The Centre City Development Corp.’s review of the Navy Broadway Complex has apparently been held up by a last-minute intervention by the San Diego City Attorney’s Office.
CCDC President Nancy Graham said City Attorney Mike Aguirre is asking the downtown planning board to delay its consideration of the waterfront project while his office studies the possibility of allowing the City Council a new chance to review the environmental impacts of Doug Manchester’s redevelopment proposal.
Skeptics say the documents governing the development of the 14.7-acre property are outdated because many studies and guidelines for the land, which is slated for a cascade of hotels, offices and shops, date back at least a decade.
The CCDC board was poised to weigh in on the controversial development proposal this afternoon, but scrapped those plans this week because of the city attorney’s new involvement. At a meeting this morning, the board voted to consider blessing the project on Oct. 13, the same day Aguirre is expected to report whether the city will conduct a new environmental review.
It’s unclear when the board would vote if Aguirre said another environmental impact report must be conducted, but CCDC attorney Helen Holmes Peak said the board’s approval could not occur before a required environmental study was complete.
Aguirre, who was not immediately available for comment, has previously issued two legal opinions regarding the council’s role.
One opines that CCDC, not the council, has the final say on whether Manchester’s proposal matches the set of guidelines for developing site; a subsequent opinion spells out the council’s remaining duties of overseeing the Navy property.