Why This Submarket May Be Developers' Only Option

Gompper-Graves: “As East Otay Mesa is developing, it will be able to attract big users because of the universities; it’s a natural place to create.”

OTAY MESA, CA—East Otay Mesa just about the only place where large parcels of developable land still lie in San Diego County, and it is being primed for activity with new infrastructure and the South County EDC ‘s endorsement, SDEDC’s president and CEO Cindy Gompper-Graves tells GlobeSt.com. East Otay Mesa is the largest tract of undeveloped industrially zoned land in San Diego County, and the early stages of development and new business opportunities that continue to emerge through the area’s growth situate East Otay Mesa to be the region’s next large-scale commercial and industrial hub. We spoke exclusively with Gompper-Graves about the future of this submarket and what it offers users that other submarkets don’t. GlobeSt.com: How do you envision future development for the East Otay Mesa submarket? Gompper-Graves: As the rest of the region develops, North County, for all practical purposes is built out. There’s room along the I-15, but propositions to build get turned down, and that’s the last place left to build in North County. East county is totally built out to the foot of the Alpine mountains, and it gets costlier for companies to go up to Alpine. The coast built out, Downtown is built out but going vertical—which is also bad because it’s not being embraced by everybody. South County is the last bastion of undeveloped large acres of property or large manufacturing or high-tech businesses. If a large company like Qualcomm was looking to set up campus in San Diego, the only place to do that is South County. As East Otay Mesa is developing, it will be able to attract big users because of the universities; it’s a natural place to create. GlobeSt.com: Which property sectors are best suited for this development? Gompper-Graves: Really it is set aside to be high-tech or labor-intensive manufacturing. When you look at San Diego and see all the innovative companies—we have Biotech Beach, Telecom Valley —they’re still developing new ones as the older ones are maintaining. We know they’re going to need more space, and we know they’re going to want to put that space into Otay Mesa. We think there’s an opportunity to look at the aviation and aerospace industries. Two very nice supplements happened over last two years: the cross-border terminal access to Tijuana, which allows people to work at the airport and is also strategically located next to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry , and Brown Field is going to get developed , so aviation companies there could come in as well as drone manufacturing, which is taking off so fast, and maritime is another opportunity. There’s also a large food cluster industry down here in South County: Circle Foods, Heinz, Delimex —the mass production of food for consumption. They’re getting the infrastructure necessary to make this more desirable. In-the-works is the second phase of SR11 , which is planned to connect SR 905 and SR 125 with the proposed new US–Mexico border crossing at Otay Mesa East, and it will take you directly to the new Port of Entry in the middle of Otay Mesa, so We will soon have a new way to cross between Mexico and the US. GlobeSt.com: What does East Otay Mesa offer that other submarkets don’t? Gompper-Graves: Large parcels of land, access to Mexico and other international markets, direct access to Mexico, new infrastructure and a brand-new market. Because it is a blank slate, people can come in and imagine what they want and construct what they want. GlobeSt.com: What else should our readers know about this submarket? Gompper-Graves: I think that they should look at its proximity with on the Pacific Rim, with the Port of San Diego nearby, other airports, and with the new highway and new Port of Entry coming through, this submarket will work perfectly for anyone looking to manufacture anything, whether it travels by sea or air.