Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and developers 1HWY1 have proposed a 500-foot cylindrical observation tower for San Diego's waterfront Central Embarcadero as part of a massive $2.4 billion Seaport San Diego project. 

The part-hotel, part-theme park development could include 385 hotel rooms, a 170,822-square-foot "vertical aquarium," and other retail, office, and leisure spaces, according to a recent report from The San Diego Union-Tribune. 

The proposal, which will have to undergo extensive environmental review and be approved by the California Coastal Commission, is not without controversy, however. 

Melody Lasiter, a San Diego coastal planner, told The San Diego Union-Tribune, “We have concerns about the bulk and scale of the project in general." 
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Lasiter added, “Our major concern is that the existing development down at Seaport Village right now is easily accessible for a wide range of incomes. There’s a lot of passive space, and anyone can go to Seaport Village and walk around. With the redevelopment, it might not be that way. Our focus is the public’s ability to recreate there at low or no cost.”

​By JENNIFER VAN GROVE

In some circles there is a sense that San Diego is missing an internationally recognizable calling card, as in a postcard-worthy — or in today’s vernacular, Instagrammable — destination that shouts, “Visit me.” The cylindrical tower with a cinched waist that is being touted as the high-flying replacement to a flat-by-comparison Seaport Village could change that.

That is, if California allows it.
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A jaw-dropping symbol of change for the bayfront area that makes up downtown’s Central Embarcadero, the 500-foot tower is being heralded by developer 1HWY1 as the architectural focal point of its massive $2.4 billion Seaport San Diego project. Its location, where the bay ends and Pacific Highway begins, makes it geographically significant as well.

The full redevelopment effort encompasses 70 acres of land and water along Harbor Drive and is currently in the initial planning stages. Its program envisions a total of 2,050 hotel rooms spread across different properties, including 385 rooms in the base of the tower. Also proposed is a 170,822-square-foot aquarium, a 110,247-square-foot event center, 261,411 square feet of retail space, and 159,454 of office space reserved for ocean research-related enterprises.

We recorded a new podcast! Our second one. This one zooms in on our housing crisis, long-distance commutes and the I-15 growth corridor, wildfire threats, the missing middle, NIMBYs, YIMBYs and more. Before we get to it, we want to share a few related items that inspired our podcast.
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There’s been a lot of talk about our housing crisis, perhaps too much talk, and not enough action. MNM Principal Tony Manolatos, a father of three children whom he fears won’t be able to afford a home in San Diego, recently weighed in with an op-ed in Voice of San Diego to shed light on two bans on homebuilding that have exacerbated our housing crisis:

Tony’s piece was picked up by KUSI TV and KOGO Radio, each of which brought him in to discuss the impact our housing crisis is having on working families and young professionals, many of whom are forced to move out of state. Others move to Riverside County, where they can afford a home, and commute back here for work. In fact, 60,000 people make the Riverside-to-San Diego commute every work day, polluting our air, jamming our roads, and robbing them of valuable time with their children because they are spending up to four hours a day commuting to and from work.

​Tony’s op-ed has people talking and thinking about a topic important to everyone across our region. So we decided to move the conversation forward. We recorded a podcast on long-distance commutes, the backcountry vs. the I-15 growth and transit corridor, the omnipresent wildfire threat, and what housing experts refer to as the “missing middle.”
 
Our podcast includes an interview with Ginger Hitzke, an affordable housing developer who commutes to work every day from her home in Riverside County to her office in Lemon Grove. She avoids rush hour traffic to avoid spending more than 3 hours a day commuting. We also spoke with Christopher Dicus, a professor of wildland fire and fuels management at California Polytechnic State University and a former firefighter, because very often housing opponents bring up wildfires as a reason not to build along the I-15 growth and transit corridor. In the last segment, you will hear from MNM’s Dike Anyiwo, Tanya Mannes Castaneda and Tony Manolatos. Click below to listen.

Mello comes to MNM with a strong background in digital and print design for marketing and advertising.

Manolatos Nelson Murphy Advertising & Public Relations (MNM) has announced the appointment of Isaiah Mello as a graphic designer. This new addition is part of the firm’s strategic talent acquisition to serve its growing portfolio of local, state and national clients. Mello provides MNM’s clients with expertise in developing creative content that can be quickly deployed and shared across multiple platforms.
 
MNM is approaching its third anniversary, having been launched in 2016 by the principals of two San Diego firms with the vision of merging their respective public relations, public affairs, marketing and advertising capabilities. MNM is headed by Tony Manolatos, former principal of Apex Strategies, and Bob Nelson and Kelly Murphy Lamkin, former principals of BNA Communications.
 
MNM has been recognized as one of the leading public affairs firms in San Diego, with a distinguished portfolio of clients. It has been honored with top national awards for public relations and advertising programs from the Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators and American Association of Political Consultants, including for crisis communications and public affairs in 2018.
 
“The addition of Isaiah to our team brings fresh energy and new ideas,” Murphy Lamkin said. “He’s a talented designer with a great eye who provides our clients with a lot of opportunities, especially in the digital space.”

