In the News 2007
Sudberry Properties: New Urbanism, The Old-Fashioned Way.
June 29, 2007
Close-Up: Tom Sudberry
Ask Tom Sudberry what the main objective of real estate development should be, and he'll tell you something old-fashioned yet cutting-edge, traditional yet novel.
It's all about the "social connection," said Sudberry - president and CEO of Sudberry Properties - when he described "new urbanism": a development approach that unites residential and commercial worlds and centers them on people, society's foundation.
"The new urbanism movement is somewhat of a move back to the traditional developments we had 30, 40, 50 years ago, when people in single-family developments would sit on their front porches and watch their kids play in the streets," Sudberry said. In those neighborhoods, the proximity of homes to commercial developments like grocery stores created a pedestrian environment that encouraged people to "connect with one another," he added.
Sudberry's firm, a Sorrento Valley-based real estate development and asset management company specializing in shopping center projects and mixed-use communities, has garnered a reputation for its commitment to mixed-use development and new urban strategies. In recent years, Sudberry Properties has developed the Rio Vista West project, an 80-acre community along the San Diego River that has become San Diego's first "transit-oriented development." More notable is the firm's extensive planning in its upcoming Quarry Falls development, a 230-acre master plan that will feature entry-level, work force, and senior homes in Mission Valley.
The project, set to go before the San Diego City Council for approval in upcoming months, seeks to add 4,780 homes to Mission Valley, along with walking trails, offices, a shopping center and parks: all within a 15-minute walk to the trolley station. With downtown San Diego a short trolley stop away, Quarry Falls will hopefully become "the model community" for San Diego urban developers, said Sudberry.
Sudberry was first exposed to the New Urbanism movement years ago through a San Francisco architect named Peter Calfore, who was hired by the city of San Diego in the late 1980s to help develop the areas around transit nodes in the city. Intrigued, Sudberry flew to San Francisco to attend one of Calfore's seminars, whose concepts struck a chord in the developer's ear.
"Peter was really trying to create and craft neighborhoods that got people back out on the street again, out in their front yards, to connect with their neighbors again," said Sudberry, a former naval aviator and Vietnam veteran. "To me, the genius of New Urbanism is getting people to live in those communities to reconnect."
While projects like Quarry Falls emphasize Sudberry's strong stake in residential real estate, Sudberry's vision underscores the strong correlation between the commercial sector and the residential communities they serve. By placing homes in close proximity to retail malls, schools and businesses, Sudberry said he hopes to combat congestion and inefficiency throughout the city.
"Under our system, you don’t have to burn a gallon of gas to get a quart of milk," Sudberry said.
Sudberry sees great opportunity in the nonresidential side of these communities as well. Particularly in multifamily areas, Sudberry said creating beautiful public places should foster a communal ambience for residents who don't have the luxury of that front porch.
"What do you do to make the social connection? We think you create special places in your retail center or public parks, and people can hang out and be able to walk down to the neighborhood store or bicycle down to the grocery store," said Sudberry, whose firm has established shopping centers throughout the county with tenants ranging from Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) to Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT).
"That’s what we've become passionate about in the past few years," he added.
While Sudberry said the residential concept has enjoyed support from potential investors, residents and the city, creating quality communities brings its fair share of challenges as well.
For example, Sudberry spoke of escalating costs in the construction department.
"Construction costs have gone through the roof," Sudberry said. "They've leveled off somewhat this year because San Diego residential construction is down, but I don’t know that that’s going to continue. There's so much development going on that our costs have gotten high."
Furthermore, Marco Sessa, vice president of development of Sudberry Properties, described the difficulty of engaging in urban development when some residents become complacent and neglect to participate in the ongoing dialogue.
"It’s really important for the general public to get involved in what the planning is for the city," Sessa said. "It’s the blueprint for how this region Is supposed to grow for the next 20 years, and a lot of people ignore that stuff."
Yet an overwhelming number of San Diegans have embraced the vision Sudberry Properties has championed. Sudberry said he has witnessed standing ovations at presentations of the Quarry Falls project, and many have approached the developer asking about a waiting list.
Throughout it all, Sudberry maintains a perspective that balances the need for change with New Urbanism's place in San Diego development history.
"We're in the stream of history here, and we're marching along with the planning departments and other visionaries," he said.
"We're listening and we're learning."
By RICHARD J. McROSKEY
Special to the Daily Transcript
Source Code: 20070629crf