Master Planning: Ocean Beach Master Plan Seeking Major Moolah from the State

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Friday, January 20, 2012, by Alex Bevk [All images via SPUR]

The long term planning of Ocean Beach could get a boost today, as the California Coastal Commission is considering a funding request for $400,000. SPUR has been leading a master planning effort for Ocean Beach over the past year and a half with funding from federal, state and local sources. The current draft of the plan includes, among many other things, closing the Great Highway south of Sloat Boulevard, rerouting traffic to Sloat and to Skyline Boulevard east of the San Francisco Zoo, plus narrowing the Great Highway to one lane in each direction.

That pretty chunk of change could be used for a traffic study on the impacts of closing down part of the Great Highway, plus the creation of agreements for various agencies to manage Ocean Beach under a single unified vision. It won't cover all the work, with the remaining funds coming from the National Park Service and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, who own the wastewater treatment plant near the zoo.

The Draft Ocean Beach Master Plan will be available for public review on on the SPUR website on January 31, 2012. The public will have until February 20 to provide comments and feedback on the draft plan. The Final Plan will be available on March 5.
· Ocean Beach: SPUR Takes a Long Look Into The Future [Curbed SF]
· SPUR Ocean Beach Master Plan Draft Recommendations [SPUR]
· California Coastal Conservancy staff report - Jan. 19, 2012 funding request for San Francisco Ocean Beach Master Plan [California Coastal Commmission]
· Ocean Beach Master Plan drafts big changes for Ocean Beach [Ocean Beach Bulletin]

Great Highway and Lincoln Way San Francisco, CA 94122

View the original article here

Celebrity Real Estate: American Idol: Homes of Some of the Show's Major Players

× Like us and you'll find top breaking news in your Facebook newsfeed. Sign up for our daily email newsletter and get top stories and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Tuesday, January 18, 2011, by Sarah

American Idol premieres tomorrow. OMFG, are you ready? Those first few weeks of try-outs—the screaming fans, the dreams made, the hopes shattered, the back to Wal-Mart we go—is always something special. To celebrate this cultural touchstone, we're peeking at what the main faces of the show—judges and crooners alike—have called home.

? Saucy music ex Simon Cowell founded the American version American Idol from the British original in 2002, and quickly made a name for himself with a razor-sharp tongue and a no-holds-barred approach to criticism. His house-fixing methodology hasn't been so quick-hitting, however: Cowell purchased a Beverly Hills, Calif. plot for $8M in 2004, broke ground in 2006, and finally finished his $6.23M dream home in Sept. 2008. Bloody hell, Sim, speed it up a bit!

? In February 2007, Randy "Yo Dawgs" Jackson put his 5,900-square-foot Tarzana, Calif., mansion on the market for $2.99M. Apparently he was super-confident that his first-ever studio album Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1, would make the magic happen.

? Perennial house-flipper Ellen DeGeneres purchased this Beverly Hills, Calif., megamansion for $40M in 2008, only to marry Portia de Rossi at the estate later that year. In November, the couple purchased a condo in the area, continuing to beef up their real estate portfolio. It's a good thing DeGeneres has a side hobby now that her judging days are over.

? This is where the oft-inarticulate ex-judge Paula Abdul lived until late 2008, when she put the place on the market just a month after a crazy Idol-obsessed fan committed suicide outside her home. She was later spotted house hunting in Tarzana, Calif.

? Marshfield boasts all the things one might expect from Massachusetts's South Shore: a median family income hovering the six-figure mark, about 25,000 people, and so on. One thing that really throws a wrench in the New Englandy-ness? Why, Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler, of course! Tyler will join the show this year.

? We've been through this one already—Jennifer Lopez's plush pad outside L.A. 'Twas pretty enough to be featured in the most recent issue of Veranda, what with Michelle Workman-designed interiors and touches of '40s glam. JLo and crooner hubby Marc Anthony purchased the $10M pad early last year.

? Season Four winner (and Grammy Award winner, Grand Ole Opry inductee, Golden Globe nominee, CMA winner, and so on) Carrie Underwood will certainly not be in Checotah—or outside Nashville, where she's lived for the past few years (above)—when she and new husband Mike Fisher finish their dream home near Ottowa. The duo anticipated moving in by September; no word yet as to whether the home—reportedly brick and stone and about 5,000 square feet—is actually finished yet.

