Rumors of Harbor Square Project Changes Draw Fire

The company that plans to build a hotel, two office buildings and restaurants on parking lots flanking the harborfront County Administration Center should not be allowed to go forward with a scaled-down version of the proposal, San Diego County Supervisor Susan Golding said Thursday.

Golding, who has long opposed the Harbor Square project, said she believes that any change in the controversial proposal should be reviewed by the Board of Supervisors. Golding said she will urge the board to reject the changes and start fresh with a new plan for the land and, possibly, a new developer.

Golding also criticized Supervisors Leon Williams and Brian Bilbray for meeting privately about the project with two city councilmen and a representative of the developer.

Golding’s comments were prompted by reports that ZRD Development Inc., which has a contract with the county to develop the parking lots, might remove two office buildings from a proposal that has attracted fierce opposition from environmentalists and downtown business interests.

Alan Ziegaus, vice president of the Stoorza public relations firm and a representative of ZRD, said Thursday that reports of a new, modified version of Harbor Square were premature. But Ziegaus conceded that the developer has considered dropping the office buildings from the project.

“We’re looking for some way to move the project ahead,” Ziegaus said. “One of the principal areas of opposition seems to be the fact that there would be offices on the north side of the site. So we’re looking at whether that is something that might represent a point of compromise. We don’t have a plan. We don’t have a proposal.”

The Harbor Square project was rejected by the city Planning Commission Jan. 31 after several commissioners questioned the concept of a so-called World Trade Center planned for half the site. One commissioner complained that the proposal looked more like a “neighborhood trade center.”

That decision, coupled with a chorus of public comments from City Council members skeptical of the project, prompted ZRD to ponder the future of its proposal and the fate of the $2.2 million invested in the project so far.

On Feb. 14, Williams, Bilbray and Ziegaus met with Councilmen Bill Cleator and Ed Struiksma to discuss the project and any chance that the council might overturn the Planning Commission’s decision. Golding, a former city councilwoman, criticized that private meeting in an interview Thursday.

“My memory is that we (City Council members) did not discuss appeals with proponents or opponents outside of public hearings,” she said. “It’s something we usually avoid.”

A leading opponent of the project, Golding said she has sent letters to the City Council members explaining her views about Harbor Square but declined to meet with them in person.

City Atty. John Witt said he cautions all council members not to meet with developers or their representatives while projects are being considered.

But Cleator said he saw no problem in talking privately with the two county supervisors and Ziegaus. He said he still opposes the project. “There were no secret deals cut,” Cleator said.

Struiksma said “it is fair to say there are significant differences between the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego.” He wouldn’t say what went on at the Feb. 14 meeting.

“The meeting was a private meeting between four elected officials to talk about an item of mutual interest,” he said. “If there is something that comes out of it that’s positive, I’m sure everyone will be willing to discuss the nature of the discussion and the circumstances surrounding it.”