As part of efforts to improve public amenities and recreational and maritime uses on the National City Bayfront, the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners has approved a Port Master Plan Amendment (PMPA) for what’s known as the National City Balanced Plan and certified the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the National City Bayfront Projects, which is the Balanced Plan and four proposed projects and programmatic components located in the City of National City.
Set in motion in 2015, the National City Balanced Plan seeks to expand Pepper Park, realign Marina Way, improve visual corridors and public access corridors for pedestrians and cyclists, and create more contiguous commercial recreation and maritime uses. The PMPA now goes to the California Coastal Commission for consideration. Once the PMPA is certified by Coastal, the Port and City can implement the Balanced Plan.
“This is a major milestone in the collective efforts of the Port of San Diego, City of National City, and community and business stakeholders that have collaborated over the years to refine this plan and its associated projects,” said Commissioner Sandy Naranjo, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “We are closer than ever to making our National City Bayfront a more usable and enjoyable asset for the community, a more attractive destination for visitors, and more efficient for our important maritime businesses that provide good local jobs and economic benefits for our region.”
National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis shared, “I am so proud to have the formal National City Bayfront Projects EIR and the National City Balanced Plan PMPA approved by the Commissioners this afternoon. This has been 15 years of collaboration, community outreach, surveys and meetings. We are ready to see the fruits of that labor head so the next phase at the Coastal Commission and continue to push for ways the Port can approve and leverage funding for our project.”
The National City Bayfront is made up of 273 acres of waterfront land and 167 acres of water and includes the National City Marine Terminal, Pepper Park, Pier 32 Marina, the Aquatic Center, and many pieces of valuable public art.
Public outreach has been an integral component of the Balanced Plan and has included small stakeholder working sessions, public meetings, and individual meetings with interested parties. The Balanced Plan is a result of this outreach and consists of the following:
The additional project components analyzed in the EIR are as follows:
To learn more and to sign up for updates, go to portofsandiego.org/nationalcitybayfront.