Harbor Island redevelopment moves forward amidst stalemate

SAN DIEGO — Plans to redevelop a portion of Harbor Island will move forward as originally planned after a proposal to terminate a contractual relationship between the Port of San Diego and Sunroad Enterprises failed to move forward. The Port of San Diego’s Board of Port Commissioners debated amongst each other for nearly two-and-a-half hours, March 13, before reaching a stalemate on whether to amend or terminate the district’s agreement with Sunroad Enterprises. At heart of the issue is whether the eastern Harbor Island redevelopment should be pursued as one 500-room hotel project or a phased development where a 325-room hotel is built first, followed by a 175-room hotel project. The port district and Sunroad Enterprises had entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement, or ENA, in 2016. Complicating matters: Plans to redevelop Harbor Island’s eastern edge could still be altered depending on the outcome of a lawsuit involving the California Coastal Commission and port district. The commission’s deadlock, however, means the proposed redevelopment will move forward as originally planned: Build a 325-room hotel on an “elbow” parcel now and potentially develop a 175-room hotel near Sunroad Marina later. Harbor Island’s eastern end, which is about 55 acres in size, is considered by the port district to...