Architect Develops Land Use Concepts
for El Cajon Blvd. & I-15 Overpass
The El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association has retained Allard Jansen Architects, Inc. to develop land use concepts for several unique acres of space surrounding the interchange of Interstate 15 and El Cajon Boulevard.
According to Allard Jansen, principal of Solana Beach-based Allard Jansen Architects, Inc., the firm has been hired to study the unique overpass area created where the recently-completed I-15 freeway was tunneled beneath El Cajon Boulevard, resulting in a massive overpass area upon which retail and transit uses will be developed.
Utilizing City of San Diego transit-oriented development concepts and New Urbanism guidelines, Allard Jansen Associates will incorporate housing, recreation, retail and office uses around a unique transit stop. CalTrans has designated the median area of I-15 directly beneath El Cajon Boulevard as part of a mass-transit concept called the Mid-Cities Transit Interchange Project, or MCTIP. When complete MCTIP will include two bus or light rail stops in the median of the freeway. The transit stops will be accessible to pedestrians by elevators from the El Cajon Blvd. overpass.
According to Jansen, the El Cajon Blvd. overpass has been designed to be extra wide to accommodate some unique retail or residential development. “Think of it as the Ponta Vecio of Interstate 15,” said Jansen, referring to the world-famous bridge in Florence, Italy. Instead of walking on a typical freeway overpass, pedestrians will stroll along shops and town homes suspended directly over I-15.
“We will be doing some conceptualizing, not to design the actual retail and transit uses that will eventually be placed there, but to think through some creative concepts for how the space could be used. This is a totally unique opportunity to create something significant and lasting, and the El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association wants to know what is possible and how best to achieve it.”
In addition, Allard Jansen Architects, Inc. has been asked to develop a feasibility study and visual renderings for the eight-block area surrounding the I-15 and El Cajon Boulevard overpass. The conceptual plan will include various housing types, movie theaters, office buildings, hotels, and pedestrian-oriented retail.
“This area of Mid-City is on the verge of a renaissance and is ripe for redevelopment,” said Jansen, a resident of the area who designed and developed the hugely successful Kensington Park Plaza project at Adams Avenue and Marlborough. Reflecting the architectural styles of the surrounding neighborhood, the innovative 23,000 square foot mixed-use development features street-level retail spaces and second-floor live/work lofts. Completed last March, the building is completely leased.
“The El Cajon Boulevard community has asked us to help create a picture of what can be done in and around the I-15 interchange,” said Jansen. “This is a wonderfully unique urban planning opportunity to which our firm is ideally suited. We want to push the envelope here, and when we are finished, the residents, public and development interests will be able to see the possibilities in real numbers and uses, and that is exciting.”
Allard Jansen Architects, Inc. plans to complete the feasibility study and conceptual drawings by October.
Located at 444 South Cedros Ave., in Solana Beach (858/793-9091), Allard Jansen Architects, Inc. offers distinctive commercial and custom residential architectural design. The firm has won design awards for projects in Rancho Santa Fe, Mission Hills, and San Diego, including two recent Home of the Year Awards from San Diego Home & Garden/Lifestyles Magazine.
