Officials in Chula Vista are holding a news conference at 4 p.m. today to announce that Gaylord Entertainment has notified the city it will withdraw from its planned $1 billion bay-front development.
“They are no longer pursuing the bay-front project,” said Irene McCormack, the spokeswoman for the Unified Port of San Diego.
The company has sent a letter to the city outlining the move; we haven’t gotten a copy of it yet. A Gaylord spokesman confirmed that the company had sent the withdrawal letter but declined further comment.
“The letter will stand as a statement from the company,” Gaylord spokesman Brian Abrahamson said.
The Gaylord proposal called for a recreational and hospitality complex, including a 400,000-square-foot convention center, one of the county’s largest hotels, about 2,000 condos that would tower up to 200 feet high, a modernized marina and a signature park.
But stalled labor negotiations have imperiled the convention center and hotel project. Local organized labor groups and Gaylord couldn’t reach an agreement before a Gaylord-imposed June 30 deadline. Chula Vista officials have tried this week to get the two sides back at the table — without any apparent success.
Stay tuned for more on this breaking development.