SACRAMENTO–Legislation advancing economic development on the Chula Vista Bayfront was signed by Governor Jerry Brown today.
For nearly three decades, various local stakeholders including the San Diego Unified Port District, the City of Chula Vista, environmental groups, labor unions, and economic development organizations have been working together to bring this project to life.
Assembly Bill 2646, authored by California State Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), puts one last regulatory puzzle piece in place that allows the State Lands Commission to transfer a 97-acre parcel of land in Chula Vista to the San Diego Unified Port District. Under the agreement with the State Lands Commission, this Bayfront parcel – which is part of the Assemblywoman Gonzalez Fletcher’s district — must be used for open space, to promote public access to the coast, and to protect sensitive wetlands.
“Revitalizing the Chula Vista Bayfront has a wide-ranging benefits for the South Bay and the entire San Diego region and I’m so honored to continue playing a part in advancing it,” Assemblywoman Gonzalez Fletcher said. “Even today, the Chula Vista Bayfront project faces some uphill challenges, but I’m proud to see this constructive piece of the puzzle move forward.”
Local agencies and stakeholders have been planning the Bayfront project for nearly three decades. The development will include an RV park as well as a resort and convention center. The project will create new public parks; provide long-awaited, enhanced shoreline recreation; and protect, promote and enhance the area’s environmentally sensitive resources. As part of this development, an existing RV park within this parcel of land must be moved and reconstructed, a process that couldn’t begin until the land was transferred to the Port, which was completed with the signing of AB 2646 today.
The Bayfront is predicted to play a key role in economic growth in the region, requiring 10,000 construction jobs for its completion, and creating 20,000 permanent jobs. The project will generate $2.1 billion in ongoing annual economic activity.
On Aug. 6, the State Senate sent AB 2646 to the Governor by a 37-0 vote. In April, the Assembly passed the bill with a vote of 74-0.
