Mayor Faulconer, Navy and SANDAG Agree to Transfer Property for Midway Area Transit Center
Mayor Kevin Faulconer and representatives from SANDAG and the Navy signed off on a agreement to transfer the Navy property known as NAVWAR over to SANDAG so it can pave the way for the development of a major transit center.
Whether it’s in the Midway District or in Old Town, this is a big deal, which will allow for the redevelopment of the 72-acre property along Interstate 5.
Faulconer and SANDAG reps signed the agreement at the Pentagon with the Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly.
In return SANDAG has agreed to build a “new state of the art facilities” for the Navy for NAVWAR (Naval Information Warfare Systems Command – which used to be called SPAWARS).
Once the Navy makes the transfer of their 70 acre Old Town Campus site to SANDAG, SANDAG can begin redevelopment of the mass transit hub that could one day connect San Diego’s trolley system to the airport.
Also being planned for the site is mixed-use retail, commercial, and residential development. Signing the agreement at the Pentagon impressed our mayor. Faulconer was quoted as saying:
“The fact that it was signed by the Acting Secretary of the Navy inside the Pentagon sends the undeniable message that there is momentum and energy in both Washington, D.C. and San Diego to do something truly special with this property. It marks a huge next step in revitalizing this area into a civic asset that serves the U.S. Navy, the community and our regional transportation network.”
The Airport Authority says the plan they just approved sets aside space between Lindbergh Field’s two terminals for a transit station that could accommodate any regional transit system. 7SanDiego
This plan for the transit hub has been discussed for a while now. But when Faulconer et al first rolled the plan out with a public announcement, members of one of the local planning groups were stunned. The Midway District would be drastically affected by the development of the transit center, yet the Midway community planning committee had not been informed at all.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Why in hell is a lame duck mayor signing something like that for this City? And SANDAG is broke. This is supposed to be a public private partnership or PPP. The way it works is simple. A public agency has a property. They need a new building for themselves but they can’t afford to build it. They make a deal with a developer. You build us a new building at no cost and you can have the rest of the property to develop as you wish. This what the Navy wants at the old SPAWARS site.
This is a big piece of land and the Navy only needs a fraction of it. So, how do two agencies with no money, the city and SANDAG, plan to do this? But, even more importantly, how was the public involved in this decision? They weren’t, this thing is being ramrodded along and my guess is because it might be an attempt to give the lame duck mayor the “legacy” that they all crave. You know, the stadium thing didn’t quite work out. This is a very big undertaking that will involve our money and I don’t see how it should be left to a person leaving office very soon. I think people should be upset about this one.
Me thinks our good mayor has eyes on higher prizes and this is but one more feather in his helmet.
You mean this would be the one feather in his helmet, so far, he’s bald.