Celeste Dunn

Petco Park spawns award-winning neighborhood

“It's more than a ballpark” was the campaign mantra in 1998 when San Diego voters endorsed plans to build a new home for the Padres in downtown San Diego.

Apparently, the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Land Institute agrees. It has designated the 60-block district encompassing the ballpark as one of 10 winners of ULI's Awards for Excellence.

The Centre City Development Corp., in partnership with JMI Realty, the investment company of Padres owner John Moores, was credited with helping transform the once gritty East Village area into a thriving district of luxury condos, restaurants and hotel rooms.

The Urban Land Institute awards program, which was established in 1979, is considered the top recognition in the field of land use and development. The downtown project was chosen from a field of 23 finalists, which had been whittled down from 170 entries.

Also a finalist from San Diego was Market Creek Plaza, a 10-acre commercial and cultural center near the southwest corner of Market Street and Euclid Avenue. It was not, however, among the 10 winners.

As part of the agreement to build the $454 million Petco Park, Moores was obligated to develop housing, hotels and office space to help jump-start redevelopment in the area. Helping finance the ballpark were the city, CCDC and Redevelopment Agency, which together contributed $301 million.

Projects already completed, under way and planned for the ballpark area are expected to yield 8,300 new homes, 1.3 million square feet of commercial space, 1,200 hotel rooms and more than 3,000 public parking spaces.

The ULI award winners were chosen by a jury of well-known land use development and design experts.

Lori Weisberg
San Diego Union Tribune
May 20, 2007