Fat City Lofts is located in Little Italy along downtown San Diego's northern waterfront. The site is one block from San Diego Bay boasting tremendous blue water views and a pedestrian connection to the esplanade that stretches along the waterfront with a path for walking and jogging. The site is also two blocks and within walking distance from Little Italy's vibrant commercial district of India Street and Kettner Boulevard.

Little Italy, a business and residential community since the 1920's, is downtown's oldest neighborhood and business district. Little Italy encompasses the sloping landscape at the northern edge of San Diego Bay which was once the home to a highly successful tuna fishing industry and many Italian families. Its unique streetscape runs along India Street through a lively urban neighborhood with restaurants, cafes, galleries, specialty shops, condominiums and apartments.

The project is located on the block bound by Hawthorn Street, Pacific Highway, Ivy Street (vacated) and California Street. It's within walking distance to over 3 million square feet of office space, ten major hotels and has direct access to San Diego's vast regional transportation network including trolley, train, car, airplane and water ferry services. The popularity of Little Italy for both residents and tourists is not only due to the integration of residential and historic restaurants, but also its superb location within the downtown community. Little Italy serves as THE model for the new urban community.

Future plans for Little Italy include more residential, hotel and commercial development to facilitate Little Italy's evolution as a cohesive, mixed use waterfront. The main commercial corridor and heart of Little Italy – India Street – is in the midst of a street revitalization project.

Fat City Lofts is one of the premiere projects immersed in the redevelopment of Little Italy and downtown San Diego, which will enjoy another $3 billion in new development over the next several years, including a new civic center and the implementation of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan. Fat City Lofts is ideally situated to capitalize on the surge of both private and public capital into redevelopment. Aside from Fat City Lofts, there are very few, if any development opportunities of this size and quality left in downtown or Little Italy.

Fat City Lofts is a 232 residence luxury apartment building including 4,485 square feet of retail. Fat City Lofts will be comprised of one level of subterranean parking, one level of at-grade parking with street level retail and five additional levels of apartment residences above. The building will be a total of five and six stories contained within a Type III wood framed construction over a Type I podium. Common area amenities include a swimming pool with outdoor cabanas, gardens and sitting areas with blue water views and barbeques, state of the art fitness center, cyber café and lounge.

LOCATION:

• Blue Water & Cityscape Views – one block from San Diego Bay within the Little Italy neighborhood of downtown San Diego boasting tremendous blue water views.
• Strong Sense of Place / Little Italy Location – two blocks and within walking distance from Little Italy's vibrant commercial district of India Street and Kettner Boulevard. This neighborhood has rich history and contemporary charm and is filled with restaurants, cafes, coffee houses and small boutiques.
• Transit Oriented Development –four blocks north of the MTS Trolley Stop and five blocks west of Interstate-5. San Diego International Airport is less than 2 miles northwest.
• North Embarcadero Visionary Plan and Park – 12 acres southwest of the site will be the North Embarcadero Park and will ensure that a large portion of the views at Fat City Lofts will be preserved in perpetuity as well as provide the cherished urban open space for relaxation and recreation.

PRODUCT:

• Jonathan Segal Architecture – the design and style of the project was created by Jonathan Segal, perhaps the most recognized urban architect in San Diego. Fat City Lofts maximizes ocean and cityscape views for every individual home and provides direct access to and embraces the natural elements such as the ocean breeze and sun-light – nearly impossible to find in an urban setting such as Little Italy.
• Great Amenities – the project will have full complement of resident amenities – swimming pool, gardens and lushly landscaped courtyards, fitness center, cyber café & lounge and elegant lobby.

TIMING:

• Fat City Lofts represents a Build Now Opportunity as GLJ expects to receive building permits by year-end 2011.