San Diego's South County, one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, will experience unprecedented expansion in the coming years. Thousands of new homes, businesses, roads, parks and people are already on their way to the area, including kids. And where there are kids, there has to be new schools.

Otay Mesa is leading San Diego County in an industrial leasing rebound that could signal the beginning of stabilization in the commercial real estate markets, a report by Burnham Real Estate Services shows.

Forecasts by the San Diego Association of Governments call for growth by a million people in the region during the next two decades. The majority of that growth, notes the 2003 report, will occur in eastern Chula Vista and Otay Mesa.

Otay Ranch, San Diego County's top-selling planned community for the past three years, is introducing its third village, just as its first village nears completion.

When The EastLake Co. was planning its final neighborhood, The Woods, the building community wasn't sure that the area, known for its affordable housing, would accept homes starting in the $500,000 range. What they didn't expect was that these homes would quickly break the $600,000 barrier and even include homes in the multimillion-dollar range.

The newest master-planned community in booming South County is making its debut this summer. Designed with the idea that residents want to feel connected to their neighborhoods, Windingwalk is now under construction in Chula Vista. An information center opens this summer on Hunte Parkway, about 10 minutes east of Interstate 805.

Johnson & Jennings General Contracting was awarded a contract for the $570,000 tenant improvement construction for the new 9,910-square-foot offices of Prudential California Realty at the Eastlake Village Marketplace in Chula Vista.

Then: March 1994

With nearly 300,000 square feet leased at Siempre Viva Business Park in the first half of 2003, Murphy Development Co. is moving ahead with speculative space at the business park that is home to a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Almost as important as making sure the windows don't leak and the doors fit their frames is a "good marketing plan" for a new home community. Builders like RWR Homes, with decades of experience in the industry, have invested in cutting-edge sales tools to increase sales and revolutionize the buying process. The end result is an extremely satisfied repeat customer base.