Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008|Thanks to you and the staff at voiceofsandiego.org for bringing to light yet another important local issue.
As someone who makes his living in international trade of goods originating in San Diego, I’ve observed how much our local economy struggles to compete with other West Coast ports for credibility and our share of cargo handling volume. I sense that those in favor of redevelopment at 10th Avenue Marine Terminal derive no direct benefit from trading and related on-shore support businesses that rely upon a viable, deep-water port. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even be debating such the outlandish idea of literally sandwiching global industrial commerce infrastructure — smelly and noisy as it must be — with, what, parking for Petco? An NFL stadium? Meeting space? Still more picnic and open spaces for playtime?
They ain’t pretty, to be sure. But San Diego’s 10th Avenue Marine Terminal and our city’s other working waterfront sites are priceless to those who earn a living there, and to the rest of us who gain indirectly from international trade activity. I feel that we’ve designated enough of our world-class bay front property to the pursuit of leisure, commerce, and recreational business pursuits like the Convention Center and Seaport Village, ventures that are proven beneficial for us all. But folks, it’s time to draw the line, which I guess in this case falls just north of 10th Avenue.
Move inland — south, north or east — to a place somewhere in our vast county, and build whatever business ventures may be in need of a new home, ventures that don’t really require waterfront location. And let the port continue to work for us all.