CORONADO, Calif. — A man living in Coronado is suing the San Diego Unified Port District over what he claims is a misuse of public lands at the Coronado Golf Course.
“It’s used all the time. It’s a great asset for not just Coronado but the entire community,” said plaintiff Matthew Herron, who lives near the golf course.
Coronado leases the property from the San Diego Unified Port District, an agreement dating back to the 60’s, and the city doesn't pay any rent for it. According to Herron, he says the city has been in violation of their lease terms by allowing the private restaurant and wedding venue, Feast and Fareway, to operate on the property for more than 5 years.
“This is used and considered to be a park, and so the Port prohibited profit-making ventures such as a restaurant, a hotel, a cocktail lounge because the place has unusual benefits over other competing businesses,” explained Herron.
Herron and his wife frequented the restaurant when it opened, but after a dispute his wife had with staff, she was booted by the manager, and they haven’t returned in four years.
“I have a great deal of concern that the city has put this operator in full control of who gets to come there or not, when they come there or not,” said Herron. “That private company has full authority to do what they want.”
Part of the problem he says is that the venue is oftentimes closed to the public for private events.
“This was supposed to just be a snack bar for the golfers, and it has turned into a for-profit profit center for the city, and the operator who is given full authority to exclude anybody from the property they want to,” said Herron.
According to Herron, when the city put out a request for proposal for a restaurant at the golf course seven years ago, they claimed to own the land when actually it’s owned by the San Diego Unified Port District.
“Where does it end? Once you say you own something, you can do whatever you want there," said Herron. "They could put a hotel on that property.”
The lease agreement was extended in 1997, and states, “Lessee further agrees not to construct or operate any hotel, motel, restaurant, or cocktail lounge on the premises.”
“If I could hope that what would happen is that the city would undo this contract and go back to what the lease requires, go back to the non-restaurant snack bar that’s allowed, and exercise the necessary supervision over the operation,” said Herron.
CBS 8 reached out to the City of Coronado and Port of San Diego, and they both declined to comment. CBS 8 did speak with the manager at Feast and Fareway. She passed along our request for comment to their corporate team, but we have not heard back by the time of this publication.
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