…Condos in Hillcrest and Mission Hills

With the scarcity of inventory among Downtown Condos, clients have been asking about alternative choices and neighborhoods.  Adjacent to Downtown, the San Diego Metro area includes Hillcrest and Mission Hills.

Other San Diego Metro neighborhoods to be discussed in future blogs include Bankers Hill, North Park, South Park, Golden Hill and University Heights.  These are among the oldest neighborhoods in the city.

They haven’t lost their charm a century later.  Architectural styles are diverse in these areas.  Numerous 1920’s authentic “craftsman homes” are sprinkled throughout the area.  These “starter homes” to our parents and grandparents generation are in great demand today.  These integrate on many blocks with Spanish or Mediteranean styled homes of the same era.

Today these “starter homes”  may start at barely 1,000 sf.  Depending on location, prices begin in the $500,000 range.  Larger homes that have been updated may cost in the millions!

 San Diego Condos

Over the past 6 or 7 years there have been some new “not downtown condo communities” in these neighborhoods offering a great urban lifestyle.  Although they are newer additions to established neighborhoods, in each of the buildings there are cafes, and restaurants that have become gathering spots in the area.

Today’s focus is on three distinctly different buildings in the Hillcrest or Mission Hills area.  The first of these, Alicante, opened in 2006. Located at 475 Redwood, Alicante is a 14 story condo that includes 95 units.  It was developed by the same international group responsible for La Vita and Treo in Downtown San Diego.

Alicante features floor to ceiling windows in every condo.  From it’s location between 4th and 5th Avenues, owners experience views from Point Loma to Balboa Park.  The location on the south end of Hillcrest is convenient for everything in life.

A few blocks further north, between 3rd and 4th Avenues (just 2 blocks south of University) is Atlas.  Atlas has two entrances, at 3687 4th Ave and 3650 3rd, and includes 130 total condos in both buildings.  Two Bedroom floorplans range from just over 1,000 sf to nearly 1,800.  Priced from the high $300s to around $800,000, the value proposition at Atlas is worth assessing.

Finishes at Atlas are contemporary and tall ceilinngs enhance the space.  It’s a full amenity building–although the pool deck is far more about sun and socializing than swimming laps.

And be sure to try the gelato at Papalecco on the 4th Ave side of the building!

Mission Hills is the quieter side

The newest of the condo communities in the area is 1 Mission.  845 Fort Stockton is only one block north of Washington and only a few blocks from the Hillcrest Sign.  But the traffic is so much less and the noise level has gone away.

That’s the vibe that radiates from 1 Mission.  Some of this is the construction of the building; concrete, brick and steel, solid core doors and high ceilings.  But it’s also the neighborhood.  There’s just not the same hustle and bustle–even as every imaginable cuisine, cafe or wine bar is just a short walk away.

1 Mission features Townhomes up t0 2,700 sf at street level.  Inside are beautifully proportioned one and two bedroom apartments.  Kitchen and bathroom finishes are at designer levels (the developer has done very high end condos in La Jolla).  Built around a central courtyard, all condos feature patios with neighborhood or paseo views.

Prices at 1 Mission represent excellent value.  Two bedrooms in the $500s and 600s.  Townhomes come in right around $1 million.

It seems like we don’t get in a car often to look at condos.  But in today’s condo market,  it’s worth a drive up to Hillcrest and Mission Hills for a look at some of these opportunities.

Send me an email david.manes@welcometosandiego.com or give me a call at 858.432.3203.