[quote=FlyerInHi]BG, I know that you don’t drive much… but you should. Take a drive up to Playa Vista in LA.
We could easily replace the old stuff lining Santa Monica Blvd or Hollywood Blvd with new stuff. That’s happening but slowly. Santa Monica has dense mid-rise developments.
Less nimbyism would be good.
Since this thread is about Mira Mesa, I can see a redo of Mira Mesa mall with a trolley center linking the area to UTC and condos in high rise buildings. That would make Mira Mesa a good extension to La Jolla/UTC and provide housing for UCSD and the various institutions and business surrounding.
I actually like UTC/La Jolla near UTC (poor La Jolla) and the density there. I’m looking forward to when they finish the new mall, new condo and trolley. Mira Mesa can be like that too. Santa Monica is fairly dense… It’s it located on the beach.. but why not build more neighborhoods like that, but not necessarily by the beach? Higher buildings with more shops would bring more livability and excitement for younger and old residents.[/quote]FIH, I actually do go to LA about once every two months but am usually on the east side. For every Santa Monica aging apt bldg which is sold and torn down to build “modern high-rise apts,” it loses a few dozen formerly “rent-controlled” units, which displaces a lot of longtime residents and increases the COL around there exponentially.
I do think the older large condo complexes (built 1976-1982, around the time UTC went in) in LJ south of LJVD are among the very best condo complexes in the entire city. Even though most of them have 3 levels (incl stairs down to the garages which I hate) they have mostly large rooms, largish private courtyards and oversized two-car garages. They also have ample room in the garage easements to make a comfortable quarter turn with a full-size vehicle into the garages. They are the closest condos to SFR living that I’ve ever seen in SD and are very nice for entertaining …. especially the 1700-1800 sf floor plans. UTC and southward is a very nice area to live in and has had every service imaginable available nearby for its residents as soon as it started to fill up with condos.
The condo complexes around there built after that era typically had smaller units and were more tightly packed onto the land after those first few “golden years” of condo construction, imho.
If I was willing to pay monthly HOA dues (I’m not), I wouldn’t mind “retiring” around there in an older, larger condo as it is among the most convenient areas of all in SD.
