Mayor Todd Gloria on Friday dropped plans for a controversial, giant homeless shelter at Kettner Boulevard and Vine Street near the San Diego International Airport.
“After a year of negotiations and multiple hearings, we have come to the conclusion that the proposed homeless shelter campus at Kettner and Vine can no longer advance,” Gloria said. “As a result, we will present alternative solutions to the City Council on Feb. 10. ”
He said three new options are a privately owned property on Second Avenue that would require lease negotiations and two city-owned properties, the Old Central Library and the City Operations Building.
The mayor had proposed a 30-year-lease on a 65,000-square-foot commercial building that could have housed up to 1,000 homeless individuals. The plan faced opposition from nearby businesses, and council concerns over the cost of the lease.
“While I continue to believe the proposed shelter at Kettner and Vine was the best and most cost-effective option for a permanent shelter program, I remain firm in my commitment to expand shelter,” Gloria said. “Getting people off the streets and out of the riverbed and canyons is not optional.”
