Protea Properties’ Bayview Plaza to address City’s housing crisis and Climate Action Plan goals, Support new Blue Line Trolley
Protea Properties today announced plans for a Bayview Plaza, a new mixed-use project along the Morena Boulevard corridor that will address our region’s growing housing crisis and provide new amenities for the Bay Park community and visitors to Mission Bay.
Protea Properties’ Bayview Plaza proposes 156 residential units and 40,000 square feet of commercial space at the corner of Morena Boulevard and Clairemont Drive. The property is located immediately adjacent to the future Blue Line Trolley Station and will include 150 parking spaces for transit riders. The proposed project also includes 16 units that will be designated affordable for families earning up to 50 percent of the area median income.
“We are excited to bring this project to market, as it represents the future of development in San Diego,” said Jeffrey Essakow, President of Protea Properties. “It’s more walkable, there is less reliance on the automobile, and it will provide housing for people of varying income levels. My passion has always been creating places where people ‘want to come, not have to come.’ I imagine our plaza space as the living room for Bay Park.”
The proposed project will help bring to life a prominent empty corner at the gateway of Mission Bay and the Bay Park community and will include a public plaza with views to the bay. Potential commercial uses could include restaurants, fitness, co-working office space and a market, providing a true neighborhood town center.
“Our focus in developing this project was placemaking,” said Andrew Malick, Development Director for the project. “The team’s objective was to balance the needs of transit riders, neighbors, commercial tenants and residents. We believe we’ve found the right formula that makes a safe and comfortable place for everyone. This project will be a valuable asset not just for the neighborhood, but also the region.”
The Protea team has been meeting with small groups of community members to preview the project and gather feedback. “I’m very excited to see this empty lot, that has been an eye sore for so many years, transformed into what I expect will be a nicely-designed project, and a great place to visit,” said Glen Schmidt, a landscape architect and Bay Park resident.
Protea Properties is working with the City of San Diego and SANDAG to design the project to support regional policy goals, including efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing transit ridership. Pursuant to an agreement with SANDAG, the project will include 150 parking spaces for trolley riders. The development will also include mobility hub features to support trolley ridership, potentially including charging stations for micro- mobility bikes and scooters, real-time transit displays and bike parking.
“We are appreciative of Protea’s efforts to create a project that fits the needs of our community,” said Bay Park resident Jim Elko. “Residents are looking forward to ‘cool places you can walk to’ for coffee, a meal, meeting friends and easy access to transit.”
