SAN DIEGO-The Navarra Family, owner of Jerome's Furniture, has named Lankford & Associates, Portman Holdings and Phelps Development as master developers of a five-block property dubbed the I.D.E.A. (Innovation, Design, Education and Art) District that includes a four-and-a-half-acre park and several other blocks in Upper East Village of San Diego. The Navarra Upper East Village properties include full or partial ownership in five different city blocks between F Street and Broadway and bordered by 14th, 15th, and 16th streets.

Lankford & Associates, Portman Holdings and Phelps Development have formed a limited liability company called LPP to serve as the master developer. In association with the founders of the I.D.E.A. District concept, Pete Garcia and David Malmuth, the LPP team also includes Frank Wolden, principal at Carrier Johnson + Culture, and Stacey Pennington, principal at SLP Urban Planning.

Jerry Navarra, chairman of Jerome’s Furniture, commented in an announcement regarding the selection of the development team: “We are convinced this team has the commitment and credentials to create a bold, transformational project that will enhance the social, cultural and economic vitality of East Village for generations. Having been a part of East Village since 1954, we want this to be one of the legacies of the Navarra family.