The Port of San Diego is preparing to redevelop its 77-year-old Harbor Police Department headquarters on East Harbor Island and expects to spend up to $100 million to replace the aging facility, as the current buildings are said to be too small and too costly to maintain.
Last week, the Board of Port Commissioners for the San Diego Unified Port District directed staff to proceed with a request for qualifications to solicit interest from potential development firms.
The direction signals the port’s intent to advance an effort that has been talked about for years, with commissioners characterizing the effort as a much-needed investment in the agency’s police department.
“At our last meeting, we had someone talk about how she sees (the Harbor Police Department) eating doughnuts — and we know that’s not true. I have deep respect for the work that our officers do. You guys are extraordinary … . You can go in the water, battle fires and do the normal work that officers do. So I think it’s appropriate that we focus on HPD,” said Commissioner Danielle Moore, who chairs the seven-member board. “I’m really excited that (port staff) have brought this back and there is progress, that (port staff) are identifying ways to finance it and actually make this happen.”
Originally built in 1948 for the Lockheed Corporation, the police headquarters at 3380 North Harbor Drive, on the basin side of the man-made Harbor Island peninsula and across the street from San Diego’s airport, predates the formation of the port. The facility was renovated and converted for Harbor Police use in the 1990s. Over the years, the port has added temporary and modular office buildings to accommodate its police department’s needs.
Redevelopment discussions date to 2017, when the port was in talks with developer OliverMcMillan to remake a significant portion of East Harbor Island — previously the primary home of car rental companies — with hotels, shops, office space, canals and a consolidated Harbor Police headquarters. Those plans were scuttled in 2019, however, when the developer walked away from the project.
The port has since moved forward with a plan for the bayfront property east of the police headquarters that features Topgolf International as the anchor tenant in a larger entertainment district with new park space and a realigned Liberator Way.
In August, following a presentation on the state of the agency’s office properties, port commissioners expressed support for exploring redevelopment options for the police department headquarters, the Port Administration Building on Pacific Highway, and two office trailers housing maritime staffers near the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal.
At the time, the police headquarters was identified as the agency’s highest priority, with staff describing the facility as well beyond its useful life.
“Current conditions inhibit operational efficiency and morale, with critical deficiencies including physical fragmentation across multiple buildings, insufficient meeting spaces, and infrastructure issues such as leaks and sewage issues,” port staff wrote in an August report prepared for board members.
Port staff returned to the board last week with a recommendation to move forward with the request for qualifications (RFQ) to select a team to design and build a new Harbor Police Department headquarters. Board members, who were not asked to vote on the information-only agenda item, spoke favorably of the proposal, which will require the agency to take on additional debt.
Exact plans are still being refined, but the estimated cost to develop a 70,000-square-foot replacement facility with a parking structure and ancillary facilities is between $80 million and $100 million, Tracy Largent, the port’s chief financial officer, told board members. The estimate includes permitting and entitlement work, demolition, construction costs and contingency costs.
The port will need an additional $20 million for infrastructure improvements to East Harbor Island, including the realignment of Liberator Way, which staff said should be completed at the same time as construction of the new headquarters. The road work is needed because it will enlarge the Harbor Police parcel and could free up space for revenue-generating uses such as a restaurant, Largent said.
“The total estimated project cost is approximately $120 million,” Largent said. “Staff is in the early stages of assessing debt capacity, looking at debt issuance between $120 (million) and $150 million.”
Port commissioners won’t be asked to allocate project funds until after the RFQ process is completed. Agency spokesperson Brianne Page said it was too early to provide a timeline for the redevelopment effort.
“We are currently in the process of refining the scope and preparing the necessary documentation, with the objective of issuing the RFQ by the end of this year,” Page said. “The next steps in this process include finalizing the RFQ details, formally releasing it to the industry, and subsequently evaluating submissions to determine the most suitable path forward.”
At the board meeting, port commissioners also directed staff to use a progressive design-build project model, meaning the agency will solicit interest from architects and general contractors who can jointly work on the project from its outset under a single contract.
Originally Published:
