Adaptive reuse can be a great strategy for saving time, money and buildings, but there are many considerations across many industries that need to be be addressed first.
Author: Anna Griffin featuring Russ Murfey
Construction Experts Do It All to Create Neighborhoods
When a developer employs all the people needed to bring a new area to life, you know that all the right work is done by the right people. Murfey Company’s team renovated The Collins in La Jolla, a 1960s-era building, to include apartments and retail. (Courtesy of Murfey Company)
You may hear terms like “urban development” or “infill housing” in the news or from your city representatives, and these terms may not mean much to you. But beyond the buzzwords, the building and renovating you see in the San Diego area is intended to create neighborhoods – and that is a word that likely means a lot to you.
Everyone wants to live in an attractive area with amenities such as retail, restaurants, and parks. You work hard, so when you come home you want a well-designed, bright, earth-friendly space that promotes relaxation, or that inspires you to welcome friends into your home.
In a vibrant city like San Diego, change is constant. Communities and buildings live their lives but often get to a stage where they need a new purpose, or a complete ground-up renovation. Builders who understand this can bring new vitality to neighborhoods by investing in and developing places to live, work, and socialize. The most successful new living spaces are created to reflect the lifestyle you have chosen, complete with sea breezes, vistas, and materials that reflect life in our part of the world.
Sounds wonderful? It is, but it’s also not easy. Cities and their outlying areas are complex places, and to build great neighborhoods, companies have to negotiate financing, real estate, permitting, construction and design, environmental, and technological issues. Sometimes, the best solution is a building company that is way more than a group of workers in hard hats.
When a developer employs all the people needed to bring a new apartment building, shopping area, or single-family home to life, you know that all the right work is done by the right people. Builders who work with in-house project managers, site supervisors, accountants, marketing and business development pros, technology specialists, and expert tradespeople handle projects efficiently, cost effectively, and with years of experience and knowledge.
This expertise can extend into the best part of any project – when people start living in a new space. When leasing and financial and property management are needed, who better to call on than the people who developed, designed, and built the project?
To see what a vertically integrated builder can do, check out The Collins in La Jolla. This 1960s-era building was renovated in 2020 to include 16 apartments, half of which have ocean views. Residents in this reclaimed building have a short walk to the beach and a grocery store on the first floor.
Murfey Company was proud to be able to bring new life to The Collins. Specializing in urban-infill, mixed-use projects, the company is guided by brothers and La Jolla locals Scott and Russ Murfey.
“Murfey Company encompasses a comprehensive group of services, driven by technology, and fueled by a passion for all things in the building industry,” says Russ Murfey.
Working with owners, developers, architects, engineers, consultants, and designers in the early stages of projects help Murfey staff provide real-time pricing and cost-saving ideas.
“Our team can coordinate and track all of the professional consultants required to get a new project permitted and underwritten in an expedient manner, so residents can start enjoying life in beautiful spaces and in great locations.”
So the next time you read about a new “infill” “urban development,” take a look at the project and see who is behind it, and how much they will bring to the residents of that area.
Murfey Company has been helping San Diegans Create Their Lifestyle since 2009. For more information go to www.murfeycompany.com.
Author: Russell Murfey / This article originally appeared in La Jolla Light
Bankers Hill is Finding its Groove in the Beer Scene
What was once solely a wine-and-cocktails neighborhood is slowly becoming a craft beer destination
by Beth Demmon
Bankers Hill, the affluent neighborhood nestled between Hillcrest and Downtown, may be less raucous than its neighbors, but it’s far from boring. While the quiet uptown hamlet has long leaned residential, its drinking and dining scene is already home to Mister A’s iconic “dining room in the sky,” as well as trendy Italian favorite Cucina Urbana, the beer-and-burger gods at The Balboa, gay enclave SRO Lounge, and some of the stiffest drinks in town at the dive bar paradise Cherry Bomb. (Don’t ever order a double. I learned that the hard way.)
Over the past few years, the area has seen some heart-crushing closures (like the beloved local staple Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant), but a few dazzling new openings as well, such as Pure Project’s Balboa Park taproom and adjacent Biergarten, which opened in 2019.
“The area has definitely come alive in the past four years,” says Kira Bouchard, Pure’s director of retail operations, adding that the tight-knit Bankers Hill community was a huge reason they were able to weather Covid-19’s difficulties. She predicts with Mid-City’s ongoing sprawl, the neighborhood’s growth will only keep increasing. “New small businesses and high-end residential buildings have started to pop up and bring new activity to the area, and it will only continue to become more vibrant and active.”
One such anticipated project is North Park Beer Company’s first outpost, which will land at 3067 Fifth Avenue in mid-December, according to founder and head brewer Kelsey McNair. The sleek mixed-use development project dubbed Secoya on Fifth will emulate the familiar “housing on top, retail on bottom” high-density aesthetic found across Bankers Hill and will make the neighborhood’s second taproom alongside Pure Project.
Beer lovers looking for a diversity of choices need not wait until December, however. As of a few weeks ago, The Corner Drafthouse is under new management and has what general manager Mike Ratkiewicz calls their primary goal: becoming the best beer bar in San Diego.
“With the San Diego beer scene losing some of its most iconic beer destinations, we feel we are poised to fill that gap,” he explains.
With 70 taps, Ratkiewicz claims they’re currently the biggest beer bar in the city with what he hopes is the most beer style options, serving a wide array of San Diego beers as well as specialties from all over the country. But he’s quick to add they don’t just serve beer — there are also plenty of wines, cocktails, hard seltzers, and even ciders, meads, and kombuchas to ensure everyone leaves satisfied. “We want everyone from every walk of life to feel like they have a place at our table because they do, [and] the way to include everyone is to offer as many options as possible.”