Council Outline for Bayfront Heads to Port

The San Diego City Council on Monday approved a “memorandum of understanding” that would impose major restrictions on development of the downtown bayfront, including creation of a 10-acre park at the foot of Broadway and preservation of views of the bay.

The memorandum requires approval of the San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, which controls some of the bayfront land in question, despite its location within the city of San Diego. The Port District is scheduled to review the document Oct. 10.

Adoption of the agreement by the seven port commissioners is not certain, despite the fact that Commissioners William Rick and Raymond Burk helped write the document with city officials. Port Commissioner Dan Larsen has expressed opposition to some of its provisions.

The agreement includes:

* Adoption of building setbacks along the bayfront to preserve view corridors.

* The closure of Broadway from Harbor Drive to Pacific Highway to allow construction of a 10-acre downtown park on land owned by the Navy and the former Lane Field, which is controlled by the Port District.

* An unspecified payment to the Navy for use of the land, which is part of a planned office and hotel development. If the land is used for the park, the Navy’s project would be reduced from 3.5 million square feet to 3.25 million square feet, Rick said.

* A link between Balboa Park and the bay via 5th Avenue. Also, Port District agreement that “innovative compromises” will be adopted to preserve open space and the link if the Port District expands the San Diego Convention Center onto land bounded by 5th and 8th avenues, Harbor Drive and the water.

The memorandum contains some of the key concepts approved Friday by the Broadway Complex Coordinating Group, an ad hoc planning panel that included representatives from the city, the Port district, the Navy, citizens’ groups and the Centre City Development Corp.

Larsen, who raised objections to the plan as the Port District’s representative to that panel, said Monday that he is not prepared to agree to place restrictions on construction on the land southeast of the Convention Center or on the site now occupied by Solar Turbines, which the company has suggested it could vacate for redevelopment.

He also accused the city of attempting to take back the Port District’s power to manage tidelands. “The city is just saying, ‘We’re not paying any attention to those agreements,’ ” established when the Port District was created, Larsen said.

The council approved the proposal in a 6-0 vote, with council members Gloria McColl, Wes Pratt and Ed Struiksma absent.

“There are some very crucial decisions being made here,” Councilman Bruce Henderson said. “These decisions are something that our grandchildren are going to live with for a very long time.”