My Fair City

WITH APOLOGIES to Alan Jay Lerner and George Bernard Shaw, let’s call the drama surrounding a much-needed makeover of downtown’s waterfront My Fair City. The classic My Fair Lady involved Henry Higgins’ rigid yet loving transformation of Eliza Doolittle from Cockney flower girl to articulate society princess. San Diego’s downtown Embarcadero would play Eliza. But the casting of Higgins is problematic. Should it be the mayor and city council? They’re the obvious choices, but are currently in fiscal rehab. We should take a look at the Centre City Development Corporation and the Port of San Diego. Yes, yes, the Navy and the Airport Authority would have big roles— but not the lead.

Wait, there are two guys clamoring for an audition to play Higgins: County Supervisor Ron Roberts and former State Assemblyman/Senator Steve Peace. They recently floated a plan called “San Diego’s Waterfront Vision.” This should not be confused with an earlier esplanade- like “North Embarcadero Visionary Plan.” Nor should it be connected to a 1992 city council plan that called for more park space along the waterfront (and somehow didn’t include the words “vision” or “visionary”).

City leadership didn’t exactly enjoy having their introduction to Ron and Steve’s Excellent Adventure come via media outlets. The city council, the Port and CCDC were already on board with the Visionary Plan. Roberts and the county had pulled out of that alliance.

But on to the Peace/Roberts Vision, which starts with Lindbergh Field. They would move the terminals to the east side of the airport, near Pacific Highway. That would place the terminals proximal to a trolley stop and an area that would include a train stop. According to Peace, a $60 million renovation of the airport’s plane taxiway would increase runway capacity by 30 percent. He believes there is so much federal funding available for airport construction, “We couldn’t spend as much as we’d be qualified for.”

In the Vision, Harbor Drive would be closed south of the airport. And there’d be no more streets south of Grape Street and west of Pacific Highway. Instead, a “green necklace” of parks and promenades would be built. This “front porch” area would include “iconic” buildings—perhaps restaurants, or an opera house.

Doug Manchester’s proposed development of the Navy Broadway Complex would be scrapped, in favor of a new layout Peace says could be of greater financial interest to Manchester. Also, the cruise ship terminal would be moved to the current site of the 10th Avenue marine terminal, which would be consolidated with the marine terminal in National City.

“It’s time for us to stop looking at piecemeal development,” says Peace. “This represents a master plan. After the election [in which voters rejected a call to move Lindbergh Field to Miramar], it was irresponsible to not do a new master plan immediately.”

How important is a downtown waterfront makeover? “This is huge for San Diego,” says Roberts. “This is as important as anything I’m working on.”

MAYORAL SPOKESPERSON Fred Sainz says what many will only address off the record. “I think Chairman Roberts—you know he’s now the chair of the County Board of Supervisors—has come up with a wonderful plan,” Sainz says, his words dripping with sarcasm. “We have every confidence he will follow it up with an implementation plan.”

Sainz agrees the Peace/Roberts Vision is more encompassing than the Visionary Plan, especially since the latter does not include the airport. “Yes, it’s more master plan than piecemeal,” says Sainz. “In a perfect world, that would be the way to go. But it assumes you can get your arms around all the issues. And have control of them all. The Navy has said the property it has is its own. The Airport Authority and the Port would have to cooperate. There are a lot of moving pieces.”

One CCDC veteran fears tossing more options into the mix might further stall any progress made toward finally enacting the Visionary Plan. “It’s a North Embarcadero infrastructure project that’s been in the works for more than 10 years,” says the CCDC staffer. “We’re close to starting something that would add 35 acres of park space.”

Sainz hopes there are aspects of Vision and Visionary that can be integrated. And Peace says he doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel with the Vision. “But time is critical,” he says. “The airport, and the [Manchester- developed] Navy office plan are things facing decision-makers right now.”

City Councilmember Kevin Faulconer, whose district includes downtown, says design disagreements and the city’s financial strain pushed the waterfront to a back burner. “But the time is now,” he says. “We need to be as inclusive as possible. And be open to creative ideas. In my short time on the council, I’ve seen how slowly things move. But for this, it’s now or never.”

SO HERE WE ARE AGAIN, celebrating the San Diego tradition of missing the boat while standing on the dock talking about shifting tides.

In a vacuum, Roberts and Peace would be applauded for talking in bold strokes about a big idea. They are looking at the airport situation pragmatically. As Peace asks and answers, “Is downtown the best place for an airport? No. But that’s what we have, and the political will is not to move it. So let’s look at the best way to make it work for as long as possible. And while doing that, we look at the synergy of the rest of downtown.”

It’s an impressive idea. However, Roberts notes with resignation that San Diego has a history of being introduced to good ideas that don’t get embraced. “We seem to get it right once every 50 years,” he comments. (No need to interpret that literally.)

Since there is a general impression that Roberts and Peace have thrown out a challenge with no solution behind it, I ask both if a downtown czar would be helpful.

“Big decisions take an entire community,” says Peace, who worked in state government for 25 years. He is currently chairman of the California Independent Voter Project and an adviser to Padres owner John Moores. (Peace disavows any notion that the Vision is aimed at financial gain for Moores.)

Considered an intelligent free-thinker, Peace believes multiple leaders will come forward. Roberts, whose alliance with Peace belies many past political differences—including airport location—seems just slightly more willing to lead the project.

“I don’t think a czar idea is a good one,” says Roberts. “At the end of the day, it’s going to be all the agencies coming together—all the stakeholders— that will make this happen. Steve and I are catalysts. We’ll go and talk to all the groups. And we will have a lot of champions.”

Well, okay. But back on October 20, 1992, a waterfront makeover was being discussed in a city council meeting. Ron Roberts was on the council. Maureen O’Connor was mayor. Here’s an excerpt:

“Everybody’s saying there’s no leadership at City Hall,” says O’Connor. “They’re all pointing their fingers, and it’s just awful . . . You’re going to see consensus leadership in action . . . That’s what leadership is all about. It’s not one individual being the leader and saying ‘I’m great.’ It’s about a community resolving the solutions together. So we’re all leaders.”

Fifteen years of consensus leadership later, here we still are. My Fair Lady’s Eliza Doolittle (appropriate last name) was singing it like it is today in My Fair City. We’ve been transfixed by advice ad nauseam from our Svengalis, with whom we’ve danced, danced, danced all night.

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