Plans for new entertainment and educational development released

By Dave Schwab

Plans are in the works to give Seaport Village a huge makeover with a distinctively San Diego vibe.

The Port of San Diego has selected to continue discussions exclusively with Protea Waterfront Development (PWD), to further evaluate their proposal to redevelop Central Embarcadero and Seaport Village at 849 W. Harbor Drive.

A 36-year-old, 90,000-square-foot waterfront shopping and dining complex — located Downtown adjacent to San Diego Bay — Seaport Village is being “re-imagined” by PWD as Seaport San Diego (SSD).

The central waterfront’s redevelopment is being guided by PWD’s team of professionals, including Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen of Gafcon, and Jeff Jacobs and Jeffrey Essakow, who are bringing expertise in construction management, biotech, marketing, hospitality, unique mixed-use retail development and philanthropy.

It was time for a change at the popular waterfront, said Gaffen, founder/CEO of Gafcon, part of the PWD development team.

“Our proposal is to create a new district, a new unified place which has attractions, retail features, entertainment and hospitality that is authentically San Diego,” Gaffen said. “It will be anchored by two major attractions: an aquarium on the south side and a 500-foot-tall, three-level spire on the north side with an observational platform.”

The envisioned aquarium will be cutting edge.

“Both above- and below-ground floor, it will be a special place, both entertaining and educational,” Gaffen said about Odysea San Diego, the planned 150,000-square-foot, 1.5 million-gallon, deep-sea aquarium being designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).

A proposed spire will serve as an architectural icon and developers say it will be a breathtaking experience, allowing visitors panoramic views of San Diego in a new, educational way. Besides real-time views, the observation deck will boast an augmented virtual reality program to experience San Diego’s rich history and topography through the centuries, via innovative technology.

There will also be a transformative Butterfly Wonderland, re-creating a tropical rainforest with thousands of butterflies flying free.

Seaport Village, developed by Morris Taubman, broke ground in 1978 and opened in 1980 on land owned by the Port of San Diego and operated by GMS Realty. It was built on landfill over Punta de los Muertos (Spanish for Point of the Dead), where the Spanish expedition of 1782 buried those who had died of scurvy. It was once a railroad yard where goods and other materials used to come through.

Seaport Village’s current collection of more than 70 shops, galleries and eateries on 90,000 square feet of waterfront property contains several freestanding buildings in an assortment of architectural styles, from Victorian to traditional Mexican. Designed to be a car-free environment, the village offers four miles of winding paths rather than streets connecting the various buildings.

The reimagined SSD will feature water sports, an outdoor gym, and beach volleyball, as well as an Olympic-size, fresh-water lap pool at the G Street Mole. Guests may otherwise simply sit on the beaches or explore the tide pools, which will also be part of the new SSD.

Education is a major component of the new planned waterfront development. Plans include a marine-focused charter school and continuing lifelong education initiatives in conjunction with the University of San Diego and San Diego Symphony.

The project’s notable highlights feature more than 30 acres of parks for public access and a hospitality core, boasting a “public living room” with multiple new and fresh hotel concepts accessible to all travelers. Interwoven throughout the new development will be places to play, reboot, celebrate, or simply people watch.

SSD will be open 365 days a year for tourists and Downtown residents alike and its new retail mix will include a distinctive network of social amenities, engaging spaces, restaurants and other shopping experiences that evoke San Diego, including Dock & Dine and a dynamic public market.

Gaffen added that the project includes construction of three, brand new full-service hotels as well as a “new generation” student hostel. The hostel will have beds in shared rooms offering travelers less-expensive accommodations.

“SSD was designed for the community and it will set the stage for Downtown’s new vibrant center that’s accessible to all,” Gaffen said. “[The new project] will have a deep connection to the city in all of its locally curated components. We could not be more proud to have been chosen to exclusively continue conversations with the Port [of San Diego] through their final decision process.

Gaffen said the permitting process could take three or four years, with another three or four more to fully develop the property. He estimated the total cost of the project at $1.2 billion.

For more information, visit seaportsandiegoca.com.