Nobody in San Diego Government Seems to Have Known About Sale
The Times of San Diego just dropped a big one: it announced the Liberty Station lease has been sold to a brand new investors’ group out of Michigan.
TSD had obtained a copy of an email sent out Wednesday night, Nov.28, to the tenants of Liberty Station that explained in brief terms the sale and that the new owner is Seligman Liberty Station LLC, based in Southfield, Michigan.
The email read:
“Because the sales went through only a few days ago, we have been unable to mail/email the December statements, as each tenant’s lease/specs need to be entered the new Owner’s system.”
The TSD continued:
The email, which was sent by Liberty Station property management company, RiverRock Real Estate Group, instructed tenants to send all future rent payment, including December’s to a Post Office Box in Los Angeles.
Yet, the announcement on Wednesday appeared to catch everybody by surprise, particularly those in city government, as Liberty Station is owned by the city, the city must sign off any lease sale or reassignment.
According to the Times of San Diego, a city spokesperson couldn’t comment, a representative for Mayor Kevin Faulconer had also not heard about any sales or potential sales of Liberty Station. Conrad Wear of Councilwoman Zapf’s office hadn’t heard anything about it and Councilman Chris Cate stated he hadn’t heard anything about it either.
If the city was not informed or aware of the lease sale, that would possibly be a violation of McMillion Company’s terms with the city.
With the sale, the fate of North Chapel is not certain. As we have known for a while McMillin wants to gut it and turn it into a restaurant or other commercial venue.
See After Inaction by Mayor and Zapf, Bry Requests City Attorney Investigation of North Chapel and Liberty Station
Times of SD writer, Alexander Nguyen, added:
In October, the city of San Diego confirmed to the San Diego Union-Tribune that McMillin had asked the city to review a plan to sell all or part of its master leasehold in Liberty Station. McMillin was awarded a contract in 2000 to redevelop the former Naval Training Center. It currently holds a 66-year lease at Liberty Station, according to the U-T. …
McMillin is supposed to maintain the building for its original use in accordance with its lease with the city, according to the U-T, but two congregations had been told that it cannot hold services there after Dec. 31. …
Arlene Paraiso, a coordinator at St. John Bosco Mission, one of the two congregations who hold services at North Chapel, said Conrad Wear, Zapf’s staffer, told her in October he had asked City Attorney Mara Elliot to look into it but had not heard back from her office. …
[For the rest of their story, go to Times of San Diego .]
The OB Rag has been publishing posts and updates about North Chapel for quite some time. See these:
After Inaction by Mayor and Zapf, Bry Requests City Attorney Investigation of North Chapel and Liberty Station .
North Chapel Preservationists Are Ringing the Bell – McMillin Has Leased Site and ‘Remodel’ Begins in New Year .
The San Diego Naval Training Center’s Last Battle: the Preservation of North Chapel .
Save the North Chapel at Liberty Station
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