Cathedral renovation, condo project gets nod

9 November 2011:A proposal to renovate the St. Paul’s Cathedral near Balboa Park and construct two condominium towers alongside it won the unanimous approval of the San Diego City Council after the church modified its plan in response to neighborhood opposition.

First envisioned in 2002, the project had gone through three architects and three developers as it wended its way through the approval process over the years. The goal is to significantly increase the available living quarters for seniors and finish work on the cathedral that was halted in the 1950s because of a funding shortage. The church eventually agreed to lower the height to 158 feet and opposition faded. The project calls for alterations to the cathedral — located at Sixth Avenue and Nutmeg Street on the west end of Balboa Park — that would add nearly 50,000 square feet to the church. On the north side of the cathedral, a 16-unit apartment complex, administrative offices and parking lot would be demolished and replaced with a 65-unit, 15-story building with office space and underground parking. Across the street on the cathedral’s south side, a 45-unit, 13-story building would be constructed with similar office, retail and underground parking features.

Source: Signonsandiego