Plans to develop a Central Mobility Hub in the NAVWAR Old Town Complex have been shelved in favor of two other alternatives that have recently emerged.
“SANDAG continues to collaborate closely with the Navy on possibly including a future transit stop at the Navy’s Old Town Campus, but have agreed to stop exploring the site for the Central Mobility Hub,” said SANDAG, the region’s transportation planning agency, in a statement.
“After extensive analysis and feedback from the community, SANDAG is advancing plans to build two direct transit connections to the airport as part of the Central Mobility Hub project. One is from a new transit center located at the current Port of San Diego headquarters at 3165 Pacific Highway. The other is from the existing Santa Fe Depot at 1050 Kettner Blvd. These connections will link to the future Central Mobility Hub, which will be built at a location yet to be determined in Downtown San Diego.”
SANDAG anticipates beginning the environmental review for the future transit connection to the airport this summer. The environmental review for the Central Mobility Hub site in Downtown San Diego will follow, after additional study.
The Navy and SANDAG had been working together for months to explore potentially developing a transit hub on the site of the NAVWAR Old Town Complex. Both entities previously signed an agreement to explore redeveloping the 70-acre site, including doing a draft environmental impact statement on the proposed project.
This most recent development was welcomed by community planners from Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group, who had expressed reservations about redeveloping NAVWAR as a Central Mobility Hub, fearing it would worsen already serious area traffic congestion, among other issues.
“While it’s clear the project unveiled last summer is not moving forward as it was presented, we fully expect that the Navy will continue to pursue redevelopment options for the NAVWAR site and we remain committed to supporting their efforts in a way that conforms with our Community Plan and the vision articulated in that document,” said Dike Anyiwo, chair of Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group. “I’m certain that our planning group will remain highly engaged as the Navy goes about selecting a developer for their property, and we look forward to participating in that process.”
Speaking for herself, immediate past Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group chair Cathy Kenton said “the Port property/downtown location has always been my preference, and I stated so on several occasions during community planning group meetings. Moving additional traffic away from the central Midway area is essential.”
“The City of San Diego and SANDAG have been exceptional in their support of the Navy,” said Navy spokesperson Caitlin Ostomel, reacting to recent NAVWAR developments. “We look forward to continuing to work with the City and SANDAG as we move forward with the Navy Old Town Campus Revitalization project, and connect NAVWAR to the regional transportation system. The revitalization of NAVWAR’s facilities right here in San Diego is urgently needed to support their national security mission and will benefit both the Navy and San Diego for many years to come.”
The Naval Base Point Loma Old Town Campus is home to Naval Information Warfare Systems Command. NAVWAR needs new mission-capable and modern facilities to support its cybersecurity mission. The Navy is considering plans to maximize the value of approximately 70.5 acres of Navy-owned underutilized property at the Old Town Campus to support NAVWAR needs.
NAVWAR provides $3.2 billion annually to the San Diego regional economy and the potential redevelopment of its existing site could bring additional economic benefits to the region through the construction and operation of new commercial, residential, and transportation facilities.
The Navy’s five alternatives for NAVWAR redevelopment are spelled at NAVWAR-Revitalization.com. Under Alternative 1, Navy-only redevelopment of NAVWAR facilities would occur by phasing construction projects over five years. This alternative would not involve mixed-use development or a transit center in Old Town Center.
Under Alternatives 2-5, new modern facilities would be constructed for NAVWAR at OTC. Once new NAVWAR facilities are constructed, all existing buildings on OTC would be demolished and replaced with private development of residential, office, hotel, retail, streets, alleys, sidewalks, parks, and open spaces. A public-private development agreement would be implemented over a 30-year period.
