Otay Mesa Plan Soon to Become a Reality

Looking Forward to New Opportunities for the East Otay Mesa

By Supervisor Greg Cox, County of San Diego

The following commentary appeared in the Mexport program, a special section of the San Diego Daily Transcript, on June 24, 2002

Future development of the East Otay Mesa holds a tremendous opportunity for San Diego County. Today, the area holds mostly vacant land with a few two-lane roads and a smattering of industry. Yet, with careful planning, the East Otay Mesa can become the region’s next high-tech and biotech industrial center. With that in mind, the County of San Diego has been working diligently and thoroughly to develop a plan for development that would transform the area, and ensure that our region does not lose this incredible opportunity.

Over the past several years, I have made the future development of the East Otay Mesa one of my highest priorities. I have allocated funding to continue the County’s Specific Plan Area Update of the East Otay Mesa in order to pave the way for industrial/commercial development. The ultimate goal of the Specific Area Plan Update was to modernize zoning of the approximately 2017 acres in a manner that locates various industries in “clusters” to provide added value to companies while maximizing the use of the land. This effort will make the East Otay Mesa not just suitable, but attractive to light industry and high tech companies. More importantly, the planning effort will help locate industry, and jobs, in an area that already houses a large workforce, living both in South San Diego County and across the international border in Tijuana.

By the time of MEXPORT 2002, the Board of Supervisors will have adopted the final version of the Specific Area Plan Update, which was scheduled to be presented on June 12, 2002. It is important to note that the County could not have completed this Update without the cooperation and support from the community of property owners on the East Otay Mesa. Community input has been a vital element driving this process from the beginning.

With the increase in cross-border trade and investment, there is no better time to implement a framework that will allow for development in a manner that will benefit not only the South County, but also the entire San Diego/Tijuana region. The vacant land on the East Otay Mesa is an untapped resource that, once developed in accordance with a well thought-out Specific Area Plan, can only benefit the region’s economy and quality of life. Now that the lengthy planning process is complete, I am looking forward with anticipation to what the future holds for the development of the East Otay Mesa.