On March 4^th, 2026, Citythinkers, an urban design and planning firm, presented the 13^th Street Corridor Improvement Plan (Plan) to the City of Imperial Beach’s City Council. Citythinkers developed a consultant team comprised of KMA, CR Associates, and Schmidt Design Group to undertake the 14-month planning effort. The Plan was funded by a San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Housing Acceleration Planning (HAP) Grant with the intent of developing a Plan that includes policies and design criteria to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and increase housing supply, choice, and affordability.

The Corridor is a 1.3-mile stretch of road extending from Bikeway Village to the Naval Outlying Landing Field (NOLF) and is considered one of the City’s three commercial corridors. It currently consists of older commercial strip centers, multi-family apartments, and aging infrastructure. The Corridor is also challenged by limited parking, high-speed traffic, and lack of pedestrian connectivity.

The Plan is organized around three segments — a south corridor near the naval base, a neighborhood core in the middle, and a bayside area near Bikeway Village — each segment curated with streetscape design options and development concepts. Special focus is also given to the forthcoming closure of a 6-acre elementary school property which presents a large opportunity for redevelopment in the Corridor.

KMA supported the Plan by preparing a market assessment that focused on residential, retail and mixed-use development. Utilizing key metrics from the market assessment, KMA prepared a financial feasibility analysis assessing the development potential and feasibility of residential and mixed-use development on three representative sites along the Corridor. This task involved the preparation of financial pro forma models that identified housing and mixed-use typologies that would be most viable in terms of generating the highest residual land values.

Through close collaboration with City staff and the consultant team, the Plan establishes a clear blueprint for the transformation and revitalization of the 13th Street Corridor. It also introduces a unifying branding theme – “From the Base to the Bay” – envisioned to be woven into Corridor elements such as signage, pavement markings, lighting, and transit stops. The KMA team looks forward to seeing this vision come to life along the Corridor.