Countywide

An amendment to a defense funding bill, authored by Rep. Bill Lowery (R-San Diego), would allow the Navy to sell 475 acres of property at the Miramar Naval Air Station and use the proceeds to build Navy housing, an aide to Lowery said Friday.

Dan Greenblat, Lowery’s administrative assistant, said that the congressman’s proposal would let the Navy sell the land, south of California 52, because a planned extension of the freeway would sever the property from the rest of the base.

Greenblat provided no estimate of how much money the sale might generate, but said that some of the property is worth as much as $400,000 an acre. Much of the site, however, is considered unsuitable for development and is worth considerably less, he said.

Naval authorities have a severe housing shortage and currently need 6,000 units in San Diego County.

At Lowery’s request, Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) introduced the amendment in the Senate’s version of the defense bill, which still must be voted on by both houses of Congress.