SAN DIEGO—The massive, mixed-use development project known as Seaport San Diego,taking place along Downtown San Diego's waterfront and Seaport Village has moved into its second evolution, Yehudi “Gaf” Gaffen, CEO of Gafcon Inc., told attendees at the BMC's 22^nd Annual Real Estate Conference here Thursday. Gaffen addressed a full ballroom of attendees, offering a background of the project—spearheaded by the Port of San Diego—as well as an update on its progress and why it will benefit San Diego.

Gaffen explained that his staff was selected in 2016 to redevelop the area, expanding Seaport Village from 13 acres to 70 acres and including a wide variety of uses along the waterfront, including three classes of hotels, retail, a parking structure that can be converted once no longer needed into other uses, health-and-wellness area, an observation spire, educational and aquarium uses, a public beach, a park and a variety of open spaces intended to creating a true community feel that connects the city to the waterfront.

In fact, Gaffen said his firm won the Port's RFP because its program was solid and because its underpinnings involved building community. Since then, an active earthquake fault was discovered under the site, preventing development on a large swath of the site and moving it into its second phase of development. After also discovering lots of utilities running through the site, including sewage lines and naval sonar systems, Gafcon and its partners in the project began to look at some of the public spaces in cities all over the world that represent successful gathering areas.