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Work on Downtown S.D. Building Finally Starts

The major redevelopment of the TR Produce Warehouse Building directly adjacent to Petco Park in Downtown San Diego is finally under way, more than two years after it was acquired.

For San Diego-based real estate investment firm Cruzan/Monroe, which paid $2.4 million in February 2003 for the property on the north side of J Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues, the initiation of the renovation and construction on April 19 was a critical event, according to Al deBerardinis, project manager and principal for Cruzan/Monroe on the TR Produce site.

The historical building, erected in 1933 by Julius Kraft and Sons, has become something of an East Village landmark.

The prolonged permit and approval process for its redevelopment has also garnered attention. Cruzan/Monroe’s quest to have, first, a tentative map approved and, second, a site development permit approved from the Centre City Advisory Committee, the Historical Resources Board and finally the city of San Diego Planning Commission, stretched from February 2003 to March 2005 when the design approvals were granted, according to deBerardinis.


Getting A ‘Tree House’

Today, a major transformation of the property is in the works. What now stands as a 1.5-story, 25,000-square-foot exposed brick vacant warehouse will be completely renovated and topped off by a two-story, 27,000-square-foot steel framed office condominium structure, known as “the tree house.”

The tree house, which deBerardinis has termed the modern structure serving as the upper floors, is so named because this two-story element will be supported by columns alone, and not by the walls of the existing warehouse.

Once completed, the mixed-use building will stand 65 feet tall, encompass four stories and will comprise 28,918 square feet of retail and restaurant space in the existing warehouse along with the office space above.

DeBerardinis said that in light of the dollar value of the project , an estimated $17.5 million , the TR Produce redevelopment is a medium-sized project for Cruzan/Monroe.

“But, as far as the urban infill nature of the project and the complexities of working Downtown, this is one of the more complex projects we have going,” he said. “It is also one of our favorite projects because of the notoriety and the attention it has received.”

That notoriety comes from the fact that building above existing structures on the area fronting the ballpark has drawn some critics of the project, aiming to protect the relatively unobstructed views of the park. The other element, which drew some dissent, was the design of the renovation.


A Different Look

“We’ve gotten a lot of press on it because of the architecture this is a brick historic warehouse with a modern element above it,” said deBerardinis.

But he explained that Cruzan/Monroe’s design concept was “dictated by a settlement.” When the developer’s entity, TR Produce, LLC, acquired the property from San Diego-based JMI Realty in 2003, the ballpark environmental impact report dictated that this particular site would be among those properties designated to include an element of modern architecture, so as to vary the appearance of the redevelopment in the district, according to deBerardinis.

The office condominium element of the project, which will include 28 condos, 14 on each floor, is unique, according to deBerardinis. The architects on the project, San Diego-based Richard Bundy and David Thompson, have designated the use of natural materials, such as wheat board on the corridors’ floors, which is made from recycled material, and manufactured stones in the bathrooms of the condos. The design has also integrated a vault door dating from 1933, into a wall as a design feature.


Filling Space

Of the 28 condos, six units will have an unobstructed view of the ballpark facing the J Street side of the building, with four shared balconies. Bradford Perry and Barry Mahlberg of San Diego-based Burnham Real Estate’s Downtown San Diego office are charged with sales of the office suites.

Now that construction is under way, the leasing process for the retail and restaurant portion of the project is also in gear.

Bill Schrader and Corinna Gattasso’s Burnham Real Estate’s urban retail group had been in place for one and a half years now on the project. But deBerardinis said they were “in a holding pattern while the approval process was taking place.”

Gattasso said the six-person team had not been actively marketing the property but had a lot of interest from nationally recognized tenants, retailers and restaurateurs.

She said the TR Produce Warehouse is a unique building , because of its aesthetics, history and proximity to the ballpark , so it is appealing to national chains.

Cruzan/Monroe aims to have the retail leases in place before the San Diego Padres’ season opener next year, according to deBerardinis. “It’s our goal to deliver just when the season is opening and we think we’ll be close,” he said.

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