Civita, San Diego
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Civita is a
master-planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
in the
Mission Valley Mission Valley is a wide river valley trending east–west in San Diego, California, United States, through which the San Diego River flows to the Pacific Ocean. For planning purposes the city of San Diego divides it into two neighborhoods: Miss ...
area of the
city of San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
,
San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...
, United States. Located on a former
quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...
site, the
urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
-style, sustainable,
transit Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...
-oriented village is organized around a community park that cascades down the terraced property. Civita development plans call for 60 to 70 acres of parks and open space, 4,780 residences (including approximately 478 affordable units), an approximately 480,000-square-foot retail center, and 420,000 square feet for an office/business campus. The Civita project is budgeted at $2 billion and being developed by Sudberry Properties, in partnership with the Grant family, which has operated the former quarry since 1937.


Location

Civita is located just north of Friars Road between SR 163 and
I-805 Interstate 805 (I-805) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass auxiliary route of I-5, running roughly through the center of the Greater San Diego region from San Ysidro (part of the c ...
in San Diego’s Mission Valley, which was the site of the first Spanish settlement in California, established in 1769. Mission Valley is named for
Mission San Diego de Alcalá Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá ( es, Misión San Diego de Alcalá) was the second Franciscan founded mission in The Californias (after San Fernando de Velicata), a province of New Spain. Located in present-day San Diego, California, it ...
, the first California Mission. Civita is located about 7 mi (5 km) from downtown
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
and
San Diego International Airport San Diego International Airport , formerly known as Lindbergh Field, is an international airport northwest of Downtown San Diego, California, United States. It is owned and operated by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.. US Feder ...
.


Geography

The Civita property is located in a former quarry north of the
San Diego River The San Diego River is a river in San Diego County, California. It originates in the Cuyamaca Mountains northwest of the town of Julian, then flows to the southwest until it reaches the El Capitan Reservoir, the largest reservoir in the river ...
. The property slopes down toward the river. The Civita plan calls for development on a series of terraces. Each terrace contains housing and a level footpath leading to a central park.-


History

During the first half of the twentieth century, Mission Valley was a largely undeveloped expanse of dairy farms and agricultural operations. In the early 1900s, Franklin and Alta Grant purchased land along the San Diego River, hoping to find oil. Instead, they discovered rock and the family mined the quarry for about 70 years. The Grants' grandchildren decided to turn the family property into a walkable village. They partnered with Sudberry Properties, a longtime San Diego developer. After nine years of planning, a plan to develop the Quarry Falls community (now called Civita) was approved by the San Diego City Council by a vote of 7-1. More than 130 people attended the meeting. Supporters, including representatives from environmental and smart-growth groups, outnumbered opponents 4-to-1. In 2010, the developers broke ground on Civita and the first homes were occupied in 2011.


Land planning

The 230-acre Civita project is one of the largest examples of “urban
infill In urban planning, infill, or in-fill, is the rededication of land in an urban environment, usually open-space, to new construction. Infill also applies, within an urban polity, to construction on any undeveloped land that is not on the urban ma ...
,” which is the development of vacant or underused city sites, in the U.S. Civita development plans call for 60 to 70 acres of parks and open space, 4,780 residences (including approximately 478 affordable units), an approximately 480,000-square-foot retail center, and 420,000 square feet for an office/business campus. The $2 billion project embraces San Diego’s “City of Villages” concept – compact, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods that are located within walking distance of
public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typic ...
and other needs. The Civita master plan was designed by local architect and planner Gordon Carrier, a principal at Carrier Johnson + Culture. Carrier’s plan will ultimately create a high-density urban village organized around a network of parks and open space, with housing, retail, office, and civic components linked by pedestrian trails, walkable streets, and bike paths. Carrier commented that the goal of the Civita design is to create a “real” neighborhood that “combines topography, walkability and the ability to live, work and play in the same place… e design makes it convenient for residents to walk or ride bicycles rather than use cars, by locating shopping, parks and recreation facilities within walking distance of their homes.” “Civita serves as a perfect model for the future growth of the region,” said Brian Schoenfisch, a senior planner for the city of San Diego.


