Condos and Industry Collide in Downtown San Diego

New apartment complexes and condos have been popping up all over downtown San Diego for decades, turning this formerly industry-dominated waterfront area into a transitional zone of emerging residential life and tourist-focused amenities. But despite the new housing and retail, industry remains. And as these two land uses butt against each other, tensions arise. So when developers in San Diego proposed a new condo building right across the street from an 80-year old turbine factory, the prospect of new neighbors was not particularly welcomed.

It’s not the people that are the problem. The real issue is the additional environmental reviews that would be required for the company that owns the factory, as the San Diego Union-Tribune explains. Should new residents move in, the company, Solar Turbines, would likely be subject to new air quality rules and health assessments, a prospect with a hefty price tag.