Downtown living is all about diversity in entertainment, lifestyle, types of housing and residents. In recent years, living downtown has become increasingly chic as residents, weary of long commutes and other suburban living problems, move into the entertainment, cultural and business centers of many major cities throughout the United States.

Nowhere is such diversity more evident than in downtown San Diego, where a new breed of homeowners has been attracted to East Village's Parkloft condominium loft complex a block north of Petco Park.

Parkloft is the first for-sale residential project to be completed in East Village, the largest redevelopment district in downtown San Diego.

In the year since the 11-story, concrete-and-brick building has opened, Parkloft has assembled home owners whose business and professional backgrounds as well as their geographical roots are a prime example of downtown San Diego's wide appeal as the place to call home.

There are engineers, lawyers, doctors, pharmacists, Naval officers, computer specialists, educators, career civil service employees, real estate brokers, advertising and marketing practitioners, restaurant owners, a microbrewery owner, dentists, a professional athlete, college president, hospitality industry executive, real estate professionals, computer and technology specialists, sales executives, accountants, bio-med executives and other professionals and business people who today call Parkloft home. Some are longtime area residents, others made San Diego their home upon moving to Parkloft's 877 Island Ave. address.

Two examples of Parkloft homeowners illustrate the diversity in homeownership.

Australian-born scientist Paul Cossum and his British wife, Joanna, moved to San Diego two years ago from a rambling 4,500-square-foot single-family house in Houston. Paul is executive vice president of drug development for locally based NewBiotics Inc., a pharmaceutical developer of breakthrough drugs to treat cancer and infectious diseases.

"Our kids are grown and the dog had died," Paul Cossum quipped, explaining their decision to downsize their space requirements when they relocated to San Diego. "My wife had a vision of living downtown and the two of us enjoying its lifestyle -- and even living in a loft. But we had always thought lofts were in older, converted warehouses and storefronts and we wanted a new home. That's why Parkloft was the ideal choice."

The Cossums were among the first to occupy Parkloft last fall. Their 1,900-square-foot, sixth-floor loft features two terraces -- one with a view of the new ballpark, the other with downtown vistas.

"We've been able to use the loft's open space design to create something very appealing to us," Paul said.

"We also appreciate the very sturdy and solid feel of the building," he added, referring to the poured-in-place concrete construction. "We haven't seen anything like it elsewhere."

For Linda Cone and her husband, Pete, living at Parkloft is an extension of something that has been in her family for 70 years.

The 40,000-square-foot site where Parkloft now stands had been owned by Linda's grandfather and father, Henry and Joe Street, since 1933. Once a livery stable, the property was an antique mall when Parkloft's developer, the Douglas Wilson Cos., purchased the property a little more than three years ago -- later clearing the site to build what is today the first for-sale residential project in East Village.

"Once the ballpark was to become a reality, we could see the exciting potential for the neighborhood with all the other development being planned as well," Linda Cone said.

"Later, we saw a similar condominium loft project in downtown Denver and thought how wonderful it would be to live in a downtown loft with all its flexibility and spaciousness," she said, referring to her and her husband's 1,900-square-foot loft, complete with 1,100-square-foot terrace on the sixth floor overlooking the ballpark and bay.

Linda Cone says another reason they relocated specifically to Parkloft from the Mount Helix area in La Mesa is the fact that all the lofts are different and are not "stacks of identical floor plans" as is the case in other downtown projects.

With 94 of the available 111 lofts sold or spoken for at the end of July, Parkloft is the first for-sale residential project to be completed in East Village, the largest redevelopment district in downtown San Diego. According to recent media reports, East Village neighborhood property values have increased an average of 27 percent annually in the past couple of years.

"The completion and opening of Petco Park is now only eight months away and people already are seeing what it will look like when completed," said Peggy O'Connell, Parkloft's vice president for sales and marketing.

O'Connell said the remaining lofts still represent a good range of sizes and locations but at this point, the selection is beginning to narrow with each loft sold.

"Prospective buyers who are seriously interested in Parkloft need to act now while there are alternative lofts from which to choose."

In addition to lofts, the four north-facing penthouses with sweeping views of the downtown skyline on the 10th and 11th floors have been released for sale. Ranging in size from 1,969 square feet to 2,623 square feet, the penthouses are being offered in shell configurations, thereby enabling buyers the opportunity to fully design and customize their loft.

The remaining five south-facing penthouses, ranging from 2,033 square feet to 3,075 square feet and offering views into Petco Park and the bayfront, are scheduled to go on sale at the end of August.

Standard features in each loft include open floor plans, hardwood floors, Pella windows, European cabinetry, all under 10-foot, 6-inch ceilings with exposed ducting and pipes. Penthouses also feature floor-to-ceiling Pella windows, double-door entries, spacious balconies and patios as well as provisions for staircases in the two-level plans.

Common area amenities include an interior courtyard, a fitness room, a 24-hour doorman, additional storage facilities as well as ground-level and subterranean parking for more than 200 cars.

The lofts available for sale range from 1,300 square feet to 2,623 square feet and are priced from the low $600,000s.

Daniels operates RMD Communications, whose clients include the Douglas Wilson Cos. and its Parkloft development.

Related Link

Parkloft: www.parkloft.co