Study: San Diego port could increase tonnage 50% by 2027

Study: San Diego port could increase tonnage 50% by 2027    The Port of San Diego could expand its cargo capacity by as much as 51 percent over the next two decades, according to several scenarios detailed in a report commissioned by the city's port authority.
   The report, released last week, details different uses for a 60-acre stretch of San Diego Bay waterfront property now occupied by aging marine auto-import terminals. Redevelopment of the property has drawn attention from the port authority to boost the port's capacity as well as drawn the eye of developers wanting to build a new waterfront football stadium for the San Diego Chargers.
   The report recommends that the existing cargo facilities should be renovated, pointing to the potential loss of jobs if the cargo facilities were replaced by recreational uses such as the stadium. The loss of the facilities, according to the report, would cost the area more than 1,800 existing and potential jobs, $160.8 million in yearly local income, and $135.5 million in lost revenue to the facilities' operators. The $350,000 report, prepared by Virginia-based TEC Inc., also found that removing the cargo facilities would cost the region $6.9 million in local spending by terminal operators and $17.4 million in tax revenue per year.
   The port authority plans to gather input from business, government and community groups before formally considering any of the projects outlined in the report in January. Despite the report findings, the authority is not committed to choosing one of the long-range scenarios. The report also forecasted that even if nothing is done, cargo at the Port of San Diego would increase from 3.5 million to roughly 6 million tons of imports per year.