On Jan. 23, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer and San Diego Association of Governments executive director Hasan Ikhrata met at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. to sign the Navy Old Town Campus Revitalization Agreement.
“This new agreement is built on San Diego’s strong naval heritage,” Faulconer said. “The fact that it was signed by the Acting Secretary of the Navy inside the Pentagon sends the undeniable message that there is momentum and energy in both Washington, D.C. and San Diego to do something truly special with this property. It marks a huge next step in revitalizing this area into a civic asset that serves the U.S. Navy, the community and our regional transportation network.”
This agreement signifies that SANDAG and the U.S. Navy will collaborate exclusively to explore solutions for redeveloping the Navy Old Town Campus (OTC).
“The return of great power competition demands that we invest in cutting edge cyber capabilities to stay ahead, and San Diego provides the right access to talent and technology to accelerate the adoption of new concepts. This project will help defend our nation and fuel the partnership and investment that has always made San Diego a great Navy community,” said Modly.
The U.S. Navy and SANDAG are planning to revitalize the 72-acre OTC property, including the design of new state-of-the-art facilities for the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR), which are central to the Navy’s cybersecurity mission. Modernizing the NAVWAR facilities is critical to the ongoing national security of the country, and the Navy’s ability to be at the forefront of cyber warfare.
“This agreement gives SANDAG the opportunity to work exclusively with the Navy to potentially develop a central mobility hub that would provide critical transit to the airport and connect all modes of regional transit,” said Ikhrata. “A collaboration of this magnitude could solidify the Navy’s future – and their strategically critical cybersecurity mission – in San Diego for generations to come.”
Additional development opportunities could also include plans for a central mobility hub, a multi-modal transportation center connecting all current and future regional public transportation networks and provide direct transit access to San Diego International Airport.
Airport connectivity has long posed a challenge to the San Diego region and will continue to do so as the airport grows to accommodate forecasted passenger increases. A 2019 report published by the SANDAG Airport Connectivity Subcommittee positioned the OTC site as an optimal location for establishing a direct point of access to the airport.
In addition to improved NAVWAR facilities and regional transportation, the revitalization of the OTC property may also allow for mixed-use retail, commercial, and residential development.
In September 2019, SANDAG and the U.S. Navy signed an agreement to lay the foundation for initial collaboration between the two agencies in developing preliminary concepts for the OTC revitalization. The new agreement allows for further discussion on the revitalization project including the implementation of a term sheet and the possible transfer of property.
More information on the Navy OTC Revitalization project and plans for airport connectivity can be found at sandag.org/airport and NAVWAR-Revitalization.com.