Politics & Government
Seacoast Inn Loans Finalized; Construction Begins
Excavation, soil stabilization are the first steps now that funding has been provided for the long-awaited Seacoast Inn redevelopment.
Crews are hard at work on the Seacoast Inn following last week's finalization of loans between Wells Fargo and the Imperial Beach Redevelopment Agency (IBRA) that provided construction financing to Pacifica Companies.
Wells Fargo supplied a $5,148,000 New Markets Tax Credit equity investment and a $12 million loan to Pacifica Companies, which also received a $7 million subsidy from the IBRA, according to Wells Fargo Representative Amy Savicky-Injaian.
The planned 78-room hotel, which is aiming for a Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation, will offer significant guest amenities, house a three-meal restaurant and lounge and 3,055 square feet of meeting space.
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According to IBRA, this project will spur business growth and bring approximately 55 permanent and 300 construction-related jobs to the Imperial Beach community.
"We are very excited about the long- and short-term jobs the hotel will bring, as well as other opportunities the visitor-enhancing project will create,” said Imperial Beach Mayor Jim Janney.
The first of those short-term jobs involves digging a pit, 10 feet below current elevation, and building a retaining wall supported by vertical "soldier beams" around the perimeter to hold back soil during the excavation of an underground garage, according to Lusardi Construction Manager Sergio Sandoval.
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Sandoval said, "Any property along the coast, the soil tends to be sandy, not ideal," so soil stabilization involves placing 100 or so stone cylinders to "tighten up the soil, and make it more stable for building."
A total of 16 soil tests were taken over the previous year.
Within the mix of clay, bedrock and sand within the water-table, the cylinders, measuring 3 feet in diameter and an average of 20 feet deep, will minimize the likelihood of seismic liquefaction, according to Sandoval.
The cylinders are placed using vibration—a quieter option than driving piles into the ground.
Once the soil is prepared, concrete pour will begin in the first week of August, followed by the wood frame structure.
"You're going to have some incidental noise from heavy equipment, but nothing like
excavation truck noise," said Sandoval.
The project is scheduled for completion in late summer 2012.
