SAN DIEGO-Lowe Enterprises has completed Phase II of the County Operations Center and Annex redevelopment in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood here. The newest phase of the project, which, as GlobeSt.com previously reported, began construction in February 2011, consists of two 150,000-square-foot, four-story, steel-frame office buildings and a 15,000-square-foot conference center and cafeteria. When completed, the new campus will comprise more than 1 million square feet of modern, efficient office space, along with two multi-level parking structures.
Lowe was unable to reveal to GlobeSt.com the project’s total construction costs, but GlobeSt.com had reported that the first phase cost $188.5 million. Lowe completed the first phase, consisting of two 150,000-square-foot office buildings and a seven-level, 1,800-space parking structure, in October 2010.
“We are proceeding ahead of schedule and under budget to deliver to the County expanded facilities that will allow it to further consolidate county operations from outdated facilities to this new campus,” said Mike McNerney, SVP of Lowe Enterprises Real Estate Group, in a prepared statement. “This will be a sustainable office campus that allows key county services to be consolidated in one location, which will provide greater efficiency and ease public access.” Approximately 2,400 employees from numerous County departments have relocated to the new buildings.
The 47-acre center, located on Overland Ave., is being developed in multiple phases. The second-phase office buildings will pursue LEED Gold certification, and the conference center, which includes a green roof, expects to earn LEED Platinum certification. Phase I of the project has already achieved LEED Gold certification and was named the San Diego Gas & Electric Energy Leader for new construction for 2011.
The next phase of the development is planned to include a 150,000-square-foot new building for the Registrar of Voters. Construction of this next phase is expected to begin this fall with completion scheduled for December 2013. Two additional four-story office buildings, similar to the buildings in the prior phases, and another parking structure will be built in future phases.
The project team also includes RJC Architects and Suffolk Roel Construction, with Project Management Advisors and the County of San Diego Department of General Services overseeing the project on behalf of the County Board of Supervisors.
The new phase also features artworks by local San Diego artists. In a program that is the first of its kind for San Diego County, works were selected with a preference for local artists and include both suspended and ground-mounted sculptures, original paintings, photographs and a collection of local historic artifacts displayed on each floor of the new office buildings. As a result, the County’s first archive of historically significant pieces has been compiled and documented.
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Carrie Rossenfeld
Carrie Rossenfeld is a reporter for the San Diego and Orange County markets on GlobeSt.com and a contributor to Real Estate Forum. She was a trade-magazine and newsletter editor in New York City before moving to Southern California to become a freelance writer and editor for magazines, books and websites. Rossenfeld has written extensively on topics including commercial real estate, running a medical practice, intellectual-property licensing and giftware. She has edited books about profiting from real estate and has ghostwritten a book about starting a home-based business.
