The California State Lands Commission and Port of San Diego
have closed escrow on a land exchange where the port traded about 35 acres
within the Harbor District of the Chula Vista Bayfront for about 97 acres within
the environmentally sensitive Sweetwater District of the Chula Vista Bayfront.
Escrow closed Feb. 18.
The land exchange shifts high-density residential land uses
away from the Sweetwater District, which is adjacent to the National Wildlife
Refuge and the Living Coast Discovery Center, to the centrally located Harbor
District. In addition, part of the 97-acre site will be dedicated to a
400-foot-wide buffer between the RV Park and National Wildlife Refuge.
The land exchange is part of the ongoing redevelopment of
the Chula Vista Bayfront, gradually replacing former industrial sites with new
development providing a balance of jobs, environmental buffers, housing and
recreation.
The port site is designated for a park, some commercial
development, and an RV park.
“The public trust lands obtained by the Port of San Diego in
this exchange will provide a critical buffer that protects habitat while
enhancing public access to an underutilized waterfront,” said California
Controller Betty Yee, the state’s chief fiscal officer. “This is a win for the
environment, for community residents, and for the local economy.”
“The land exchange is an integral component of the Chula
Vista Bayfront because it places residential uses where they are most
appropriate,” said Ann Moore, who represents the City of Chula Vista on the seven-member
Board of Port Commissioners. “The future residential project will serve as an
economic catalyst for the overall bayfront.”