At the monthly meeting of the Port of San Diego Commission, West Chula Vista resident Christine Brady formally urged officials to include a Performing Arts Center in the 124-acre Chula Vista Bayfront development known as Pangaea.
Brady, who said she has lived in West Chula Vista for 27 years and has spent 48 years in performing arts education, addressed commissioners as a community representative. “I am here representing the citizens of West Chula Vista in an appeal to include a Performing Arts Center in the 124-acre development,” she said.
She asked that the percentage of development costs legally required to be dedicated to the arts be allocated specifically to performing arts — dance, music and theater — rather than to visual arts, which traditionally receive such funding. “Specifically, to spend these monies on dance, music and theater,” Brady stated.
According to Brady, a facility with interior stages, low-cost performance venues and rehearsal spaces would generate measurable community benefits. “It will provide more positive social impact than any other development by supporting mental health, generating revenue, creating jobs and fostering social cohesion,” she told commissioners.
She argued that the South Bay lacks adequately equipped, affordable performance and rehearsal spaces despite its population density and proximity to major transit corridors south of San Diego. “There are no low-cost performance or adequately equipped practice spaces that can support local artists or world-class companies,” Brady said.
As possible models, she referenced the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, which occupies 10.5 acres and includes five theaters, and the Southwestern College Performing Arts Center, built on 1.1 acres with two theaters and rehearsal facilities. She noted that the Southwestern College center reportedly cost $41 million, though some reports cite a higher figure.
Drawing from personal experience, Brady recalled studying at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. “I learned that the performing arts can change lives,” she said. “As a teacher and foundation president, I have seen the arts improve a community immensely.”
The Port Commission has not announced any formal decision regarding the allocation of arts-related funds within the Bayfront development plan.