Five years ago CalTrans made a promise to the Old Town San Diego community to transfer their old headquarters building to the California Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR) in order for this important piece of land to be reclaimed as the “front door” to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. The parcel sits on one of the most historic and culturally significant sites in all of California, a site that is essential in telling the story of San Diego and the origins of California and the West. The site is so important that the community granted a variance to the Old Town Community Plan to allow CalTrans to build a multistory building, which is out of scale with the area, in order to acquire the historic site for the benefit of the millions of residents and tourists who visit the park each year.

Fast forward to 2011 when the Old Town business community, the Old Town Community Planning Group, the Old Town San Diego Business Improvement District, the Old Town Chamber of Commerce, and Save Our Heritage Organisation were recently notified that CalTrans no longer intends to keep its word to sell the property to DPR but, instead, will auction the property off to the highest bidder in January. This is despite the fact that California DPR has $2.5 million budgeted for the acquisition of this property through secured funds, and additional funds necessary to demolish and remediate the environmental hazards on the property.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave an important, lasting legacy for present and future San Diegans, a chance to make possible the meaningful interpretation of the site for the first time in 50 years since the inappropriately sited CalTrans building was built in the first place. CalTrans should honor their promise and recognize their obligation to the pubic good to protect such rare historic and cultural resources.

Sincerely,
Bruce Coons
Executive Director
Save Our Heritage Organisation