City Studies Grantville Redevelopment Possibilities
Redevelopment Survey Under Way; Informational Web Page Launched

SAN DIEGO - The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency approved a plan to study the possibilities of forming a new Redevelopment district within the Grantville area, which could provide a wide array of incentives to developers and businesses to encourage revitalization, address infrastructure deficiencies and create new jobs.

The Grantville Survey Area, created by establishing boundaries for the area to be studied for possible redevelopment, is comprised of more than 1,400 acres in three non-contiguous portions of land in the Navajo and Tierrasanta communities. These three sections in Grantville currently feature commercial and industrial uses. Residential property is not included in the area being studied for possible redevelopment. The Survey Area has a large amount of underutilized land and buildings, incompatible land uses, parcels of irregular form and shape which hinder development, insufficient parking, inadequate vehicle access and environmental constraints.

The adoption of the Grantville Survey Area will enable the City to explore the feasibility of utilizing its redevelopment authority to address physical and economic blight conditions. Redevelopment is being considered to address three goals: (1) to ensure the continued viability of the Survey Area's commercial, industrial and retail districts in the face of growing competition from contemporary, better designed locations in the market area; (2) to provide a dedicated source of funds to implement revitalization activities, such as buildings and façade rehabilitation, industrial pollution mitigation, parking and circulation projects, streetscape improvements, and public roadway deficiencies; and (3) to address issues such as soil contamination, urban runoff into the San Diego River and Alvarado Creek, incompatible uses, and obsolete buildings.

"We have an opportunity here to solve a number of problems in the Grantville area and actually maximize the potential for revitalization and the creation of new jobs for San Diego," stated Hank Cunningham, assistant executive director of the City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency and director of the City's Community and Economic Development Department. "Redevelopment can be part of the solution and we will ensure that the community is informed throughout the process of studying the area."

The City's Community and Economic Development Department (part of the City's Redevelopment Agency) will manage the survey process and has formed the Grantville Redevelopment Advisory Committee, which is comprised of business/property owners and community members to act as the survey areas advisory group. The Grantville Redevelopment Advisory Committee will meet the fourth Monday of each month at the Mission Valley Church of the Nazarene, 4675 Mission Gorge Place at 6:00 p.m. Meetings are open to the public.

The Agency has also launched a new web page to help keep residents and businesses informed. The new page is located on the City's web site at www.sandiego.gov/redevelopment-agency/grantville.shtml. The new Web page includes relevant documents, meeting agendas, a map of the Survey Area and other news about the survey process.

If a Grantville Redevelopment Area is ultimately created, it could contribute to creating a strong economic base within and for the Navajo and Tierassanta communities and surrounding neighborhoods, providing a an improved quality of life for residents and business owners. Additionally, redevelopment funds would help to protect and enhance the San Diego River, as well as provide City residents with recreation activities adjacent to the river and public/private support for the San Diego River Park.

"Redevelopment has proven to be an instrumental tool in the revitalization of many communities throughout San Diego," added Cunningham. "The Grantville area could benefit from our ability to invest in projects to deal with flooding, poor traffic circulation, blight and lack of jobs to serve the surrounding neighborhoods."

For more information about the Grantville Survey Area, visit the City's web site or contact City Redevelopment Project Manager Tracy Reed at (619) 533-7519 or email: treed@sandiego.gov, or contact City Redevelopment Assistant Project Manager Maricela Leon at (619) 533-5265 or melon@sandiego.gov.

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The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency eliminates blight from designated areas, as well as achieves the goals of development, reconstruction and rehabilitation of residential, commercial, industrial, and retail districts. Redevelopment is one of the most effective ways to breathe new life into deteriorated areas plagued by social, physical, environmental or economic conditions that act as a barrier to new investment by private enterprise. The City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency consists of three divisions: the City Redevelopment Division (which provides overall agency management and is housed in the City of San Diego Community and Economic Development Department), the Centre City Development Corporation and the Southeastern Economic Development Corporation.