? The original Idol, a one Miss multi-platinun Kelly Clarkson, put her Nashville, Tenn., home in the market for $1.449M back in October. She purchased the home for $1.49M in 2007, but something tells us she can weather the $41K loss.

· American Idol [official site]
· A mansion fit for a TV king: Simon Cowell's £4m dream home is finally ready... FOUR YEARS after he bought it [Daily Mail]
· Yo Dawgs, It's the Randy Jackson Crib [The Real Estalker]
· It's Official! Ellen DeGeneres Marries Portia de Rossi [E! Online]
· Ellen Adds Beverly Hills Condo to Property Portfolio [The Real Estalker]
· Paula Abdul Selling House After Suicide [HuffPo]
· Thursday Morning Mish Mash [The Real Estalker]
· Steven Tyler's House [Virtual Globetrotting]
· Jennifer Lopez Proves, Yet Again, She's No Jenny From the Block [Curbed National]
· Carrie Underwood, Mike Fisher, Build House Near Ottowa [Vancouver Sun]
· Carrie Underwood, Mike Fisher Building Dream Home in Canada [US Weekly]
· Kelly Clarkson Lists Nashville Manse [Curbed National]
· American Idol Kelly Clarkson Lists at a Loss [The Real Estalker]

View the original article here

Tapatio Springs Resort Undergoes Major Makeover - <b>Real Estate</b> <b>...</b>

(BOERNE, TX) -- Tapatio Springs Resort and Conference Center, a world-class resort located in the Texas Hill Country, is undergoing a massive renovation and relaunch under the direction of KemperSports. KemperSports, one of the largest operators of golf and resort properties worldwide, was brought in to manage the day-to-day affairs at Tapatio early last year by new owner Textron Financial Corp.
Tapatio Springs Resort is a historic resort property that includes 27 holes of golf, 121 hotel rooms, 12,000 square foot conference center and a 35,000 square foot clubhouse located just 30 miles northwest of San Antonio, Texas.
Textron Financial Corp., a diversified commercial finance company, acquired the property with the vision of making significant improvements to relaunch the property.
The overall appearance of the resort has been upgraded by newly renovated tee signage and property signage, as well as a newly stripped, sealed and repaired main road and parking area. Other resort improvements that have been completed include re-carpeting and painting in the clubhouse and conference center, replacing two commercial 100-gallon water heaters in the clubhouse and replacing the pool heater for the hotel.
Additional improvements call for a complete renovation of the hotel, inside and out, according to KemperSports. Roof repairs are being made and the point-of-sale system is being improved, while all of the hotel rooms have been gutted and will be upgraded with new carpet, furniture and newly installed 42-inch flat-screen televisions.
Additionally, the conference center will be receiving a face-lift, and plans have been made to replace kitchen equipment and to improve the building's sound system. KemperSports is planning for an official relaunch sometime this year.
"KemperSports is the right partner to see Tapatio Springs through its transformation in becoming a high-quality resort and country club," said Jerry Hinckley, senior vice president of Textron. "We have strong partnership with KemperSports at other properties and we are looking forward to utilizing their resort expertise at Tapatio Springs."
The central amenity for the resort and conference center is 27 holes of championship golf that incorporates three distinct combinations of challenging holes. Built in 1981, the original "Lakes" and "Valley" 9-hole layouts are ranked among the Top Ten Courses in Texas by the Dallas Morning News. The two original layouts are now complemented by the "Ridge" course that will provide all skill levels with a stimulating golf experience.
In addition to golf, the community delivers numerous amenities including two lighted tennis courts, two swimming pools with adjoining Jacuzzi, complete fitness center, horseback riding, freshwater fishing and eight miles of hiking and biking trails.
"Tapatio Springs is a resort with a lot of potential," said KemperSports CEO Steve Skinner. "We look forward to working with Textron on making substantial improvements to the property and re-introducing the resort."
Textron Inc. is a $12.6 billion multi-industry company operating in 28 countries with approximately 42,000 employees. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defense and intelligence, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation.

Click Here To See Prior News Posts By This Contributor »

View the original article here