Latitude 33 Adapts to Virtual Workplace
Dear Clients, Colleagues & Friends,
Week two in the virtual workplace has proven that humans still thrive on facial interaction. Zoom meetings were not new to any of us, but how often did people actually have their cameras on? I know I was guilty of having it off, usually so no one could see me multi-task! Within 48 hours of our entire industry being virtual, in all my meetings, everyone had their cameras on. People I had never met had their cameras on. By the end of the week the real human side set in. We didn’t dive right into work or have anxious small talk as we rushed from meeting to meeting and felt behind on our day. Real conversations began occurring. People are now letting us into their houses virtually. We are meeting kids, spouses, and pets, and people are showing personality with creative Zoom wall papers.
ENR featured Latitude 33 in a recent article about how our industry is adapting to the California lockdown (click here to read the article). We can likely all say we will never forget this spring season. The situation around us is evolving by the minute. The range of emotions we are all experiencing is on this same roller coaster, but one thing we all strive for in times like this is to have normalcy. With that, we bring you the first quarterly newsletter of the year!
Be Safe, Stay Healthy!
Matt & the entire Latitude Planning & Engineering Team
Featured Story
The New Urban Camp at the Juvenile Justice Campus Prepares to Break Ground
The Urban Camp at the Juvenile Justice Campus will break ground next quarter.
One of Latitude 33’s most innovative projects is the Urban Camp at the Juvenile Justice Campus, Phase 1 of a three-phase redevelopment of the County Juvenile Hall and Probations Center. Located at 2840 Meadowlark Drive in Kearny Mesa, the project is south of the I-805 & SR-163 junction. This development for the County of San Diego is intended to be a model for positive development, and reorient the way we approach the rehabilitation of incarcerated youth.
Phase 1 of the Juvenile Justice Campus project, dubbed the Urban Camp, entails adding approximately 131,000 sq. ft. of new buildings, over 300 parking stalls, and new campus amenities, including a recreation field, ball courts, indoor gymnasium, educational facilities, vocational spaces, and four new housing facilities. The project will provide for their basic physical needs, safety, and security, and support personal growth. The environment will emphasize staff and youth interaction, family connections, positive program participation, and a sense of wellness for both youth and staff. The design emulates a residential campus, such as a private boarding school, with a secure environment and aims to be a place where youth can grow and flourish. The project is designed to achieve Zero Net Energy (ZNE).
The design-build team is being led by Balfour Beatty + DLR Group, along with nine (9) design/engineering partners and 11 trade partners, including Latitude 33. The project is preparing to break ground in the second quarter of 2020.
Groundbreakings
Construction Begins on MERGE 56, Landmark Project in Rancho Peñasquitos
Merge 56 broke ground in early February, 2020.
MERGE 56, a 40-acre mixed-use development in Torrey Highlands, broke ground in early February. Developed by Sea Breeze Properties, MERGE 56 is adjacent to State Route 56 at Camino Del Sur, and will include approximately 450,000 square-feet of Class A office and retail space, a boutique hotel, and 242 residential homes. Of those, 47 homes are slated to be affordable units for residents earning less than 65 percent of the area median income.
MERGE 56 has been touted as a model for suburban development, providing one of the few walkable mixed-use environments in Central San Diego. Parking is provided in partly subterranean structures, rather than surface lots. Residents and visitors will also have direct access to the miles of hiking and biking trails in the adjacent open space of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve.
The development will also complete the traffic grid for the Rancho Peñasquitos community, including extending Carmel Mountain Road, and extending Camino Del Sur to Park Village Road. This will help relieve traffic congestion on Black Mountain Road by giving approximately 2,000 more homes direct freeway access.
Sea Breeze Properties acquired the land in 2013, with a pedestrian-centric, mixed-use environment in mind. Latitude 33 helped to obtain the necessary engineering, grading, and entitlement permits for the development of the master plan. The project received unanimous approval from the Rancho Peñasquitos Community Planning Group, City of San Diego Planning Commission, and the San Diego City Council.
To learn more about MERGE 56, check out this recent article from the San Diego Business Journal.
Edencrest in Escondido Breaks Ground
Construction is underway on the 74-acre Edencrest community in Escondido. Image courtesy Trumark Homes
Homebuilder Trumark Homes is officially underway on 95 new homes in its newest community, Edencrest. The 74-acre community in Escondido is the former home of historic Henry Ranch avocado farm. As a nod to its roots, the community will include two neighborhoods named Arbors and Groves. Arbors will be a neighborhood for move-down buyers consisting of 57 single-story homes from 2,496 to 3,399 square feet. Groves will be a more family-focused neighborhood consisting of 38 one- and two-story homes, ranging from 3,100 to 4,043 square feet.
Latitude 33’s services for this project included civil engineering and surveying services for Substantial Conformance plans, Grading and Improvement plans, water quality and drainage studies, offsite improvement plans to upgrade the regional storm water system, and existing street improvements.
Construction Underway on Aperture Del Mar
Aperture Del Mar will consist of five, Class A office and life science buildings.
