember Mark Kersey (5th District) presented Latitude 33 with a proclamation on Sept. 23, the company’s 23rd anniversary, to officially declare the day as Latitude 33 Day in the city of San Diego. It was a tremendously special honor for Latitude 33.

Latitude 33 was well represented at the 5th Annual Giro Di San Diego Granfondo. This celebration of cycling, food and San Diego’s coast was held on Sept. 11 in Solana Beach. Proceeds from the event supported the Challenged Athletes Foundation’s Project Rebound.

Some avid Latitude 33 hikers recently ascended Mount Baldy, located in the Angeles National Forest. The famed mountain is one of Southern California’s most challenging regional hikes.