General Dynamics Buying San Diego Site

Aerospace manufacturer General Dynamics said Thursday that it is in the process of buying a 60-acre parcel north of San Diego, in what would be one of the largest land acquisitions in San Diego County by an industrial user in recent years.

General Dynamics spokesman Jack Isabel confirmed late Thursday that his company’s Electronics division is in escrow to purchase the property but said he could not discuss details, including what and when General Dynamics plans to build, how much it will spend on the facility or how many employees will be working at the new complex.

However, the parcel is large enough to accommodate a 1 million-square-foot complex of research and industrial buildings.

The land General Dynamics is buying is located in the 4S Ranch Business Park, part of a massive 3,600-acre development in unincorporated San Diego County about 20 miles north of downtown San Diego. Located just west of San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo suburb, the property is owned by the Ralphs family, founders of the 120-store chain of supermarkets of the same name. General Dynamics’ Electronics division primarily makes automatic test equipment used for military aircraft including F-16 jet fighters, the C-17 cargo plane and the B-2 Stealth bomber. The division also makes aircraft radios.

General Dynamics’ purchase of the property is expected to close by the end of this year, sources said.