Old Police Headquarters

The Coastal Commission approved the project on August 10, 2006 and the deadline for signing a lease with GMS has been extended to March of 2007.  Working drawings for the OPH renovation have been submitted to the port, who reports that an intense review is needed due to the building being on the historic registry.  A permit decision is expected at the December 2006 meeting of the Port Board.  The park element is being developed separately with construction bids planned for mid 2007, construction beginning in early 2008, and the park possibly being completed by the end of 2008.

The draft EIR has been updated and a public workshop will be held December 7, 2005 at 6pm. The changes were not described on the postcard invitation to the meeting, nor the http://ophandpark.com website.

The August 2 workshop provided little new news and there was little public comment compared with previous meetings. Project completion is targeted for Spring of 2007. Significant funding for the park portion will come from the Ruocco Fund. Details of the park are still unknown, but expect Ruocco to be in the name.

Quoting the notice of availability:

The Draft EIR analyzes the following issues: urban design/visual quality; traffic and circulation; parking; land/water use compatibility; cultural resources; hazardous materials/public safety; air quality; water quality; noise; seismic/geology hazards; public services; public utilities; solar access; cumulative impacts; and three alternatives.

The Draft EIR is available for public review during normal business hours at the Office of the District Clerk, SDUPD, 3165 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA. A personal copy may be obtained by contacting the Land Use Planning Department at (619) 686-6283. Copies of the Draft EIR are also available at the San Diego Central Library, 820 E Street, San Diego, CA, and may also be viewed on the SDUPD web page at http://www.portofsandiego.org/projects/ophp/.

Comments stating specific environmental concerns with the EIR should be addressed to the San Diego Unified Port District, Land Use Planning Department, P.O. Box 120488, San Diego, CA, 92112- 0488. Public comments on the Draft EIR will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Monday, August 22, 2005.

A public workshop regarding the EIR will be held on Tuesday, August 2, 2005 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Embarcadero Planning Center (formerly Coral Reef Restaurant) at 585 Harbor Lane, San Diego, CA.

The meeting begins at 1:00PM in the Port Admin Bldg. The presentation is item 17 on the agenda.

Bazaar del Mundo to Anchor Seaport Village

The Old Police Headquarters (OPH), located at the foot of Pacific Highway in downtown San Diego, is about to come alive once again. And hundreds of San Diegans can say that they had a part in developing its vision.

“I have never been involved in a process in which so many ideas of the public have been incorporated into the project’s design,” says Bruce Walton, senior vice president of GMS Realty, LLC, which will lease the project from the Port and oversee its development.

“The public and designers worked hard to save the entire OPH building. We received creative ideas regarding the proposed public market. We have listened to their ideas on signage and more. This is a great example of how the public process can make a project better.”

The OPH is envisioned to include the famous Bazaar del Mundo, the region’s first Public Market, an entertainment venue, a police museum and a visual celebration of the site’s rich history. The OPH building, which opened in 1938 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be saved almost in its entirety.

Construction is slated to begin in early 2006 and be complete by late 2006 or early 2007.

Built in 1938 and vacant since 1987, the Old Police Headquarters sits on one of San Diego’s most historic pieces of property. It was there that Alonzo Horton reportedly stepped ashore from San Diego’s first wharf.. The San Diego-Coronado ferry launched from there. The famed Tuna Fleet continues to begin and end its forays into Pacific Ocean from the nearby commercial fishing dock. Pacific Highway originates at its doorstep. The piece of land has long been called Punta de las Muertos, or Deadman’s Point, in honor of the early Spanish explorers and cartographers that were buried there. The building was the headquarters for the San Diego Police Department for nearly five decades. And Seaport Village became downtown’s first shopping center 25 years ago.

All of this history will be celebrated within the walls and courtyard of the Old Police Headquarters, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, the building’s entire façade will be restored to its original grandeur and some historically significant elements that have been removed over the years will be replaced.

The Port of San Diego Board of Commissioners has scheduled a public meeting on June 21 to review plans for the historic reuse of the OPH. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. in the Port of San Diego headquarters at 3165 Pacific Highway.

