San Diego’s long-awaited overhaul of aging Brown Field airport is finally underway

Decades of talk about upgrading Otay Mesa’s Brown Field airport are finally translating into action, with a developer recently breaking ground on dramatic changes and the city approving a new master plan last week.

San Diego officials say the 880-acre airport, which critics say has been an underused eyesore, can become an engine of economic activity that boosts cross-border commerce and expands local aviation.

The new 539-page master plan, the first new growth blueprint for the airport in more than 45 years, includes new infrastructure such as runways, taxiways, hangars and other airplane parking.

The plan, which covers the next 20 years, aims to boost the number of flights at the airport beyond the current 90,000 per year. It also tries to enhance safety and put the airport in compliance with new federal regulations.

“We’re finally laying the groundwork for a future that meets modern aviation needs, enhances safety and unlocks major economic opportunities,” said Jorge Rubio, the city’s chief of airports.

The upgrades also prioritize historic preservation of certain features, particularly a terminal building that dates back to the 1960s — when the U.S. Navy donated the airport to the city for municipal use.

The plan calls for $19 million in phased infrastructure projects within five years.

None of the money for those projects will come from the city’s cash-strapped general fund. The plan calls for them to be funded by revenue from city airports, federal and state aviation grants and possibly some money from Caltrans.

The new master plan, which the City Council approved unanimously Sept. 30, comes as developer San Diego Airpark begins building state-of-the-art aviation, commercial and industrial facilities at Brown Field.

That project, which is part of the master plan, calls for 331 acres of development that will include a modern terminal, a new customs inspection facility, dozens of commercial hangars and more than a million square feet of retail space.

City officials say the Airpark project will create about 2,500 construction and long-term jobs at the airport and have a $1.5 billion economic impact on the San Diego region.

“This plan isn’t just about infrastructure — it’s about creating thousands of good-paying jobs, supporting cross-border commerce and ensuring Brown Field continues to serve as a vital hub for decades to come,” Rubio said.

Councilmember Vivian Moreno, whose South Bay district includes Brown Field, said the new master plan gives developers and the community a clear picture of what the airport can and should become.

“This is a critical step,” she said.

City officials last winter granted Airpark some concessions to keep the project on track, allowing it to shuffle which projects will be built first and extending some deadlines.

Rubio said at the time that the concessions made sense because it took the city more than two years to evict dozens of vehicle-dismantling businesses then occupying land that’s key to the developer’s plan.

The first wave of Airpark projects includes a 14,500-square-foot structure for jets, a 37,500-square-foot hangar for large aircraft and a 1,000-square-foot customs inspection facility.

The second half, which will come years later, is set to include another 37,500-square-foot hangar and 28 small aircraft T-hangars of at least 1,200 square feet each.

While creating the master plan, city officials considered less ambitious options that would have cost less and required less comprehensive analysis of their effect on the surrounding area.

But they eventually chose the more ambitious option of a dramatic overhaul, which required a full environmental impact report that the council also approved Sept. 30.

The airport, while underused by almost any standard, is already key to local law enforcement aviation, some military operations, firefighting and some business and recreational flying.

A separate master plan for Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in Kearny Mesa, the city’s other municipal airport, is expected to be considered by the City Council this winter.

Established in 1918 as East Field, Brown Field was initially used to train military pilots during World War I and World War II.

In 1962, the Navy transferred ownership of Brown Field to the city at no cost, on the condition that it remain an airport for the use and benefit of the public. The airport is named for Cmdr. Melville S. Brown.