“I.D.E.A. District: From Concept to Reality”

David Malmuth studied psychology and philosophy at Claremont McKenna and business at Stanford, went into consulting, and then put what he learned to work in his true passion, real-estate development. Over the ensuing years, he served as VP-Marketing for McCarthy Building Companies in St. Louis and Newport Beach and Vice-President/ General Manager of Disney Development Company in Burbank where he led the renovation of New York City’s New Amsterdam Theatre.  As Senior Vice President of TrizecHahn Development, he was the key executive directing the development of Hollywood and Highland and the Kodak Theatre complex. For seven years Malmuth was Managing Director of RCLCO Development Services Group.

In 2010 Malmuth established his own firm, David Malmuth Development, LLC with a single focus: to lead in the creation of art-inspired places that transform communities. He is currently driving the entitlement process on second+pch in Long Beach and with his partner, Pete Garcia, is leading in the creation of the I.D.E.A. in San Diego.

At the Friends of San Diego Architecture meeting, Mr. Malmuth will discuss a proposal for the redevelopment of the area of our city bounded by Park Boulevard on the west, City College on the north, Interstate 5 on the east, and Market Street on the south. This is an area of 35 blocks that surrounds the NewSchool of Architecture. The 650-student NewSchool occupies 100,000 square feet of space in six locations. It is looking for a new site that will accommodate double or triple that size over the next few years. One of the goals of the proposal is to keep the school downtown as a nucleus of the district.

Mr. Malmuth foresees an area of innovation, design, education, and the arts – hence IDEA District – that would generate 1.8 billion dollars in new construction and 10,000 jobs. It would provide over 3,000,000 square feet of office and studio space, 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, new hotels, and 2,500 apartments. It would be marketed to architecture, advertising, and graphic-, industrial-, and interior-design firms. Owners and employees of these businesses would be encouraged to live within the district.

Mr. Malmuth will describe his vision, compare it with extant industrial and office parks, and explain the bases for his projections.