Tweet

Board Approves Agreements to Move Forward with Convention Center Expansion EIR

Wednesday, 08 December 2010
Contact: Marguerite Elicone (619) 686-6281

The Board of Port Commissioners approved a resolution selecting ICF International for environmental review consulting services on a project to expand the San Diego Convention Center and to build a hotel adjacent to it. The action was made at the December 7 Board of Port Commissioners meeting.

ICF is a global professional services firm with experience working with government and commercial clients on a broad range of projects. The company has a San Diego office and several other locations throughout the United States and around the globe.

• Learn more about the proposed expansion project

Additionally, the Board approved an agreement between the San Diego Convention Center Corporation and the Port for a cost sharing arrangement for the project's entitlement costs, which include environmental review, Coastal Commission analysis and other reviews. Under the terms of the cost sharing agreement, the Port would be responsible for 10 percent of the entitlement costs and the San Diego Convention Center Corporation would be responsible for the remaining 90 percent. The percentages may change depending on a potential exclusive negotiating agreement with One Park Boulevard, the company that owns and operates the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

The expansion of the Convention Center would add about 225,000 square feet of exhibit space, 80,000 square feet of multi-purpose ballroom space, 16,000 square feet of kitchen space and 101,500 square feet of meeting room space. Additionally, there would be an outdoor promenade, retail shops, a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Drive, pedestrian walkways and a water transportation center.

At the November 2010 Board meeting, it was announced that Fentress Architects, a firm based in Denver, Colorado, was selected to create the design for the expansion. The proposed concept includes the creation of approximately five acres of accessible public space.

The hotel portion of the project would include a 250-500 room hotel to be located on either the Plaza Park on the southwest corner of Harbor Drive and Park Boulevard or on a site next to the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. This area is part of the One Park Boulevard leasehold.

The San Diego Convention Center Corporation is the applicant on the expansion project and the Port of San Diego is the lead agency on the project's Environmental Impact Report and the proposed hotel.

The San Diego Convention Center Corporation will be hosting a public scoping meeting for the project's Environmental Impact Report. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, December 16, 2010 in room 33 of the San Diego Convention Center. The Convention Center is located at 111 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego (map). Free public parking for the meeting will be available in the lot behind the Convention Center on Convention Way. Parking in the Convention Center garage will be available for $10.