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.

The selection process considered seven development teams from throughout the county and was orchestrated by Sherman D. Harmer Jr., president of Urban Housing Partners, Inc. of San Diego. “This is the first step in realizing the incredible potential of the Upper East Village,” Harmer said. “The Navarra properties will be the catalyst and nucleus of the transformation of East Village into a center of innovation, design and technology that could ultimately generate 10,000 jobs and $1.8 billion in new construction.”

The development team has deep roots in San Diego and has worked together often on high-profile projects. Lankford & Associates, headed by Robert V. Lankford, has been developing landmark structures in San Diego since 1984, including Regents Square in the Golden Triangle; Advanced Equities Plaza, a 380,000-square-foot office building at 655 W. Broadway; and Smart Corner, a mixed-use residential project at the gateway of East Village. In 1995 Lankford joint-ventured with Phelps Development to develop the $51 million San Diego Hall of Justice.

Portman Holdings LLC is a global real estate development, investment and management company headquartered in Atlanta with a 50-year history of developing hotels, retail spaces, mixed-use complexes and urban landmarks around the world. In San Diego, Portman Holdings and Phelps Development were co-developers of the $348 million, 30-story Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel and Parking Garage on the waterfront, which features 1,200 guestrooms and specialty suites.

Phelps Development LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hensel Phelps Construction Co. (Hensel Phelps). It is one of the nation's largest general contractors, construction managers and design-builders, delivering over $3 billion annually in construction projects.

Garcia and Malmuth developed the I.D.E.A. District concept as an engine to transform Upper East Village into a sustainable, mixed-use innovation district, driven by the marriage of design and technology, and supported by education and the arts.

Garcia is a builder, developer, and artist who is the past-chairman of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Foundation.

Malmuth, who led the renovation of the New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City while with the Walt Disney Co. and developed the Kodak Theatre complex in Hollywood, pointed to Torrey Pines and Sorrento Valley as prime examples of successful clustering in the biotechnology and telecommunication industries.

He said, “UCSD was a catalyst for that transformation by attracting world-class scientists and engineers and creating a network of entrepreneurs, students, scientists, venture capitalists, and business leaders who all benefited from each other. In East Village, the expanded NewSchool of Architecture and Design, The San Diego City College, Thomas Jefferson School of Law and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) all provide us with a strong educational base from which to grow an innovation cluster.”

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Navarra Family Names Developers for Five-Block Project

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