Anne Moore was joined Tuesday by Port land use senior planner Lesley Nishihira.
During a recent Chula Vista City Council meeting the pair provided project planning and implementation on 2013 bayfront activities for the next four quarters, which include finance, infrastructure, environmental compliance and entitlements, real estate, remediation and communication.
“For me there’s a couple of strategic things, like hiring an environmental and development strategy consultant,” Moore said. “This person will put together a business plan and program to ensure the entire bayfront is looked at as a whole so that we can try to prevent parcels from remaining vacant for years to come.”
Moore said one point of focus is the H Street extension project and the switchyard relocation.
The switchyard is an energy distribution system owned by SDG&E and located near the waterfront.
“The Port negotiated a land swap with SDG&E moving it further down the street so that they would have a site that’s bigger and be able to free up our bayfront,” Moore said. “We need to make sure that that goes through.”
Moore expects the project to go before the Public Utilities Commission sometime next month.
Another priority is to update and finalize the Pacifica land exchange agreement within the second quarter, where 1,500 residential units, 15,000 square feet of retail, 420,000 square feet of commercial offices and a 250-room hotel will be built.
In addition, an interview panel comprised of Chula Vista City Manager Jim Sandoval, Port CEO Wayne Darbeau and others are preparing to hire consultants to create design guidelines for the bayfront, which will focus on how the project will look as well as play a part in the marketing and development program.
A subcommittee called the Bayfront Cultural Design Committee would create the design guidelines, according to Nishihira, and be made up of approximately a dozen members, including representatives from the City Council Design Review Board, Planning Commission and Resource Conservation Commission.
“This is so we can begin to shape what our bayfront will look like,” she said. “They will bring that forward to the Port Commission for our approval in February.”
