Owner/Client: Nexus Consulting and San Diego Unified Port District
The Port of San Diego has been conducting a comprehensive and inclusive Integrated Planning initiative to update the Port Master Plan, which is similar to what is known as a general plan in a city or county. This effort is often referred to as “the future of the Port” and supports the Port’s mission to develop San Diego Bay for multiple purposes and uses for the benefit of the people of California (Port Act), to meet Coastal Act requirements, and to facilitate future project implementation. The Port Master Plan Update (PMPU) incorporates Elements, which serve as general plan–level guidance with element-level policy guidance for water and land uses, mobility, ecology, and other topics; Baywide Standards, which e stablish overall design and development criteria for all areas within the Port’s jurisdiction; and Planning Districts, which provide location-specific design and development criteria specific to each district, acting as mini specific plans.
Ascent was responsible for the development of detailed policies and development standards, graphics, visualizations, and plan diagrams for each of the Planning Districts, as well as coordination with other team members on bay-wide and district-level policies to increase and improve coastal access and recreation opportunities. The Ascent team managed the design of the full PMPU public review document, which included developing a consolidated modern, user-friendly, and streamlined Port Master Plan document for the over 5,000-acre project area. Ascent team members, while at a prior firm, also led the preparation of the 2017 preliminary draft, including the initial water and land use strategy, the development of preliminary bay-wide and subdistrict-level policies, and the development of a dynamic model to analyze, plan, and evaluate physical planning opportunities in conjunction with economic absorption for each of the 10 Planning Districts.