Some Businesses Fear Losing Sites On Embarcadero
Downtown’s North Embarcadero redevelopment plan lurched slowly ahead with two San Diego Unified Port Commission approvals.
Commissioners last week approved a port master plan amendment as well as an accompanying environmental study for the redevelopment, though they asked port plan ners to make some adjustments to the former document. They will review the changes May 16 before sending the blueprint to the California Coastal Commission.
Specifically, commissioners asked for responses to concerns the Coastal Commission raised regarding traffic circulation and parking in the zone..
The redevelopment plan covers a waterfront area that runs from Laurel Street south to the G Street Mole, and inland to the railroad tracks. It calls for making the waterfront more pedestrian-friendly by substantially widening the bayside walkway, narrowing Harbor Drive to three lanes and diverting some traffic to Pacific Highway.
The plan calls for hotels, shops, restaurants, parking garages, new piers, plazas and an expansion to the cruise ship terminal.
Port District Spokeswoman Rita Vandergaw said the cost of the project has not yet been determined.
Evolution
As the years go by, plans for individual projects will be brought before port commissioners for consideration, she said.
In preparation for last week’s Port Commission vote, several private businesses and public agencies checked in with both applause and criticism.
A Coastal Commission planner objected to changes that may block views, including the proposal to moor the USS Midway at Navy Pier south of Broadway, as well as to build multiple-story structures on the bay side of Harbor Drive.
In an April 24 letter, coastal planner Diana Lilly also noted the North Embarcadero revamp , with its piers, cruise ship terminal expansion and aircraft carrier , would cover 16 acres of San Diego Bay, which she termed “a concern.”
Development would also crowd out facilities for commercial fishing, “one of the highest priority uses under the Coastal Act,” her letter noted.
Richard A. Ghio, president of Anthony’s Family Seafood Group, submitted a letter expressing concerns about several things , including possible loss of views and parking , yet applauding the idea of revitalizing the Embarcadero.
Cinderella Carriage Co. also submitted a letter expressing concerns about how the new road configuration would affect its business , which 75 percent of the time involves carrying people between Seaport Village and the cruise ship terminal.
Possible Move
Richard Cloward, executive director of the San Diego Port Tenants Association, said tenants in the area have two main concerns with the North Embarcadero plan.
The plan calls for building a crescent-shaped pier to the north end of the zone, at the foot of Grape Street. The plan notes that a few tenants, such as the Maritime Museum and harbor cruise companies, may eventually lose their current spots in the central Embarcadero and be moved to the Grape Street Pier.
Aside from concerns over adequate parking and traffic, Cloward said, there is the question of what a move would do to those tenants economically. He asked whether pedestrian traffic would make it all the way north to Grape Street.
Likening the situation to putting “Horton Plaza in Jamul,” he noted the attractions are inviting, but asked whether people would be inclined to travel that far to enjoy them.
A second, broader concern, he said, is who will fund the redevelopment, which is a joint project of the port, the city of San Diego, the county, the Navy and the Centre City Development Corp.
Cloward said he hoped port tenants would not pay a disproportionate sum of the redevelopment costs.
