Editordude: Donna Frye contacted the Rag and asked us to post the following and to encourage other San Diegans to contact the City Council to request a continuance of the Mission Bay “Surplus Land” issue, currently scheduled for the City Council on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. Here is her letter to Councilmembers:
July 23, 2025
Dear Councilmembers,
Item 105 is on the City Council Agenda for Tuesday, July 29, 2025, and would “Declare City-Owned Real Property within Mission Bay Park “Surplus Land” Pursuant to California Government Code Sections 54220-54234”.
The three properties to be declared “surplus” are:
- 1936 Quivera Way, Marina Village
- 1617 Quivera Road, Sportsmen’s Seafood
- 2590 Ingraham Street, Dana Landing Marina
I am requesting that Item 105 be continued until after legislative recess to allow the public time to review this item and, at a minimum, have it heard at a Mission Bay Park Committee meeting before coming to full council.
There is no urgency to hear this matter on July 29 because the lease for Marina Village LLC does not expire until April 30, 2027. Additionally, the leases for the other two properties, Dana Landing Marina and Sportsmen’s Seafood, are in holdover status.
The public has a right to know what “surplus lands” are and what this means for Mission Bay Park leases. For example, has the city already received, discussed or solicited lease proposals for any of the “surplus” properties and if so, what is being proposed?
This is a matter of great public concern and interest because Mission Bay Park is one of our most loved coastal areas and has been since it was first dedicated in perpetuity as a public park in 1962.
Please note that this item was heard on July 2, 2025 at the Land Use and Housing Committee meeting. It was Item 11 and included documents that for some reason are not included in the City Council backup material. Those supporting documents included a power point presentation and a draft “Notice of Availability of Surplus Land for Ground Lease in San Diego”. They contain relevant information for both the council and public to read.
Please continue Item 105 until September.
Thank you for your consideration,
Donna Frye
This story also made the Google feed today!
Thank you to Donna Frye, Geoff and Frank for highlighting this very concerning story of declaring parts of Mission Bay as “Supplies Land”which we all know what that means. SELL TO DEVELOPERS. Now I am not against thoughtful development but taking away more and more of our public parks to satisfy the City’s mismanagement is NOT the way to correct things. We have too little public parks as it is for our citizens.
As Geoff indicated YOU CAN BE HEARD. Click on link below and put in ITEM 105
: https://www.sandiego.gov/city-clerk/agenda-comment-form
THANK YOU :))
Thank you so much for thjs. Yes, I most certainly will. This is so important. This is one of those items we really can’t let slip by, and allow for the “ask for forgiveness later” routine this current admin seems to live by. When it comes to this in particular , the future of our San Diego and our most precious spaces, including the Encanto land grab, it just feels very hostile and violating to have someone in charge of the decision making who has proven j himself to be an inadequate leader, dishonest decision maker, and self serving financial manager. This is one we can’t let slide, and allow him to term out and not much mind what happens after the deals are doing and everyone grabbed their share. Thank you for bringing this up and I will for sure reach out and request the extension
You can go here and provide a comment: https://www.sandiego.gov/city-clerk/agenda-comment-form
The comment area allows for 500 words. Donna’s letter is only 302 words so you can reproduce it there and also make a comment.
Awesome, thank you!
Really, where will this end? Just how low can the City of San Diego go? I thought paid parking in Balboa Park was bad. But this is far worse. Selling off public parkland for private development is vile. What’s the justification? The City needs more money? The building industry needs more lucrative projects? Both? A million thanks, Donna. And shame on Kent Lee, Raul Campillo, and Sean Elo-Rivera for pushing this forward. Our deeply angry electorate won’t forget this if/when you seek office again.
Thank you Donna, for breaking this issue down so it’s easily understood. AND keeping an eye on the insanity Gloria and the Clowncil keep dumping on the tax payers. AND for letting the public know.
Thank you Donna! This is very much appreciated.
While I don’t disagree with Donna’s plea for the item to be delayed, I also don’t disagree with the idea of finding a better use for these properties. Most of the building structures on this land are vacant much of the time. If the current land is converted to hotels or a mix of hotels and whole home short term rentals, then there wou9ld be rationale and justification to ban the whole home short term rentals in Mission Beach.
Instead of dealying it, the Council should direct staff to pursue classifying this land as “exempt surplus” which means it would not have to be noticed as available for housing purposes. Housing cannot be built there due to the dedicated park status. It would take a vote of the people to undedicate the park and that will never happen. There is an avenue to declare it “exempt surplus” per the surplus lands act but there is no evidence that the City pursued that option. The City Attorney staff should push for this option.
geez, why don’t they transform fiesta island instead?
Thanks to Donna Frye or another effort to give San Diego special interests another set-up in exchange for ? Donations? These areas will nor resolve San Diegos budget issues… and those Council Members who supported this measure should be marked and repaid when
/if they seek reelection… Mr LaCa a has shown he has his own agenda and shouldnt be trusted, nor should the Mayor! Its shameful to ignore two longterm leases in such efforts. These other two are small parcels that arent conducive to hotels and have served San Diegans quite admirably over the years; instead the deserve a “hand up” to continue to serve ALL facets of the San Diego economic layers so they too can enjoy Mission Bay Park to its fullest! 15 years is ample and if it acts to restrict the big hotels from an already overwhelming barrage of hotels. Our City Council should immediately cease such unreasonable actions, and instead look more at assisting the current leaseholds to continue serving San Diegos lesser “entitled” folk!
Thanks Donna Frye!!!