After years of held breaths, dashed hopes and re-crossed fingers coupled with the belief that this time it was different, the announcement came that a letter of intent had been signed for magnificent redevelopment on Chula Vista’s bayfront.
A posh hotel and spacious convention center was finally slated to transform Chula Vista’s unsullied diamond on the Pacific into a shining golden goose that would produce millions in tax revenue, much needed jobs for regional workers and cash for local businesses. Area high schools and elbow rubbers would finally have a place to hold their proms and galas, with 1,500 rooms and 400,000 square feet of “meeting space” set to take shape.
In approving the developer’s letter of intent, city leaders claimed it was “a historic step in making this massive and complex project go from discussion to reality.”
The construction of a bayfront hotel and convention center would change the way the city and the county perceive Chula Vista.
“The bayfront is our front porch, it’s what we show to the region in some respects. It gives the community a sense of identity. It’s a catalyst for economic development. For so many reasons this project is important to our children and grandchildren,” the mayor said.
That was mayor Steve Padilla, by the way. And that was roughly 11 years ago in 2006, shortly after developer Gaylord Entertainment unveiled their ambitious plans and the Port of San Diego and city of Chula Vista revealed the financing mechanism that would make the game-changing cash cow feasible.
Two years later the golden calf was cooked when Gaylord announced they were pulling out of the project.
There was a compendium of reasons the developer nixed the plan — an unfortunate and uncomfortable development under then new mayor Cheryl Cox —including regulatory mazes, labor costs and the plain fact that they just couldn’t pencil out the costs of doing business along with the costs of making money. It also should be noted that 2008 was around the time the economy was beginning to circle the drain.
“I don’t think this city is going to see many master developers who would be willing to invest on that scale in the city of Chula Vista on a project that complex. It takes teamwork and leadership to bring and hold the pieces together,” Padilla — who had been voted out of office by 2008 — told the Union-Tribune then.
Yet here we are. Earlier this week the Chula Vista City Council, including former mayor turned councilman Steve Padilla, approved a letter of intent put forward by RIDA Development, which is working with Gaylord Hotels to run the proposed 1,450-room hotel and 275,000-square-foot convention center on Chula Vista’s bayfront.
A lot of people are buzzing. A lot of people are hopeful. A lot of people have seen this before and are no doubt praying for a different outcome.
