City considers proposal to partly turn Town and Country Resort into residences

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — A proposed project at the 64-year-old Town & Country Resort and Convention Center that would remove some hotel rooms in exchange for residential units is scheduled to go before the San Diego City Council Monday for approval. 

The project would divide 40 acres in Mission Valley into three sections — one for the hotel, another for an 840-unit residential development and the third for a 3.3-acre public park along the San Diego River. 

As part of the $80 million project, the hotel would be downsized from 954 to 700 guest rooms and conference facilities would be reduced from almost 213,000 square feet to just over 177,000 square feet, according to an environmental impact report. 

The report said 27 structures and a parking lot would be demolished and four six- and seven-story buildings constructed, along with associated parking structures. 

The park section would include not only parkland but also the restoration and enhancement of 8 acres of river habitat and the creation of a 14-foot-wide pathway, the EIR said. 

The plans have drawn opposition from Unite Here Local 30, which represents area hotel workers, and the Cleveland National Forest Association, which contend a traffic study conducted for the EIR was inadequate. In a letter to city officials, they pointed out that the addition of 840 residential units would far outweigh the removal of 254 hotel rooms, and cause more traffic in an already congested area. 

The Town & Country started in 1953 as a motor inn when Mission Valley was mostly farmland. It grew along with the area and now consists of two towers, three restaurants, a trio of swimming pools and a spa. It is a popular destination for tourists, conferences and special events.

The hotel is owned by a partnership between Destination Hotels, Lowe Enterprises and AECOM. 

The project was scheduled to be heard last month, but was postponed.