Rear Adm. Len Hering Sr.

San Diego is, without a doubt, a Navy town. The historic relationship the Navy has enjoyed with this fine city dates back 100 years, when President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet” arrived here. That visit happened only because the people of San Diego were persistent, and the successful lobbying to bring the fleet to the city for a visit resulted in both immediate and enduring successes.

The Great White Fleet was greeted with such enthusiasm upon its arrival in April 1908 that the bond between the Navy and San Diego quickly became a powerful force. Within a few years, Navy bases, facilities and a hospital were established here, and in 1919 the Navy built supply warehouse buildings at the foot of Broadway, the site which would later become known as the Navy Broadway Complex.

This property has been occupied by the Navy ever since and has been a fundamental part of the Navy’s strategic mission, in peacetime and war.

Now, 100 years after Roosevelt’s “big stick” visited San Diego, the military has become perhaps the most important positive economic factor in the region. According to an economic impact study released in August, the military and defense-related industries account for nearly $25 billion in spending and 27 percent of all jobs in the county. These are remarkable figures that demonstrate how important it is for the Navy to retain and improve a presence in Downtown San Diego.

In 1992 the city of San Diego and the Navy signed a development agreement for the Navy Broadway Complex.

One result of that agreement will be an appropriate headquarters for Navy Region Southwest, which provides base operating support — housing, environmental, security, family services, port services, air services, bachelor quarters, supply, medical and logistical concerns — for operating forces and hundreds of thousands of active duty, reserve and retired military members throughout six states.

The new facility also will be home to the Fleet and Industrial Supply command, which is responsible for Navy contracting functions throughout the world, and for the Navy Facilities and Engineering Command in the Southwest Region.

This redevelopment project also offers opportunities for business and hotel space that will be particularly attractive for those in the private sector who routinely work with the military in the San Diego area, and unprecedented open or recreational space for area residents and tourists. Vehicular and pedestrian access will be improved, as will the view from Downtown to the waterfront.

There is no better place in the country for the dynamic, mutually supportive civilian-military relationship that we enjoy here. The Navy could not ask for a better partner than San Diego. This project allows us to greatly enhance that relationship.

Two environmental studies have been completed by the Navy on the site, including a 1991 environmental impact study and a 2006 environmental assessment, which is available for public review and comment at navybroadwaycomplex.com and selected public libraries. This assessment addresses land use, transportation, aesthetics, public services and utilities, socioeconomics, geology, hydrology, air quality, noise, cultural resources and public health and safety. Every relevant and available bit of information related to the project will be considered in the environmental assessment.

An open house at the Navy Broadway Complex will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Oct. 7 and a public meeting on the project will be from noon to 2 p.m.

The Navy appreciates its long-standing partnership with San Diego, and looks forward to building on that relationship. For the last 100 years we have worked together for mutual benefit. The results of the economic impact study are evidence of that. Now we can look ahead to the next 100 years and beyond, and nurture and maintain that relationship in perpetuity.

Rear Adm. Len Hering Sr. is commander of Navy Region Southwest.