Sustainability


Green building practices

Sudberry Properties, the developer of Civita, incorporated numerous
green building Green building (also known as green construction or sustainable building) refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planni ...
practices in the Civita design. For example, more street trees have been planted than were required by the city of San Diego. Sudberry also specified low-energy LED lights for traffic signals and street lighting. Sudberry’s Civita master plan also encourages people to walk by rearranging the sloping site in a series of terraces, each containing housing and level footpaths to and from the central park and stream, which are expected to experience heavy use. In 2012, Sudberry Properties entered into an agreement with
San Diego Gas & Electric San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) provides natural gas and electricity to San Diego County and southern Orange County in southwestern California, United States. It is owned by Sempra, a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Di ...
to create a “Smart Energy Community” for Civita. The agreement specifies potential installation of new smart grid technologies that will make Civita more sustainable and energy efficient. The technologies include solar panels, electric vehicle charging stations, fuel cell generation, battery storage, and enhanced energy management tools for residents. They are expected to help residents and businesses conserve electricity, preserve the environment, and establish Civita as a model for future
low-carbon A low-carbon economy (LCE) or decarbonised economy is an economy based on energy sources that produce low levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions due to human activity are the dominant cause of observed climate change since the mi ...
communities.


Homes and commercial buildings

Energy-conservation and sustainability are high priority goals for Civita’s home and commercial building designs. Homebuilders are required specify
Energy Star Energy Star (trademarked ''ENERGY STAR'') is a program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that promotes energy efficiency. The program provides information on the energy consumption of pr ...
appliances and exceed California’s Title 24 energy requirements by 15 percent. The first apartment neighborhood in Civita, Circa 37, exceeded the Title 24 requirements, achieving energy efficiency of almost 20 percent. For Circa 37, Sudberry Properties made extensive use of energy-efficient lighting, windows and HVAC systems, a 145 kW solar array that powers 80 percent of the common area electricity consumption, and “ cool roofs” that minimize heat transfer. Storm water runoff from residential areas in Civita and parts of Serra Mesa are primarily directed to a unique
bioswale Bioswales are channels designed to concentrate and convey stormwater runoff while removing debris and pollution. Bioswales can also be beneficial in recharging groundwater. Bioswales are typically vegetated, mulched, or xeriscaped. They co ...
system in Civita’s central park. The bioswale, which has the appearance of a natural streambed, will remove silt and pollution from the runoff through natural
biofiltration Biofiltration is a pollution control technique using a bioreactor containing living material to capture and biologically degrade pollutants. Common uses include processing waste water, capturing harmful chemicals or silt from surface runoff, an ...
and reestablish plant and animal habitats.


Ride sharing

In 2013, Civita launched a
ride-sharing Carpooling (also car-sharing, ride-sharing and lift-sharing) is the sharing of Automobile, car journeys so that more than one person travels in a car, and prevents the need for others to have to drive to a location themselves. By having more ...
program that featured a fleet of smart electric drive vehicles through car2go. Currently, six public electric car charging stations are onsite, and more are scheduled to come online as development progresses.


Awards

In 2009, Civita achieved a Stage 1 Gold rating for the U.S. Green Building Council’s 2009 LEED-ND (Neighborhood Development) pilot and received the California Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award. In 2010, Civita was designated as a California Catalyst Community by the
California Department of Housing and Community Development The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is a department within the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency that develops housing policy and building codes (i.e. the California Building Standards Code) ...
to support innovation and test sustainable strategies that reflect the interdependence of environmental, economic, and community health.


Civita Park

In 2013, following hundreds of public meetings and 10 years of planning, the San Diego Parks and Recreation Board approved the design of Civita’s central park, Civita Park. Construction of the park began in 2014 and was completed in 2015. Civita Park slopes down the former quarry property in a series of mesas that provide residents with defined areas to exercise, relax, gather, or play. The park is connected by finger trails to adjoining neighborhoods. Vista points offer visitors panoramic views of the community and the San Diego River valley. The construction includes a dog park, an outdoor amphitheater, an interactive water feature, a community garden, exercise nodes, a jogging path, two basketball half-courts, Bocce court, two playgrounds and a sandpit, restrooms and parking lots.


External links


Civita
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Sudberry Properties
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carrierjohnson + CULTURE


References

{{Coord, 32, 46, 42, N, 117, 8, 45, W, display=title New Urbanism communities Urban design Smart grid Sustainable urban planning Low-energy building Neighborhoods in San Diego Urban communities in San Diego