Time to bury the hatchet for NTC, Liberty Station
Ms. Blavatt writes accurately that many features in the McMillin development of “Liberty Station” seemed to “morph” from the planning documents that the community was presented into something quite different in the final contract.
An excellent example of this process is the Ocean Village area, which was universally praised by members of the City Council when they approved The Corky McMillin Companies as the master developer. I know this is true since I have the council meeting on videotape and I attended and spoke!
This video shows council member after council member praising the imaginative public benefit and historic-cultural concept conceived by Pat Goddard, a longtime Point Loma resident and past president of the Maritime Museum.
This project would have included a lagoon, wetlands, reproduction of native dwellings, a small boat museum, sail-maker and numerous reproductions of historical ships and boats, which would have added an amenity to our community that some compared to SeaWorld.
Sadly, as has been the case in much of the development of NTC, McMillin has agreed to sell the property to the highest bidder who plans to rent it as “nautical industrial” space targeted to fugitive tenants from the Port District.
Rather than a significant cultural element for our city, we will now have another oversized parking lot on San Diego Bay. This is exactly the land use that was universally condemned by the Peninsula Planning Board, the North Bay PAC, the Planning Commission and numerous other community organizations, as well as the City Council!
The question now is: Can we ever move past the animosity, which has been created within the Loma Portal community?
As much as many of us are saddened and angered by what Blavatt has described as the “big grab,” we must eventually move on.
Liberty Station is a reality and it should be allowed to become the quality neighborhood and regional destination that many of us have long envisioned, especially those of us who live there!
This does not mean that McMillin should not be held to his promises. Quite the contrary, Liberty Station should serve as a reminder that good government is a product of an informed and engaged public, who insists that public lands are always to be protected.
However, I believe the time has come to bury the hatchet and allow the anger and frustration in the community to come to an end, remembering always that NTC is a valuable piece of San Diego history that must be cherished and protected as a tribute to the men and women who served there.

Greg Finley
Liberty Station
Past Member, Peninsula Planning Board
Past Chair, North Bay Redevelopment PAC

Thanks for the cookie support
Thank you for purchasing cookies when a Girl Scout rings your doorbell or greets you at a store. Your support helps that girl, her troop and nearly 30,000 other local Girl Scouts to fund their community service projects, activities and events.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the nation’s premier entrepreneurship program. As girls participate in this annual activity, they learn firsthand about teamwork, customer service, business ethics, marketing, and money management. Girl Scouts develop confidence and invaluable life skills they’ll use all their lives.
Every penny of proceeds from the local cookie program stays in San Diego and Imperial Counties to benefit local girls. In addition to funding troop activities, these proceeds help supply program resources, special events, volunteer training, and financial assistance for our Girl Scouts.
It’s not too late to purchase your Thin Mints and Samoas ” the cookie program runs until March 19. To request that a Girl Scout troop in your own community contact you, just call (877) 296-MINT or email [email protected]. And thank you for assisting our local Girl Scout council to help Girls Grow Strong!

Marla Blom
President
Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council

Don’t forget the Cliffs
Just wanted to let your readers know that since the Master Plan for Sunset Cliffs was passed a year ago, things are starting to happen. The Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Recreation Council is working on plant restoration and trails and soon the erosion study will begin.
Anyone interested in helping is welcome to attend the monthly meeting the first Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. at the Ocean Beach Recreation Center. We also desperately need old photographs of the cliffs for our archive. Please go through your old pictures and gather these photos together. You can donate them or the council will gladly make copies.
Please contact [email protected] or call (858) 581-9976. Thank you for your help!

Debora Greene
Sunset Cliffs