Public's Input Sought at Upcoming Port of San Diego Meetings

Sunday, 22 January 2012
Contact: John Gilmore (619) 686-6222

The Port of San Diego has scheduled three meetings over the next three weeks to provide updates and seek public input on various projects within the Port's jurisdiction.

The schedule is:

• San Diego Convention Center and Hilton Workshop
  Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
  5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  Port Administration Building Training Room (map)
• Capital Improvement Program Workshop
  Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012
  4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
  Port Administration Building Training Room (map)
• Lane Field Public Open Space and Broadway Pier Surface Enhancements
  Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012
  5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  Port Administration Building Training Room (map)

The projects are:

San Diego Convention Center Phase III Expansion Project

Convention Center expansion: The public will receive a general update on the proposed Convention Center expansion and the public spaces that are planned as part of the project. There also will be an update and presentation on the Hilton expansion.

The proposed Convention Center expansion 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, pedestrian walkways, a rooftop park and open space and a water transportation center.

The Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, which opened its doors in December 2008, is proposing a 500-room addition, ballroom and meeting space and a fitness and spa facility.

The Convention Center project is under environmental review. The Environmental Impact Report is scheduled for completion in spring 2012. Updates on the expansion design and the Hilton concept will be reviewed at the meeting.

Construction is anticipated to begin in 2013 and will take about two and a half years. The expanded Convention Center should be open for business in 2015.

Capital Improvement Program

The informational meeting to review the Port District's new process for its Capital Improvement Program is a follow up to a public meeting held December 14, 2011. At the meeting, updates on the Capital Improvement Program will be provided. In addition, Port District staff will discuss information forms and explain the process for proposing projects to be considered by the Port.

•   On-Tidelands Capital Improvement Projects Public Survey

The Port District is seeking public input on the types of capital projects that should be considered in its five-year planning process. The due date for submitting proposed projects for the spring/summer Capital Improvement Program workshops is Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012.

The new Capital Improvement Program process is designed to align capital improvement projects and budgets with the Port District's mission, vision and strategic goals.

Lane Field

The Port District staff will discuss the design of the setback park/plaza. The public will have the opportunity to comment on the design and provide input on details such as events and activities, lighting and landscaping.

The proposed Lane Field development includes the construction of two hotels with a total of 800 rooms. There also would be approximately 60,000 square feet of retail space, two acres of public space and about 1,000 parking spots. The site is called Lane Field because the old Pacific League Padres once played baseball at a ballpark by the same name.

As part of the project, an approximately 1.66 acre public park/plaza would be built at the corner of West Broadway and North Harbor Drive.

The Port of San Diego was created by the state legislature in 1962. Since then, it has invested $1.7 billion in public improvements in its five member cities – Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego.

The Port District oversees two maritime cargo terminals, two cruise ship terminals, 17 public parks, the Harbor Police Department and the leases of more than 600 tenant and sub tenant businesses around San Diego Bay.