2022 Spring Issue - 61

Meeting City Focus
OUTLOOK2022
erected in San Diego County in the last few decades,
according to Geller.
Camp Pendleton-the biggest U.S. Marine base
worldwide-lies north of the city. The base is a big
economic driver in the area since many people go
into Oceanside to shop and dine at local eateries.
A plethora of new restaurants have also recently
" Our premise that
the social trends
indicated that we
needed for San Diego
to continue to be
competitive and to
be an 18-hour city, we
really needed to have
an innovation district
downtown. "
-Pete Garcia, Urban Interventions
opened. They include two new chef-driven restaurants:
Matsu, a Japanese
restaurant on Tremont
Street, and Valle, a Mexican
eatery with views
of the Pacific Ocean.
Dija Mara, which offers
Southeast Asian fare
and casual dining, was
recognized last year by
the Michelin Group. The
San Luis Rey Mission,
a historic landmark, is
also nearby. " It dictates
the aesthetic of the
neighborhood, " Geller
says.
The city has also
been encouraging more
affordable housing
projects. One that is
under construction is the
59-unit Greenbrier Village Apartments at 563 Greenbrier
Drive designed for homeless and lower-income
residents.
Another big draw to the region is the Port of San
Diego. Its Blue Technology program was created six
years ago to focus on environmental and economic
opportunities, says Brianne Page, spokeswoman for
the Port of San Diego. A Blue Economy Incubator is
an innovation launchpad for " new, water-dependent
business ventures on San Diego Bay focusing on
sustainable aquaculture and port-related blue technologies, "
Page explains. Through the Incubator, a
partnership has been created between the Port and
early-stage companies to facilitate pilot projects in
the aquaculture blue technology space.
The Port has approved nine projects to date
through its Incubator, including shellfish nursery
operations, copper remediation technology, a drive-in
boatwash, a smart-marina application, a marinedebris-removal
vessel, seaweed aquaculture, bioenhancing
shoreline-armoring technology, and a new
approach to soil remediation in marine environments.
" One example coming from the incubator is a
company called ECOncrete, which is focusing on
deploying a pilot that is replacing traditional riprap
with modular tide pools along the coast, " says Jason
Giffen, vice president, planning, and environment for
the Port of San Diego.
The incubator acts as an innovation launchpad by
providing early stage companies with key assets and
support services. These are focused on facilitating
pilot projects, including assisting with subject matter
expertise, permit-ready infrastructure, entitlement
assistance, marine spatial planning tools, market
access, and funding.
" We're not a traditional incubator/accelerator
that's offering brick-and-mortar office space or buildings, "
says Giffen. " We're really focusing on what we
can do, facilitating pilot projects through pilot project
facilitation, permitting, and really giving companies a
launching point to deploy and test their products in a
real-world environment. "
The Port of San Diego, which manages roughly
34 miles (55 km) of shoreline, and Chula Vista are
also working together to transform an underused
industrial landscape into a thriving residential and
resort destination on the Chula Vista waterfront in
San Diego Bay, Page notes. The project will create
new public parks, protect natural coastal resources,
provide conference and visitor-serving amenities, and
build an important asset for the San Diego region, the
South Bay, Chula Vista residents, and visitors.
The Port, which is also updating its Port Master
Plan, is proposing constructing 76.5 acres (31 ha) of
coastal wetland habitat at Pond 20 to create a mitigation
bank, the first of its kind for San Diego Bay. From
Oceanside to the Port to Tijuana, local developers'
combined efforts are signaling toward transforming
the region into a more urban environment in the
future that will include improving accessibility and
increasing affordability. UL
KAREN JORDAN is a business writer based in Los Angeles.
SPRING 2022
URBAN LAND
61
2022 Spring Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 Spring Issue
