MTS Real Estate High-Rise Tower Being Considered Next to 12th & Imperial

MTS could have the next big development project in East Village. It sits right next the busiest transit center in San Diego. Discussions to redevelop the property next to the 12th & Imperial Transit Center are heating up and that could bode well for MTS employees and our riders. Plans are anticipated to include a residential tower with dozens of floors of housing units and an expanded transit center that can accommodate more buses and provide better service amenities.

“We are examining options that could be as high as 40 floors yeilding up to 1,000 units.” said Tim Allison, MTS Manager of Real Estate.

The proximity of transit for so many working families is a great fit to maximize transit use. More than 30,000 passenger trips are taken at 12th & Imperial every day. All three Trolley lines converge here, and it also hosts some of the busiest bus routes in the system: Routes 4, 12, 901 and 929.

“The development potential is exciting,” added Denis Desmond, MTS Director of Planning. “It’s a huge opportunity. To locate this type of housing development near a major transit hub will be a great win for transit ridership.”

The Trolley tracks at 12th & Imperial won’t change. But MTS owns the property right next door (13th & Imperial). We lease half of it to Greyhound Bus, and the other half is a surface parking lot for Ace Parking. National Avenue splits the two parcels.

The purpose of redeveloping the property is three-fold – it creates badly needed housing for working families, helps MTS meet demand for bus service, and it could create more office space for growing MTS needs. Staff will be seeking developer ideas through an open Request for Qualification process later this year.

In November 2018, MTS retained Kimley-Horn to develop concepts for an improved transit center that maximizes the development footprint for housing. This rendering is one of the concepts presented to the MTS Board of Directors.

Housing

By creating more housing, MTS can offer a convenient location for people to live and use the transit system. This also helps the housing crisis in San Diego, by offering badly needed units, many of which would be reserved for qualified low-income families. In just the City of San Diego alone, the housing need is estimated to be 200,000 units by 2028. And affordable housing is also in demand. Another affordable complex developed on MTS property, Villa Encantada (near the 62nd Street/Encanto Station) has a waiting list of 2,000 families. So the demand for more housing is significant.

Bus Service

The current demand for bus service at 12th & Imperial is greater than the available space. “We have no room for growth,” said Desmond. Routes 4 and 929 don’t use dedicated bus bays and have to pick up passengers on the street. And many of our layover buses are parking on 14th Street. A larger, dedicated bus terminal will help organize, expand and better manage our bus service at 12th & Imperial. The Board is favoring a design option to build the new transit center as a standalone facility that wraps around the development.

Office Space

MTS is currently over capacity with our current office space at 12th & Imperial’s Mills Building. MTS only occupies floors 9-10 and the County of San Diego Health & Human Services occupies all available space below. A growing workforce requires more office space, and a new development at 13th & Imperial could satisfy that demand.

There’s still a long way to go before this becomes reality. But staff is excited about this unique opportunity to help the community, our service and MTS grow.