Joint Powers Authority for the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan to Meet on March 26

Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Contact: Marguerite Elicone, Port of San Diego (619) 686-6281 or Jamee Lynn Smith, CCDC, (619) 533-7120

The Joint Powers Authority (JPA) for the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan (NEVP) will meet at 2 p.m. on Thursday, March 26.  The meeting will be held in the Board Room of the Port of San Diego Administration Building, 3165 Pacific Highway, San Diego.

The JPA will hear an update on the public art proposal which is in design development.  Los Angeles artist Pae White was selected by the JPA in 2007 to work with the design team to incorporate public art into the project's first phase.  Her innovative proposal includes artistic pavilions and a public restroom overlaid with words.  The artfully designed structures incorporate strategically placed open letters which will allow sunlight to shine through. The North Embarcadero Visionary Plan's Public Art Committee approved the most recent version of her proposal on March 17.

The agenda also fine tunes the Uniform Control Plan approved by the JPA Board at last month's JPA Board meeting.  The Uniform Control Plan is a set of documents that memorializes the design agreements reached by all stakeholders, public and private, for public improvements adjacent to the four private development parcels at the intersection of Pacific Highway and West Broadway. Other agenda items include the discussion of construction funding, maintenance funding and other project updates.

The NEVP is a project that will transform the waterfront of San Diego Bay from Laurel Street to the G Street Mole.  It will improve the area by widening the pedestrian areas, adding landscaping, public art and gathering spaces.  The first phase, which is expected to break ground late this year, covers an area on Harbor Drive from the former Navy Pier to B Street and a portion of West Broadway from the railroad tracks just past Pacific Highway to the intersection of Harbor Drive.

The project is a collaboration between the Port of San Diego, Centre City Development Corporation (CCDC) and the City of San Diego.

Members of the JPA include Kevin Faulconer, Council Member, City of San Diego; Stephen P. Cushman, Chairman, Board of Port Commissioners and Fred Maas, Chair, CCDC.

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