Redevelopment Mission Still Unfinished
As I recently left my position as a director at the Centre City Development Corp., a post I held for more than nine years, there was a tendency to look back and reminisce, while at the same time, looking forward and reminding those who follow of the challenges that lie ahead.
Looking back serves two purposes: First, it is enjoyable, especially when you’re reminiscing about success; second, it lays the foundation of credibility for the projections into the future.
Those involved in the renaissance of our city would probably differ as to the date that redevelopment actually began. But in my view it was June, 1963, when Time magazine addressed the issue of “America’s Cities--Boom or Bust.” San Diego was not rated as a “bust” city; it was rated as “The Bust City,” a national joke, a local embarrassment.
Unfortunately, in 1963 the city was ill-prepared to take corrective measures. There was no redevelopment agency; redevelopment laws that eventually would prove so valuable were not yet on the books, and the City Council that would have to act as the eventual catalyst for redevelopment was still maintained on a part-time basis. However, the need for redevelopment could no longer be ignored.
Civic leaders joined together to begin the task of reclaiming the city from its blighted condition. Using their own funds, these leaders visited other cities that were in the early stages of establishing redevelopment programs and eventually recommended to the City Council the establishment of a corporation--later to become known as the Centre City Development Corp.--to guide the effort.
Three redevelopment projects were established: Columbia, at that time slated to be the site of a convention center and of commercial development; Horton, scheduled to be retail, and the Marina, which was to be residential. By 1976, CCDC had been established and was being supported by ever-increasing and necessary redevelopment laws.
During the first 10 years of its existence, the corporation has experienced controversy and success. Preservation groups argued against the removal of any building possessing any amount of heritage, feeling that the chances that redevelopment would occur were slim, and that in place of these historic landmarks would be empty lots. Because of those concerns, a number of buildings that otherwise would have been destroyed were moved to other locations and their heritage saved for generations to come.
The proposed convention center became a monumental “white elephant” on paper. The expense of purchasing privately held land for the center drove the cost far above $200 million, and a public vote was necessary in 1979 to dissuade the City Council from attempting to push this through at any cost.
But after 10 years, the overall downtown project must be judged a success. A net user of taxpayers’ funds in its early days, it now produces an excess of tax revenue above its own needs. And as an example of the peripheral benefits redevelopment has created, the large number of police officers on duty downtown after dark has decreased substantially as the city’s inner core has come back to life.
Looking ahead to downtown’s future, I see three major areas where attention still must be concentrated: the continuation of existing programs and plans, building relationships with the Navy and Santa Fe Railroad (the largest owners of underdeveloped downtown property) and maintaining CCDC’s role as the lead governmental redevelopment agency.
Among the plans and projects already under way are the rejuvenation of the Columbia area, particularly on West Broadway, and new developments to fill the void left when the convention center site was moved to the bay. A transportation center, a new civic center complex and relocation of the main library are some of the developments that, in time, will be considered for the Columbia area.
The Horton Plaza area, for all intents and purposes, is completed. The smallest of all the redevelopment areas, it produced the most exciting results with Horton Plaza and the Meridian high-rise. Assisting Meridian to maximize its occupancy remains a goal for the successful completion of the Horton redevelopment area.
The Balboa Theater’s destiny remains uncertain. It will take a strong City Council to make this historic building reach its potential.
The Marina project remains an area of concern, and attention must be paid to the next step in its development. With the CCDC directors sharply divided on the appropriate plan for downtown’s residential district, a compromise was reached that is lacking in any single strong vision.
In brief, nine of the Marina’s 27 blocks have no height limitations on what can be built, while the rest do. The unknowns about the plan include whether developers will want to build high-rise housing there and, if they do, whether they can get financing for it. And, if high-rises are built at the center of the Marina district, will they attract or deter the building of low-rise developments around them?
A second critical necessity is to rethink and readdress our dealings with the Navy and the Santa Fe Railroad, both soon to become major players in downtown development. The Navy sits on some of the city’s most valuable bayfront land, and since the city cannot by law condemn that property, it must persuade the Navy to develop it in ways that are compatible with the rest of downtown. The Navy is too important to San Diego and occupies land too important for the city to ignore its desires, or worse, allow an adversary relationship to develop.
The city’s relationship with the Santa Fe Railroad has sometimes been a difficult one. In the middle of the 19th Century, Alonzo Horton provided Santa Fe free land in exchange for the company’s promise to make San Diego a major destination point of the railroad. Santa Fe took the land, but did not keep the promise.
Several years ago, the city and Santa Fe struck a 25-year agreement that allowed the company the opportunity to develop its property west of the Columbia area into a large commercial complex. In exchange for the agreement, which basically removed the City Council’s ability to use eminent domain on this property, Santa Fe agreed to clean up a badly blighted area, which it has.
But as part of that agreement, Santa Fe acknowledged CCDC’s desire to place 600 residential units per block on four blocks the railroad owns between Pacific Highway and Kettner Boulevard. Santa Fe’s recollection of this particular commitment proved vague, however, and it has insisted on constructing a hotel on the property without agreeing to build as many housing units as CCDC wants.
Dealing with Santa Fe, which is the largest private landholder downtown, presents a major challenge. It has a lot to offer, including underutilized rights-of-way that provide an excellent path for trolley service into the downtown area and through the new convention center complex. The company’s cooperation along the west side of our city, particularly in concert with the Navy, will be the final test for the successful development of that side of downtown.
The third major concern is the future of CCDC itself. A decade ago, when Mayor Pete Wilson was leading the charge for downtown revitalization, CCDC was the lead city agency in that effort. I would hate to see that role diminished and the still-incomplete redevelopment mission become diffused as various city departments and agencies get stronger voices.
Finally, as the city enters the next phase of redevelopment, it needs to seek and listen to the many resources that are available, including those from out of town. The Urban Land Institute panel that will study San Diego is an excellent example. While all may not agree with its recommendations, none should fault its independence, qualifications or good intentions.
Our city’s success in the past, as satisfying as it has been, could have been better. Our renaissance has not yet produced a commercial building of such architectural quality as to stand out. Cities are identified with their skylines and by the individuality that each building in the skyline creates. Our buildings are, for the most part, glass cubes and from a distance seem to be of similar heights, giving the appearance of a city with a Marine Corps recruit’s haircut.
We can improve on yesterday. But we must be willing to listen to good advice and to deviate from the safe course in the hope of achieving an even more vital and aesthetically interesting downtown.