Located within Pacific Highlands Ranch, Aperture Del Mar will be a vibrant office campus five miles from Torrey Pines Beach. Developed by Lincoln Property Company, the development broke ground in September of last year. The campus blends highly amenitized spaces, cutting- edge design by Gensler, and prime Class A office space for life science and technology companies spaces ranging from 100,000 to 650,000 square feet. Designed to bring the outdoors in, each building and floor connects to the outdoor environment. Campus amenities include an organic bistro, boutique coffee roaster, event lawn, an amphitheater, bocce court, half basketball court, sand volleyball court, dog park, jogging trail, outdoor lounges, reading nooks, an organic community garden, and indoor and outdoor fitness facilities.
Latitude 33’s planning department assisted in securing the necessary approvals for this project. Phase one is expected to be complete by the second quarter of 2021.
To learn more about Aperture, check out this recent article from the San Diego Business Journal.
Construction Continues on Pacific Village
Pacific Village consists of a mix of single-family homes, triplex homes, townhomes, and apartments.
Located off of Carmel Mountain Road, Pacific Village is a planned community featuring 601 new homes. Pacific Village features 99 single-family homes, 105 triplex homes, and 120 townhomes developed by Lennar Homes, and 277 apartments developed by Atlantic & Pacific Companies. The community has four neighborhoods: The Commons, The Pavilion, The Promenade, and The Courtyards. The 41-acre community also features park and picnic areas, walking trails, an event lawn, fitness facilities, swimming pool and spa, and even showcase spaces for local artists. Located just west of I-15, Pacific Village is also adjacent to Black Mountain and its open spaces. Model homes are now open for interested homebuyers, and the for-rent apartments are anticipated to be open as early as late 2020.
Services provided by Latitude 33 include planning and civil engineering for entitlements and final engineering.
Awards
County of San Diego Sheriff’s Department Crime Laboratory Recognized with Regional DBIA Award
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Crime Laboratory. Image courtesy SmithGroup.
We’re very pleased that the Design Build Institute of America (DBIA) Western Pacific Region recognized the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Crime Laboratory with a Merit Award for 2019. This four-story crime lab features office space, laboratories, conference areas, training and interview rooms, two holding cells, a ballistics lab, and 60,000 sq. ft. of evidence storage in the waterproof basement. The project has achieved LEED Gold Certification for its numerous sustainable elements, including extensive daylighting, low-flow indoor plumbing, native plants with high-efficiency irrigation, and a photovoltaic solar array.
Congratulations to the development team: Lowe Enterprises, DPR Construction, SmithGroup, Lastras de Gertler Landscape Architects Inc., Dynalectric, AMC Mechanical, Degenkolb Engineers, Project Management Advisors Inc., Schuff Steel Co., and Latitude 33’s outstanding team of civil engineers and planners!
UC San Diego Mesa Nueva Graduate and Professional Student Housing Wins Regional and National DBIA Awards
UC San Diego’s Mesa Nueva Graduate and Professional Student Housing has won both regional and national awards.
One of Latitude 33’s recent, highly lauded projects is the $188 million UC San Diego Mesa Nueva Graduate and Professional Student Housing. Last year, the project was recognized by the DBIA Western Pacific Region with a “Distinction Award,” and went on to earn two (2) national DBIA awards: a “National Award of Merit” in the Education Facilities Category, and a “Best of Award” for Best in Teaming.
With 1,350 new beds, the residential community is one of the largest graduate and professional student housing facilities in the country. The 10-acre Mesa Nueva development features furnished units in studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom designs in five (5) side-by-side residential buildings. The new units surround a grassy open space where students can gather or relax. Mesa Nueva also includes a 900-space parking structure and a bike rack for every resident. The development was designed to meet the need for housing and provide students with a greater sense of community. Shared amenities include a social pool with spas and splash zones, a brew pub, outdoor lounge, a small grocery store, and more.
For this project, Latitude 33 provided guidance to the team for an optimum site design solution that addressed all environmental, water quality, and retention concerns. Congrats to UC San Diego, Hensel Phelps, Mithun, MA Engineers, Helix Electric, and of course, the Latitude 33 team for these well-deserved awards!
Community and Culture
Latitude 33 Celebrates Holidays in Style
The Latitude 33 celebrates the holidays at Carté Hotel in downtown San Diego. A karate demonstration was one of the highlights of this year’s talent show.
Latitude 33 celebrated the holidays, the close of a successful year, and its outstanding projects, with a holiday party at the recently completed Carté Hotel in downtown San Diego. The Carté Hotel united Tucker Sadler Architects, davisREED Construction, and Latitude 33 for this new Curio Collection hotel by Hilton.
Every year, the holiday party includes a talent show. All employees showcase their talents, from comedy to singing. This year, we had a special karate performance, including gravity- defying stunts and powerful kicks by Dustin Daneri, Matt McGuirk, Jacob Schaniel, and Sean Drake. Latitude 33 never ceases to have a great time! It was such a treat to celebrate our team, our clients, our projects, and our successful year in this stylish new hotel!
Latitude 33 Strikes Again!
The Latitude 33 team at URGE in San Marcos.
On February 21, Latitude 33 enjoyed a day of bowling at URGE in San Marcos. Sea Breeze Properties, developer of the North City community where URGE is located, is also the developer MERGE 56, one of Latitude 33’s signature projects. This evening of food and fun was the perfect way to unwind and bond over some burgers, beer, and bowling. It was also a great way to celebrate all of our “strikes” in recent months. Way to go, team!
Thank you for being a part of our planning and engineering family. From the entire Latitude 33 team, stay healthy and enjoy spring!