The Port is currently preparing an Environmental Impact Report for the proposed project. It is anticipated that the EIR will be available for public review and comment in early June 2005 for a 45-day period.

“This project truly is the compilation of the ideas and dreams of hundreds of people,” Walton said. “We encourage everyone to continue to be part of the process.”

Plans for the Old Police Headquarters and Park project can be viewed at http://www.ophandpark.com.

The April 12, 2005 presentation provided more detailed draft plans for the project. Links to photos of the posters that were on display are included below. Public comment was generally positive, but some specific criticisms were expressed. Many expressed support for using some space as a police museum. (The historic preservationists are the main reason the OPH project is possible. The structure would likely have been torn down without their efforts.) The idea of a large lighted sign high above the public market was repeatedly criticized. Other issues were raised, but these notes are incomplete.

The posters: (main link is 640x480; "large" is 1024x768)

• Signage Opportunities (large)
• Master Landscape Concept Plan (large)
• First Floor Plan (Landscape Emphasis) (large)
• First Floor Plan (Hardscape Emphasis) (large)
• Large Park Cross Section (large)
• Small Park Cross Section (large)
• Pacific Hwy Cross Section (large)

On the topic of the Sasaki/Quigley plan, a slide updated the public on the status:

• 2004 Design Competition Winner
• Port will conduct due dilligence to confirm cost and regulatory requirements
• Determination to proceed - forthcoming
• Focus on OPH and Park Project now

The March 8, 2005 presentation/Q&A by GMS and the Port was very well attended and reactions were generally positive. A website, www.OPHandPark.com, has been created dedicated to this project. The next community workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12, 2005. The project is anticipated being completed in the later half of 2006 or perhaps early 2007. The slides from the March 8 presentation are described below. All of the information is subject to change. Your input can help guide those changes. (For just the current draft of the OPH reuse plans, skip to slide 10.)

Slide 1 (or click here for large version) shows the existing conditions. The blue marks indicate that the charter buses use Pacific Hwy south of Harbor Dr. The black areas show the existing large restaurants. Service routes, such as to the fish market and the back of the Hyatt, are shown in brown. The red checkers indicate that people congregate in the food court and around the gazebo at Seaport Village. The red dashes indicate the paths used by pedestrians, including the islands of the parking lot and the unpleasant path along Kettner.

Slide 2 (or click here for large version) shows the process for the project. With the input of the community and interaction with the EIR development, conceptual plans are scheduled to be completed on April 29. The Port board will then be presented with the plans and in parallel the public review of the EIR will proceed. Community input continues as the preliminary plans are developed (by September 30) and the EIR is finalized and certified. Working drawings are anticipated by December 29.

Slide 3 (or click here for large version) and slide 4 (or click here for large version) show two potential bubble diagrams of the project. Both show a large park in the area bounded by the fish processing, Harbor Dr, Pacific Hwy, and the water. The emphasis was placed on slide 3, which includes more park space and less marine use. Some portion of the park would likely be hardscaped for a variety of uses. The area north of the OPH currently used for parking would also be converted to park space. These park spaces are in place of the park space originally planned to be along Kettner that would have required the elimination of the portion of the OPH that is now planned to include a market and the elimination of the Harbor House (which has a lease until 2018). A landscaped walkway is still planned for the western edge of Kettner. When asked about the intended width, specifics were not available, but a guess of a 20 foot width with trees was provided.

Slide 5 (or click here for large version) highlights the circulation elements. The difficulty of making pedestrian friendly connections between the elements of the site while there are parking lots in the middle was brought up several times and is an acknowledged challenge for the design process.

Slide 6 (or click here for large version) shows concepts that are helping to inspire the current project. Courtyards, parks, facilties, and lighting experiences are being drawn upon.

Slide 7 (or click here for large version) indicates an interest in public art and provides examples from other projects.

Slide 8 (or click here for large version) shows the existing conditions at the OPH. The bottom right photo is the area that will be used for a market.

