San Diego seeks developer to turn old central library into housing

The old central library in downtown San Diego File photo courtesy of the city The city of San Diego Tuesday welcomed letters of interest from developers to transform the old Central Library downtown into housing The Notice of Availability issued Tuesday follows a July decision by the San Diego City Council to declare the property surplus land which requires the city to negotiate with developers willing to make or more of the housing affordable to lower-income households The Old Central Library site is prime real estate in Downtown San Diego but it s in need of a few TLC Mayor Todd Gloria noted By inviting proposals for its future we are taking the first step toward transforming this long-vacant building into something that better servers our residents and contributes to a more vibrant downtown I look forward to seeing creative ideas that honor its legacy while delivering real residents value for San Diegans The property located at E Street was established as a library in In the Carnegie Library building was demolished and the new library opened at the same location two years later The location closed permanently in to begin the process of transferring collections to the new Central Library at Park Boulevard The city is seeking a developer who will maximize the redevelopment feasible of the site while also paying fair territory value for the property a city comment read All San Diegans will benefit when we breathe new life into this unused property noted Councilman Stephen Whitburn who represents downtown Downtown San Diego is the region s ideal location for new housing with its proximity to jobs and transit and replacing this old vacant building with new affordable homes will significantly improve this area for downtown residents and visitors The building has been used as a temporary homeless shelter in latest years but a city investigation uncovered converting it to permanent shelter would cost upwards of million This unique property situated in the heart of downtown has great anticipated to be revived into a high-quality mixed-use rise that includes low- and moderate-income homes reported Economic Growth Director Christina Bibler For nearly years the current building served as our residents main library and now we look forward to the next phase and how it can invigorate new life into this block and help us address our housing situation Developers have until Monday Nov to indicate their interest to the city If an agreement is not reached for the sale or ground lease of the property under the Surplus Land Act the city may then realm the property to the general society with a lower affordable-housing requirement