The Port of San Diego’s budget is in surplus this year, and $6 million of it will be allocated to Coronado projects.
Parts of Coronado’s shoreline is managed under trust by the San Diego Unified Port District, which was formed in 1962. At that time, some tidelands and submerged lands were reassigned from their respective cities to the Port. By law, the lands must be used for purposes that serve the public good.
The Coronado Ferry Landing is operated by the Port, as is Grand Caribe Island, the site of the much-debated and seemingly stalled Cottages at the Cays project.
Because of this, Coronado can only recommend how the money, which cannot be used in a revenue-generating capacity, will be allocated. The Coronado City Council opted to request that that the following projects be prioritized: updating the bathrooms at Tidelands and Glorietta Bay Parks, turf replacement at the Ferry Landing, and enhancing the exercise area at Tidelands Park.
After planning these projects, the City Council recommends that the rest of the money will be spent on Glorietta Bay. These recommendations passed in a 4-1 vote at the Oct. 15 City Council meeting, with Councilmember Carrie Downey dissenting.
Downey said that some of the projects would be more appropriately categorized as maintenance work, which she said the Port should already be doing.
Glorietta Bay Park has not been updated since 1986. It needs an accessible, ADA-compliant playground, new sidewalks, landscaping, and an updated bathroom. There is an opportunity to expand its cottage building for wider use, as well as to expand its concrete boat launch entry. All of this carries an estimated cost of $7.4 million.
The council could have recommended a project whose cost exceeds the $6 million slated for Coronado projects, and the Port would then look into any possible grant funding or hold the project for a future allocation, assuming there is excess money to allocate next year. City Council instead opted to spend the money – and see improvements – sooner.
Tidelands Park needs new bathrooms, landscaping, and irrigation. It also needs repairs to some of its public art, and additional exercise equipment could create a circuit. Doing all of this carries an estimated cost of $1.7 million.
The Ferry Landing needs replacement of the turf overlaying the Transbay Pump Station to prevent damaging water intrusion, for an estimated cost of $200,000.
The council opted to prioritize the turf replacement, bathroom projects, and exercise area at Tidelands Park before diverting whatever is leftover to Glorietta Bay Park, which is most in need of updates.
The council’s recommendations will be submitted to the San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, which will assess whether the projects meet the board’s criteria and then work with the city to determine cost and timeline, design, and any available matching grant funding.
This article was catalyzed by reporting by Thomas Vedder, a San Diego Documenter, at a Coronado City Council meeting last month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. It’s run by inewsource, a nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to investigative and accountability journalism. Read more about the program here.
