Coronado’s City Council has approved a $9 million plan to bury overhead utility lines along First Street, from Alameda to D Avenue, in a trench.
This decision was made during the Dec. 3 council meeting to improve both safety and aesthetics in the area.
The First Street Underground Project, which is an effort of both the city and the Navy, will directly affect 79 homes.
As part of the project, Scott Huth, the city’s former public services and engineering director-turned-consultant, said 44 utility poles will be removed, and 8,000 linear feet of trenching will be dug along the street.
Additionally, 25,000 feet of conduit, power lines and cables will be placed underground. The power lines provide electricity to other parts of Coronado and North Island in addition to the First Street area.
Huth said the city has been working with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) for over two years on the design of the project.
Initially, SDG&E proposed two separate trenches — one for the city’s needs and another for the Navy’s transmission line. However, SDG&E did not provide preliminary design plans for the city’s trench until Oct. 18, 2024, delaying progress.
The city’s choice
After considering the logistical challenges of constructing two separate trenches along the narrow First Street corridor, the council concluded that a joint trench would be more efficient and cost-effective.
The work is expected to cost $9.1 million, which is $900,000 less than the estimated price tag with two separate trenches.
On June 18, 2019, the council approved measures to advance the city’s decades-long efforts to move utilities underground. The policy allows for the formation of assessment districts if non-binding petitions are submitted by at least 60% of property owners from a minimum of 65 adjourning properties.
“The city received one request which is First Street,” Andrea McCullough, the city’s communications and engagement officer, said via email.
A resolution and map included in a Dec. 6, 2022 staff report outline the proposed properties, though the final design could result in minor adjustments, primarily affecting properties on the south side of First Street.
Once finalized, only the property owners within the designated area will vote on whether to proceed with the project.
A vote on the assessment district from property owners — who agree to pay additional assessments on their property tax bill to fund improvements — will be required if the project progresses.
If the assessment district does not pass, the city may need to cover the project’s full cost.
Huth said if the district is not approved, the City Council must decide whether to proceed anyway.
Historically, this project was intended as a partnership between the city and the district.
Without the district, Huth said the project may not move forward, and SDG&E could proceed with its own trench alignment.
The city proposed a cost-sharing plan two years ago, but the council needs to reassess whether it remains viable and how to finance it. Some residents may opt to pay upfront, while others might prefer property tax assessments, which could span up to 30 years; a detailed funding plan will need to be developed and discussed before engaging with residents.
The city staff report said the single-trench option also minimizes disruption for residents and reduces construction time. However, the increased depth of the trench, now 8 feet, presents challenges, including higher costs for removing water.
While the project’s design faced delays due to staff turnover at San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), the city has progressed in assessing the affected homes and determining the necessary infrastructure improvements.
The city’s preference for the joint trench was further supported by the complexity of the utilities already located on First Street, which include water, sewer, and gas lines, as well as power lines.
The project is expected to be completed by 2028 to meet the Navy’s need for additional power to support an expanded carrier homeporting project.
Seven years in the waiting
That timeline is considered tight, and the city has requested a six-month extension to ensure all necessary steps are completed, including securing agreements with telecom companies and finalizing design plans.
Mayor Richard Bailey apologized to the public for the delays in the project, which the city first approved seven years ago.
“We voted on this in 2017 and I think I’ve heard at least one of you mention that you just want to see this [project] happen before you die, and we want to see that happen as well,” he said.
The City Council also approved $100,000 from the Community Development Agency Loan Fund 160 to continue funding the project, which they will use for preliminary designs, consultants and utility provider fees. Staff estimates an additional $225,000 will eventually be required to finalize the design and prepare for construction.
The next steps include finalizing the engineering design, preparing a financial funding plan and beginning the environmental review process.
More concerns with timing and funding
Huth warned that the nine-month completion goal could be difficult to achieve.
“I think it’s going to be hard-pressed, and we’ll have to put more resources on it than we have right now,” he said. “Part of it is going to be on staff time … and the city has other projects underway.”
A major factor influencing the timeline is SDG&E’s schedule for pulling cables across the bay.
“Their original time frame for that was 14 months … After that, they had until the 28th, which is 19 months,” Huth said. “They have a much longer period of time for pulling cable than we have for actually building the system in the ground.”
This disparity in timelines has raised concerns about the possibility of needing separate trenches for the city’s project and SDG&E’s cable work.
The complexity of this task is further compounded by the need to coordinate with the Navy, which is involved in the power supply for the region.
“The Navy has a time frame for completing its portion by July 2028, and that could help us,” Huth said.
Councilmembers have been pushing for the project to move forward without further delays.
Councilmember Mike Donovan urged city leaders to develop clear communications with the Navy.
“If we’re not on the same schedule as the Navy, we’re going to end up doing two trenches, and that’s going to tear up First Street for years,” he said. “And I think we’re in a much stronger, much stronger position with SDG&E if we have a joint agreement with the Navy to match our schedules.”
Councilmember Carrie Downey said when the city works with SDG&E, they “can’t get them to move fast enough” and echoed Donovan’s suggestion.
Downey said if the city partnered with the Navy on the project, she thinks it would incentivize SDG&E “to get the damn thing done.”
Bailey expressed a desire to challenge staff to complete the project within nine months.
“We owe it to the residents to at least try,” he said.
