A 75-year-old waterfront restaurant in Mission Bay could be forced out by the city of San Diego’s redevelopment plan, putting Joe Busalacchi’s family business and one of the bay’s oldest tenants at risk.
Sportsmen’s Seafood was the first lease signed in Mission Bay, operating even before the area’s first bridges were built.
Busalacchi has run the restaurant for 36 years, continuing a three-generation family business after his father passed away.
“The city is supposed to serve and protect the citizens of San Diego. They want to kick out all of these people who have to pay rent and pay for their children,” said Busalacchi. “How is that serving and protecting? They ain’t serving me, any of my employees, or anyone on the docks.”
Joe Busalacchi owns Sportsmen’s Seafood in Mission Bay. (Photo by Thomas Murphy/Times of San Diego)The city is following the Mission Bay Park Master Plan, which drives decision-making based on tourism demands, public access, and offering high-quality recreation.
“Issuing a Request for Proposals at this time is the most appropriate path forward to evaluate opportunities for enhanced revenue performance, capital reinvestment, and long-term operational alignment with Mission Bay Park objectives,” said a city public information officer.
“I only have an acre — you can’t compare it to a hotel. If you compare square footage, I pay more than 89% of all other city leases. It’s because I’m really good at running my business, but apparently that doesn’t matter,” said Busalacchi.
In the last 35 years, Busalacchi said, he has spent well over $5 million on the property and drafted plans to redevelop it, including an industrial style, a second floor, and an expanded dock.
Right before getting a new 25-year lease, he said he was stopped “just inches from the finish line.”
A 75-year-old smoker inside of Sportsmen’s Seafood in Mission Bay. (Photo by Thomas Murphy/Times of San Diego)State law requires that leases longer than 15 years on public land must prioritize affordable housing. But San Diego’s city charter rules prohibit housing developments in Mission Bay without public approval.
To avoid this conflict, the city is offering leases capped at 15 years — just under the law’s threshold.
For Busalacchi, the effects are immediate.
“The plan was to develop two stories, but we can’t do that with a 15-year lease. We’re a small business. With a 25-year lease, we can spend to go upstairs,” said Busalacchi. “We can’t amortize that over 15 years.”
Proposals for the lease, renovation, and operation of long-standing waterfront properties, including Sportsmen’s Seafood, Dana Landing, and Marina Village, will be accepted until April 30.
The San Diego City Council will review all proposals before making final decisions.
The effort is part of a broader push to update aging waterfront leases across Mission Bay.
“Our goal is to explore every opportunity and make the most out of every space — continuing to ensure it remains a cherished spot for locals and visitors,” said Economic Development Director Christina Bibler in a press release.
The city hopes to “revitalize and modernize” Sportsmen’s Seafood. Busalacchi argues that he has been trying to do exactly that, but the city has made it impossible to move forward.
“I never stopped trying to do that because of the Mission Bay Master Plan. I gave them a lot of plans, but they just kept rolling through employees, so you got to start again,” he said.
Communication is a sore point for Busalacchi. In response to the law, he adjusted plans to move forward with a 15-year lease, giving up his major renovation plans. He was stopped once again when the RFP was released without any warning and “without even telling us.”
The city stated that it has maintained routine, professional communication with the current leaseholder as part of standard lease administration and asset management practices.
Despite being a longtime tenant, Busalacchi’s proposal will not receive any preferential treatment from the city. Like all other interested parties, he must participate in the solicitation.
Sportsmen’s Seafood in Mission Bay. (Photo by Thomas Murphy/Times of San Diego)The owner is attempting to designate Sportsmen’s Seafood as a historical site connected to the Busalacchi family. This process takes time, but it could complicate redevelopment by preventing future changes to the site.
The city has not released a final timeline for the award, which will depend on how long it takes to evaluate proposals.
To be designated historical, a location must meet specific criteria, either symbolizing a community’s history, culture, and development or being identified with people significant to local history.
Busalacchi would be giving up all of his plans to improve the site, but he is willing to forgo redevelopment to preserve his family’s history.
“I’m not just going to let this go. If it goes historical, nobody could make any changes, they would have to keep it the way it is now,” said Busalacchi. “I’ve been doing this a long time, spending more money than I should just to get it done, not to give it up.”
“Nobody can just come in and take over a business that our family built and succeeded, just to get kicked out and for that person to reap the benefits.”
Maire Robacker and her husband live in Rancho Bernardo, but visit Mission Bay often to escape the inland heat. More than 30 years living in San Diego have shown them the issues with development.
“This is the problem, people making this, that, and the other all more upscale. That’s what’s really nice about this place. What does the city want to do? Probably charge more money and park bigger boats,” said Robacker.
As the city weighs proposals, Busalacchi says he is determined to preserve the business his family built.
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