The Centre City Development Corp. has begun in earnest its effort to identify a new president. An important litmus test for a prospective candidate is to state Downtown’s pressing issues up front, and determine if that person has the fortitude and vision to tackle them.

Downtown redevelopment has been phenomenally successful, owing in no small degree to the creation of CCDC and its formative role in getting things rolling. Now we are entering a new era of market depth and stability. A lot will be demanded to finish the urban mosaic. There is nothing like a new boss to refocus energy on the important things.

Here is a proposed list of priorities, gleaned from colleagues, developers and civic leaders:

• Extend the CCDC redevelopment boundary east, across Interstate 5, to areas south and east of Downtown, including Golden Hill and Barrio Logan. This would jump-start new development in those edge communities that are now viable by virtue of their proximity to Downtown. These communities have wallowed in hibernation for decades. As they come alive, CCDC can be the catalyst for them to thrive. It is crucial to acknowledge that Downtown cannot provide sufficient affordable housing. Yet we need it. We can provide more moderately priced units along the edge so Downtown workers have easy access to their jobs. Including this new geography also provides the perfect outlet for meeting inclusionary, low and moderate income housing requirements.
  
  
• Stand ready to be bold and support the Chargers in building a new stadium Downtown. The Mission Valley site is an excellent candidate for a Transit Oriented Development mixed-use project, including a marvelous riverside park accessible for generations to come. Perhaps we should focus our new stadium effort, as well as a future sports arena, Downtown near Petco Park. The bus repair yard is a possibility, as is the old Balboa Stadium site. The Mission Valley acreage should go out to international bid in a huge RFQ, followed by RFPs from the best consortiums.
  
  
• Build a new Civic Center. If started today in earnest, it would take 10 years to complete. Yet it is critical to revitalize the “black hole” of 202 C St., which is at the core of our Downtown, and create the proper climate for new commercial development in its proximity.
  
  
• Move the buses from Broadway to C Street. The trolley already has nearly destroyed the viability of C Street while the buses are hindering efforts to recapture Broadway as the “grand corridor” of Downtown. A solution is moving more public transportation to C Street, then focusing on revitalizing the buildings along the corridor.
  
  
• Shift design review of new projects to a CCDC-appointed design review board. With a few notable exceptions, the quality of design is not at the level we should demand, and the community deserves. The present design review system is not working. It is arbitrary, incremental and confusing. A Design Review Board would be a paid, part-time but serious panel. Ideally, the composition would be mostly architects from outside the region. The concept would be for them to review all new projects and recommend changes through a majority vote.
  
  
• Scale back the library to a more appropriate level. The city is committed to proceeding with the library. The design is gorgeous. Perhaps, given our fiscal dilemmas, it is time to think of the library as a neighborhood serving facility and not a regional facility. Scaling it down would also downsize the private and public funding requirements. This does not have to be accomplished at the expense of great design. Many books can be stored in a warehouse location, and brought into the system when requested.
  
  
• Resolve outstanding issues and finish revising the community plan and planned district ordinance. The new plan is taking too long to get in front of the public. It is effectively holding up projects and creating a climate of uncertainty.
  
  
• Work hard to convince the Navy to allow a redevelopment of its ancient, creaky, World War II era property along Harbor Drive in exchange for new Class A office space in another Downtown location. Use the project to reconnect E, F and G streets with the San Diego Bay.
  
  
• Help create more public parking garages like the very successful Park It On Market, only these should be in the Core and Little Italy areas. Perhaps this could be accomplished through parking districts that are funded by new development. The tradeoff would be a relaxation of parking requirements in buildings. Downtown people can walk to their cars in these community garages.
  
  
• Participate in building a real cruise ship terminal.
  
  
• Spend housing money on rehabilitating existing affordable units to keep them in the stock. Inclusionary housing efforts cannot add enough stock to replace these so we need to do a better job at preservation.
  
  
• Lobby for CCDC to take over the building inspection function of the city, a move that would increase the efficiency of Downtown development.
  
  
• Do some value engineering on the Embarcadero plan to bring down the cost and get the project going.

Of course this list could be broadened. Many of these issues today are not the purview of CCDC. Nevertheless, as chief of the anchoring agency, the new president can place these topics into the forefront of civic discussion. It would be a refreshing, original and welcome way to start the new job.

Gary H. London is president of The London Group Realty Advisors Inc., providing real estate consulting and economic analysis. Check him out on the Web at www.londongroup.com or e-mail him at glondon@sandiegometro.com.