Mello joins Becky Karp, MNM’s creative director, in the firm’s digital and design space. He comes to MNM with a strong background in digital and print design for marketing and advertising. Isaiah started his career interning for a local advertising agency. He later worked with over 15 clients across a variety of industries.
 
Mello is passionate about being involved in the design community. He is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the professional association for graphic design, and keeps up to date on current industry trends and technologies.
 
Mello leverages his knowledge of marketing combined with his creative experience to build out campaigns that are mindful of the big picture. He focuses on the specific goals and strategies of a project. One of his favorite quotes is: “Design in the absence of content is not design, it’s decoration.”

“I’m very excited to be a part of serving MNM’s portfolio of clients, helping meet their diverse needs, solve problems and accomplish goals,” Mello said. “It’s important to feel like you’re making a difference for clients and truly moving the needle. MNM is dedicated to providing both short-term and long-term value, and I look forward to applying my creative experience to produce great results for our clients.”

Anyiwo combines experience in digital marketing, content creation and podcasting with a background in community planning and advocacy.

Manolatos Nelson Murphy Advertising & Public Relations (MNM) has announced the appointment of Dike Anyiwo as an Account Executive as part of the firm’s strategic talent acquisition to serve its growing portfolio of local, state and national clients. Among other talents, Anyiwo developed and refined his own “podcast studio in a backpack” method, which allows him to create audio content anywhere. This provides MNM’s clients with more creative content options that can be quickly deployed and shared across multiple platforms.
 
MNM is approaching its third anniversary, having been launched in 2016 by the principals of two San Diego firms with the vision of merging their respective public relations, public affairs, marketing and advertising capabilities. MNM is headed by Tony Manolatos, former principal of Apex Strategies, and Bob Nelson and Kelly Murphy Lamkin, former principals of BNA Communications.

​MNM has been recognized as one of the leading public affairs firms in San Diego, with a distinguished portfolio of clients. It has been honored with top national awards for public relations and advertising programs from the Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators and American Association of Political Consultants, including one for crisis communications and another for public affairs in 2018.
 
Manolatos first met Anyiwo in 2017 while working for a client who was launching a professional soccer club in San Diego. Anyiwo was covering the club as a digital journalist.
 
“The coverage Dike provided of our client was fair, detailed and insightful,” Manolatos said. “I was impressed with his writing, his thoughtfulness, his podcasting skills and his can-do attitude. It was clear to me then that he had the right blend of talent and professionalism to go anywhere he wanted. Over the last few years I’ve watched him grow and become involved in our community and in the public affairs arena, and I’m proud he chose our firm for the next phase of his career. We expect big things from him and I have no doubt he will deliver for our clients and our community.”

Anyiwo comes to MNM with a strong background in grassroots and digital marketing, storytelling and photography. He launched his career with the San Diego based retailer soccerloco, where over the course of his nearly five years with the locally grown yet nationally known specialty retailer, he oversaw digital content creation across a range of channels, including written content, social media, podcast and video production. Today, Anyiwo remains active in soccer as a Manchester United supporter and through recreational soccer leagues.  
 
Anyiwo is passionate about serving the community and he volunteers for active organizations like the YIMBY Democrats of San Diego County. In 2018, he joined the Midway Pacific Highway Community Planning Group as a board member and he is also the designated delegate for the San Diego Community Planners Committee (CPC).
 
In today’s world, public relations practicioners must be nimble in order to operate and succeed within 24-hour news cycles. Anyiwo is fluent in leading digital platforms and has honed his ability to capture, edit, produce and even publish content on the fly. In a notable example, he carries his portable podcast studio in his backpack and says that he can record a podcast “anywhere with a quiet room and a flat table.”
 
“Dike is a rare talent who combines his involvement in the community with creativity and a laser-focus on achieving results. As a young and savvy podcaster, he brings a new dimension of digital skills to our public relations toolkit,” said Tanya Mannes Castaneda, APR, Vice President of Public Relations at MNM. “Dike’s fresh perspective and skills will enable us to further enhance the services we provide to our clients, and I am proud to welcome him to the team.”
 
“I’m thrilled to join the team at MNM,” Anyiwo said. “The results we are able to achieve on behalf of our clients are second to none, and I’m eager to bring my passion for communication, content creation and customer service to the organization.”

By Kelly Murphy Lamkin

Everybody wants happy customers, and water utilities are no exception. Water is a fundamental part of life and customers tend to have strong opinions about it. From rates and billing systems to quality and taste, water is a commodity that people care about – and many of them are not shy about sharing their opinions.

That’s why communication with customers is so important. They need to understand, for example, the reasons for rate changes, voluntary conservation measures and upcoming infrastructure projects, especially those that might cause disruptions to service.

​While basic communication is important, it is not enough. Water utilities also must demonstrate they care for and value their customers. A campaign incorporating advertising, public relations and outreach can make a huge difference in the level of trust between a water utility and its customers. In this blog post, I’ll share three fresh approaches we have used at MNM to effectively engage water customers.