After 11 years of battling in court, a settlement was reached between the residents at De Anza Cove and the City of San Diego last month. I wrote about the court battle and settlement offer in this post. The offer made by the city was amended by a judge. The new offer was for nearly $30 million. There was an appeal period after the amendment – neither side appealed. Since the appeal period expired, the deal is done.

All of the residents in the (not so) mobile home park surrounding Mission Bay RV Resort must be out by the end of January 2016. People are already packing up. The big question is, what happens to the 76 acres of prime real estate once they’re gone?

There has been much speculation and a few plans presented. Another twist in the story is the Campland on the Bay RV Park which sits on 42 acres of land across Rose Inlet, west of Mission Bay RV Resort. Campland’s lease will expire in 2017. The current master plan calls for the 42 acres occupied by Campland to be restored as marsh. This would provide a natural filter for water entering the bay from Rose Creek and would provide habitat for wildlife. This plan has much support.

Aerial map of area looking east

There was talk of allowing Campland to relocate on the De Anza land, displacing Mission Bay RV Resort. This hasn’t gained much traction. I think the city realizes that the income potential of the RV resort far exceeds the tax revenue from Campland. The Mission Bay Master Plan includes space for an RV park on the bay.

When Mission Bay Park was conceived, limitations on commercial use were put in place. No more than 25% of the land surrounding Mission Bay can be used for commercial purposes. This ensures public access to the bay. When Campland is removed and the land returns to a natural state, this opens the possibility of commercial development elsewhere on the bay.

The politicians are moving quickly. Mayor Kevin Faulconer said, “There’s no doubt in my mind that once we get past the litigation issues in De Anza, that we should move full speed ahead. Any way you look at it, the public is going to benefit from increased access to the park and the environmental benefits of expanding the wetlands.”

There’s a rumor going around about a back room deal being struck between the city, Campland and Sea World. Sea World has long wanted to expand their leasehold to build a hotel adjacent to their park. The rumor is that Sea World will buy out Campland’s lease before it expires, to get them out, allowing Sea World to expand. The city would benefit if Sea World’s money made Campland go away.

The future development of the 76 acres at De Anza is still unclear. The latest rumor says the city will expand the RV resort into a true resort with premium bay side sites and amenities. The occupancy rate at Mission Bay RV  Resort has risen over the past two years and the city is realizing a nice revenue stream. If they go upscale, they could make plenty of money and still be in compliance with the master plan.

The dust will settle soon and we’ll see how this plays out.