Officials from the Port of San Diego have taken the first step on the road to a new hotel and convention center complex in the city.
Port commissioners have voted to start negotiations with a developer for the project to be located on a 535-acre site in Chula Vista.
Houston-based Rida Development Corp. has been chosen to develop the site and the firm has previously built large scale hotels in Houston, Pittsburgh and Orlando, Florida.
Port officials have drawn up a plan for a 1,600-room hotel with 415,000 square feet of meeting space and 100,000 square feet available for food and beverage outlets.
There will be sufficient vacant land left to expand with more hotels and retail space at a later date, port officials said.
A similar plan was first mooted back in 2008 when Gaylord Entertainment, which runs the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, was selected as developer.
That $1 billion project was shelved after Gaylord failed to agree terms with organized labor.
Gaylord has since merged with Marriott and did not submit a proposal this time.
