Another local business bites the dust
As I pulled up to the pump the other morning, half asleep, wishing I were heading to the beach and not to work, I immediately sensed that something just wasn’t right ” something felt odd.
Running on OB time instead of employer time, I was in a rush to be on my way, so I grabbed my cash and ran inside to pay. In an instant I hit the brick wall as I viewed the empty snack shelves and the three unfamiliar attendants whose only difference between them was the head on their shoulders as the rest of their bodies consisted of a coordinated uniform. The voice of Dorothy entered my head stating “Toto, we aren’t in Kansas anymore!” Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the Land of Oz. Instead, I was in the Corporate Land of Exxon/World Oil.
No longer will the sense of pride fill us inside as we enter our beloved community from the north and see our independent gas station, OB Gas. We won’t have the visual pleasure of a hand-painted mural. Instead, we will be welcomed with the reminder of what an impact corporate businesses can have on the character of our community, creating a homogenous landscape with no true familiarity.
Our community’s local, independent businesses are a significant piece of our community’s character as a whole. The type of business, the service or products they provide, the ownership and operations all contribute to defining our community’s character for us and visitors.
With this recognition and the motivation for action, I urge the patronage of Ocean Beach local independent businesses. This is easier for community members to do than for those visiting, so I encourage community members to voice the recommendation to those visiting our unique community. Together, we can preserve the unique character of Ocean Beach while also preserving the secluded paradise we can proudly call home.
Farewell OB Gas, we will truly miss you all.
Ocean Beach still has one remaining independent gas station located in South OB at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and Point Loma Avenue. Our community is worth any extra step needed.
Oh, I almost forgot ” I wonder what Exxon/World Oil will do with the Voltaire Park property now that they got their gas station into our community at a different location?
Hmmmm”¦..
Kim McGinley, Ocean Beach

Help needed in sussing out OB towing issue
On Monday, June 26, my car was towed from Bacon Street, parked on the southbound side in between Long Branch and Muir. SDGE ordered it towed, claiming they placed warning signs on Friday afternoon.
I live on Long Branch at Bacon and walked by my car many times over the weekend and I know that those signs were not there. I also have witnesses that will testify that no signs were posted. Other cars were towed that day, if one was yours, please e-mail [email protected].
I’m also looking for more witnesses who can help me figure out the mystery of the phantom SDGE signs.
Tom Roebuck, Ocean Beach

Manchester’s plans best for bay waterfront
It is only once in a great while that San Diegans have the opportunity to rally around a vision that will provide countless hours of enjoyment for our families, friends and generations to come. Balboa Park and Mission Bay were the realization of such a vision. And now, many of us look to the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan as something just as grand and important as the park and bay we all enjoy as a regional asset.
The proposed enhancements along Harbor Drive will be appealing and viable and provide a revitalized “front porch” for our city along San Diego’s bayfront. The plans that the U.S. Navy and Manchester Financial Group have proposed to transform the property now known as the Navy Broadway Complex are promising and are sure to get even better as they are refined with input from the public and Centre City Development Corporation.
We have the rare opportunity to be a part of the genesis of an iconic master plan at the juncture of the tidelands and downtown. For decades, the site has been an eyesore”¦one the city fathers could only dream about putting to a different use. The U.S. Navy, one of San Diego’s most valued employers, owns the property and the plan calls for them to gain a state-of-the-art administrative headquarters facility that is being incorporated into the design. Congress and the 1992 Development Agreement negotiated by the Navy and CCDC on behalf of the City Council enabled the Navy to select a private-sector developer to be its partner in redevelopment of the 12.06 acres. In a lot of ways, we look to this development as a veritable celebration of the unique bond that is shared by the United States military and the community of greater San Diego.
The site and concept plans presented by the Manchester group will ultimately make the most of this opportunity to re-imagine and re-animate the U.S. Navy Broadway Complex. While it is subject to changes, what we are seeing is a concerted effort to create a diverse and complementary public facility that includes cultural, hospitality, private, government, and environmentally-friendly uses. This boldly conceived public-private partnership will give San Diego the world-class “front porch” on the North Embarcadero of San Diego Bay we so richly deserve. One that is sure to be enjoyed for its urban architectural design and its multiple uses. This project, whose urban plan and architecture go beyond visual symbolism, will make a profound statement about San Diego’s past, present and future.
The ultimate realization of Manchester Pacific Gateway has important and very beneficial economic ramifications for San Diego’s intricately woven business and lifestyle fabric. It creates thousands of construction-related jobs that will stretch for over a half decade. It will produce state-of-the-art, Class A offices facilities and four hotels that will generate thousands of additional full-and part-time jobs after completion, and is projected to generate more than $20 million in TOT and other tax increment funds annually, starting the year after completion. As it is still several years from completion, there is still a chance that the development could include a myriad of unique features, and perhaps even the kind of cultural center for which many San Diegans have longed for many years.
Here is what is such a key element for the San Diegans of today and to the generations of San Diegans and their guests to come; Manchester Pacific Gateway begins the real renaissance of the North Embarcadero, with a private-sector partner picking up the tab to redevelop, build and maintain the perimeter property improvements that were part of the collaborative visionary plan created a decade ago by the consortium of the City, the County, and the Port of San Diego and the U.S. Navy.
These improvements will be for all to share, in addition to a nearly 2-acre park at Broadway and Harbor Drive that welcomes San Diegans and guests alike. We’ll be able to enjoy 3 more acres of improved open space through the center of the project; and we’ll get extensions of E, F and G streets through the property providing, for the first time, view and access corridors directly to Harbor Drive.
The project will return to the community and visitors the right to use and enjoy approximately 5 acres of prime waterfront property that has been out of touch for eighty years. The business community will have several brand new choices for the kind of icon office facilities that could attract corporate headquarters to Harbor Drive, and with them the economic infusion produced by their employees, families and commerce. And all this at no cost to the public sectors.
Scott D. Alevy, Vice President of Public Policy and Communications,
Cámara de Comercio Regional de San Diego