Why Rooftop Decks Are The New Trend

Forget the beach. Head to the roof. 

When it comes to downtown living, rooftop decks are suddenly way, way up there in popularity. The renovated Barcelona in Bankers Hill has one. So does the 21-story Shift in East Village. Same goes for Broadstone Balboa Park, Form 15 in East Village and 520 W. Ash in Little Italy. The 13th and Market mixed-use space has a really nice one, as will the Alexan ALX in East Village. 

Utilizing the roof is the newest trend in luxury apartment development in downtown San Diego, with almost every new project featuring some roof features.Want proof of their appeal? Check Instagram. Photos of rooftop decks, rooftop pools, rooftop barbecues, rooftop lounges and rooftop recreation areas abound. 

It’s goodbye satellite dishes, hello cabanas. That makes sense here, where it’s nearly always sunny and 70 degrees, which means you can enjoy outdoor amenities year-round.

And talk about view options. You can soak in the ocean, the mountains, the bay, Coronado, Petco Park, the Gaslamp …The visual-highlight reel goes on and on. But while the views and weather have always been here, rooftop decks surprisingly are a relatively new phenomenon in San Diego.

They were not as popular 10 or 15 years ago. It is an amenity that developers are now feeling like truly enhances their rents, enhances the space and the environment.

Swinerton is currently building or has recently completed over five multi-family, high-rise projects within downtown San Diego. We have seen a definite trend that each property is providing very high-end amenity spaces for their clients. These items include rooftop pools and spas, barbecues and fire pits, club rooms and lounges, and fitness rooms – all on the top floor.

For starters, there’s a need for greater density in projects. With prices skyrocketing in downtown San Diego, developers are pinched to make projects pencil out financially and often need to maximize the number of units in a project, making a ground-floor or interior pool less attractive. The reason for the trend isn’t as simple as tenants suddenly liking rooftop amenities and developers reacting to their wishes. There are several reasons why the rooftop deck has taken a top spot on the amenities list. 

It has to do with how much of the block the building takes up. In most of the cases now, the buildings take up the entire block, and that doesn’t really leave many options for a pool.

If you have less space to work with, using the roof is a particularly attractive option. The 520 W. Ash complex, a 24-story, mixed-use tower, will have a pool on the roof, in part because of the size of the lot, which is just half a block.  

The kinds of materials used in construction is another factor driving amenities toward rooftops. During and right after the 2008 recession, most local projects were constructed of wood over a concrete podium. A rooftop pool on a wooden building is a nonstarter. As rental prices surged up to the record levels they’re at today, developers were able to afford premium materials such as concrete and steel. You can put a pool on the roof of a concrete building. 

Aside from land costs and materials, there’s one final contributing factor to the rooftop frenzy: the amenities race. Some of the waterproofing concepts and some of the ability to deal with water intrusion into the building have gotten better, and people are more comfortable with it. There was a time – and it really wasn’t that long ago – where if you went to a homebuilder that was doing for-sale housing, they would not put roof decks on top of homes, period. New roofing technologies are more rubberized. There are membranes that cover the roof and can be used underneath the tile. These roof decks have become much more common and accepted, and the builders now have a better ability to deal with construction defect issues.”

In this newest wave of residential mixed-use, amenities are a major play. People that are living in urban areas really love the whole idea of being able to have their own amenities at their complex for a variety of reasons.

Millennials like to socialize, and common areas are important to them. Rooftop decks are just the ticket. At AVA Cortez Hill apartments, the deck includes basketball and tennis courts, among other amenities. Many millennials also prefer renting, which makes them a key demographic to attract. 

While the developers could put penthouses on the top floor, they’ve decided the space is better used for the enjoyment of all tenants. It doesn’t hurt that rooftop spaces — not to mention co-working spaces, offices, conference rooms, bars and even hidden speakeasys – can help fetch a prettier penny in rent as well.

In 2018 it is predicted that Commercial Real Estate will see less industrial space and new buildings, and more renovation of current infrastructure. Office spaces and multi-family apartment buildings are also making a push to incorporate new amenities to attract top tenants. Whereas ten years ago, a well-equipped office or apartment would have been sufficient, today you need to have hyper amenities to push the rents you want to push.

All of these types of high-end amenities add to the allure of the property and help attract clients to these creative high-rise residences.

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