The local agency that manages land around San Diego Bay has finalized policy document that will expand its authority to an additional 7,900 acres in the bay and another 100 acres on land.
Last week, the San Diego Unified Port District Board of Port Commissioners unanimously approved the Trust Land Use Plan (TLUP), a land use framework for the mostly submerged lands transferred to the agency in 2020. Commissioners also approved the environmental impact report associated with the plan, or its Mitigated Negative Declaration, which determined that there will be no significant effects once the mitigation measures are implemented. mitigation.
These actions allow the plan to be considered by the California Coastal Commission.
The TLUP is an amendment to the Port Master Plan that, once certified by the Coastal Commission and approved by the California State Land Commission, will give the port the authority to issue permits for what is colloquially known as the “doughnut hole.” This nickname describes how the port’s jurisdiction has historically extended along the shoreline of the entire bay, from Shelter Island to South Bay and Coronado, but excluding the more central water areas.
The mostly submerged lands, which were previously under the administration of the State Land Commission, were transferred to the port on January 1, 2020, by California Senate Bill 507. It is claimed that the land and water area, which includes the deep-water federal shipping channel, was ceded to the port for more efficient management.
“The State Land Commission recognized the need, or rather the efficiency, for us to be the managing agency in the area, with a direct presence, to manage these areas,” stated Lesley Nishihira, port vice president in charge of planning. “Since this is primarily aquatic space, it was important for us to consult with many of the users of the bay. … We spoke with recreational boaters, with the port community, with the Navy, with fishermen and with others who use this space. And through its goals, policies and objectives, the Trust Land Use Plan seeks to protect and balance all of these interests.”
The Trust Land Use Plan will not fuel an explosion of construction on the water. Rather, the plan creates space for kelp and shellfish aquaculture projects in a disused anchorage area, allows a bait barge, which has long operated off the coast of Point Loma, to continue operating and preserves areas for boating and other water activities.
Created by the state in 1962, the San Diego Unified Port District is a special district that encompasses the marshes and submerged lands in five different cities: San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and Coronado. The aquatic territory recently granted to the agency extends its jurisdiction into the bay, thus completing the area under its control.
The Trust Land Use Plan takes most of its goals, policies and water use designations from the updated Harbor Master Plan, the agency’s forward-thinking coastal zone development manual, which is awaiting Coastal Commission certification.
The document presents four new planning districts covering 8,003 acres: North Bay with 1,517 acres, North Central Bay with 1,146 acres, South Central Bay with 3,028 acres and South Bay with 2,311 acres.
The North Bay District, located between Shelter Island and Naval Air Station North Island, is designed to facilitate navigation between the Pacific Ocean and San Diego Bay. The North Central Bay district, which extends from Laurel Street to the Coronado Bridge, is structured to allow the transit of commercial and recreational vessels. There are no land or water development plans for either district, although the document provides for short-term docking and maintenance activities in the North Central Bay district.
The South Central Bay district, which extends from the bridge to the National City Marine Terminal, allows for intensified conservation efforts, including nature-based shoreline preservation projects and the cultivation of seaweed and shellfish at the former A-8 anchorage.
The South Bay district, whose northern portion lies east of Silver Strand and whose southern portion abuts the city of Imperial Beach, allows for approximately 1,060 acres of salt evaporation ponds and includes nearly 100 acres of land.
Most of this land is designated as conservation open space, allowing for scientific research and wildlife conservation. However, there is a 5-acre strip of land connecting Imperial Beach to Silver Strand, designated as a recreational open space area. This designation means that the site, which already includes the Bayshore Bikeway, can be minimally developed with facilities such as benches, public art and informational signage, but without public restrooms.
This ring-shaped territory also includes nearly two dozen leases of various kinds that were transferred to the port in 2020. The agreements allow use by public agencies, academic use or right of way, and cover elements such as buoys, cables or sewer pipes.
Some leases generate revenue, and the port must share a portion of the profits with the State Lands Commission. For example, BAE Systems, which operates a ship repair yard, leases submerged land within the new territory for parts of its drydock facilities. And Everingham Bros. Bait Company operates the aforementioned bait barge in North Bay.
In the last fiscal year, which ended June 30, the port paid the State Lands Commission $490,000 for its share of rental income from the leased land and withheld $633,000 in payments, according to Nishihira, the port’s vice president. The agency’s net income was about $135,000 that year, he added.
The port expects to obtain final approval of the Trust Land Use Plan from the State Lands Commission in late 2026.
Original Story
Port approves plan for 8,000 acres of expanded territory in San Diego Bay