Slide 9 (or click here for large version) shows the demolition plans for portions of the OPH. The areas hatched from top-left to lower-right are not historic and will be removed as part of the restoration. The areas hatched from lower-left to top-right are historic, but may be removed to assist in the reuse. One of the cell blocks and an adjacent area are planned for removal to allow easy access and sightlines through the southern center of the building. Patio dining would also be provided by the removal. An area west of the assembly building may be removed and may be used for patio dining. Half the structure south of the assembly building is being considered for removal to help make southward connections.

Slide 10 (or click here for large version) shows the current plans for reuse. The two larger restaurants and the retail space would be the new location of Bazaar del Mundo. Another small restaurant or bar not associated with Bazaar del Mundo is also planned. A 17,300 square foot market is planned. This would not be a "farmers market" by strict standards, but would include leased stalls envisioned to sell fish, wines, cheeses, etc. The Granville Island Market was mentioned as a model for the market (yielding a great deal of applause), although there was some debate over whether the market should have all permanent stalls or should be a mix of permanent and day use. (Granville advertises using the later model.) The dinner theater seemed to be the most tentative element of the plan.

One surprise of the evening was an apparent distancing of the Sasaki/Quigley long term plan for the area. The word "if" was used a few times as well as phrases like "such as the Sasaki/Quigley plan" and "something like the Sasaki/Quigley plan". When questioned, early responses were that Port staff had not been directed to pursue the Sasaki/Quigley plan at this time and that when directed to pursue a longer term project, staff would pursue that project, whatever it may be. The final response came from the Port's real estate department, reassuring the crowd that the Port is still pursuing the Sasaki/Quigley plan in parallel with the OPH efforts and that the significant regulatory challenges prevent them from promising the plan will be carried out exactly as designed.

Another item that came up multiple times was the expectation by many of a police museum in the old police headquarters. The current plans do not include a museum. This is an item that is still under discussion and may be shaped by the community interaction in the coming months. No one spoke against such a museum at this meeting, but it also did not draw the same level of applause as the market.

Concern was expressed that the OPH may be renovated without the park being completed. (The park was supposed to be built as part of the project that included the second Hyatt tower, so it is already "late".) The park is being developed as a separate subproject by the Port in parallel with the private redevelopment of the OPH. The public was assured the park would not be put off.

Geppetto's Old Town location closed its doors today. With only weeks left before the transition from Diane Powers to Delaware North, Geppetto's is ready to move on and is excited about the future downtown. That's good news for downtown families. The owner may be spotted at the public meeting this Tuesday (March 8).

GMS sent out postcards with the following invitation:

Please join the development team at the commencement of its community outreach program for the Old Police Headquarters and Park Project. The project, located at the terminus of Pacific Coast Highway in downtown San Diego, will include the long-awaited rehabilitation of the Old Police Headquarters and the creation of a new public park.

When: Tuesday, March 8, 2005 from 6:00PM - 8:00PM.

Location: Embarcadero Planning Center (formerly the Coral Reef Restaurant) 585 Harbor Lane, San Diego.

For more information, please call (619)297-0322. Presented by the Port of San Diego and GMS Realty, LLC, a Carlsbad based company.

At their January 11, 2005 meeting, the Port granted an option agreement to Seaport Village Operating Company (managed by GMS). The agenda item attachment discussed the terms of the option, including

• Renovation of the Old Police Headquarters (OPH) for a "Bazaar del Mundo" type establishment and other specialty retail
• Creation of a ~1 acre park/plaza adjacent to the OPH
• Creation of a 2.77 acre public park at the Harbor Seafood Mart property

The agreement would call for pre-construction work to be completed by the end of February 2006.

The Board of Port Commissioners considered this topic at their September 7 meeting. The potential exists for the Old Police Headquarters to be renovated with the adjacent parking and old Coral Reef restaurant converted into park space in the near future. The parking deficit might be addressed by designating spaces from a garage that will be completed next year as being for the project. A shuttle would transport employees and visitors the 3/4 of a mile between garage and site. Because this project as described by staff would have less impact than an already produced EIR, the regulatory processing may be accomplished in 6 to 8 months. (Update from Larry (Archie's (the retriever's) "dad"), who made it to the meeting: The board authorized exclusive negotiations with GMS to move toward a contract for the aforementioned project.)