With its picturesque waterfront location, idyllic climate and lifestyle, downtown San Diego is the ideal address for moving up or into quality and competitively priced office space. Businesses large and small appreciate downtown's convenience, location, business resources and amenities.

While the current high-rise housing renaissance has created a new breed of residents, businesses and opportunities, companies looking for office space are often dissuaded by myths and misperceptions about the market.

From a lack of substantial blocks of square footage to inadequate parking and pricey leasing rates, these misconceptions may be keeping prospective tenants from enjoying some of San Diego's best addresses.

In recent years, brokers, property managers and civic leaders have been working diligently to help alleviate those concerns and redirect attention on the true advantages of locating downtown.

Space for tenants large and small

One of the biggest concerns brokers and property managers hear from tenants who are shopping for new offices, particularly larger firms, is lack of space.

"Many large companies looking to relocate have the perception that downtown doesn't have large blocks of space to accommodate larger tenants," said Ed Muna of Southwest Value Partners. "In fact, there are numerous buildings with the capacity to assemble substantial square feet to house most any size of business. For example, Southwest Value Partners has space to assemble over 50,000 contiguous square feet at two of our properties, Emerald Plaza and Golden Eagle Plaza, plus the high-tech amenities and services large businesses require."

Tenants, employees find the world downtown

While downtown offers unmatched accessibility and competitive leasing rates as compared to other markets, the nearby attractions and amenities are what set downtown apart.

Downtown is still the center of the region's transit, governmental, finance and business hubs, and proximity to these centers of influence is valuable to many companies. The abundance of services and venues -- shopping, entertainment, hospitality, cultural, recreational and professional services -- make a downtown office more attractive to employees. Adding to the enticements are easy access to public transportation and freeway access.

Now, with the abundance of desirable upscale housing and the soon-to-open ballpark, downtown offers a true "live, work and play" lifestyle that more and more companies are considering as a great way to enhance quality of life and reduce employee commute times.

Parking

Despite common misperceptions, downtown does offer plentiful, convenient and affordable parking options for downtown tenants. Property managers are quick to point out that even with the cost of parking factored into downtown's competitive rates, the tenant's "net" rate is comparable to other Class A markets in the region.

It's a tenant's market

Given current economic conditions and high vacancy rates throughout the region, brokers, leasing agents and property managers are offering highly aggressive and competitive leasing programs and generous tenant improvement incentives to attract new tenants as well as encourage existing tenants to renew their leases. There has never been a better time to sign a lease in a downtown office building.

As downtown continues to grow and prosper, tenants in the market for some of San Diego's most desirable, convenient and affordable office space are finding that downtown truly offers the region's most exciting workplace environments.

Submitted by Audrey Benedetto for Southwest Value Partners.