City grants tentative approval to extend La Jolla YMCA Firehouse lease by 25 years

Lease extensions for the YMCA of San Diego County to continue operating at locations in La Jolla and Mission Valley were given a tentative go-ahead this week by the City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee.

The lease for the La Jolla YMCA, located in a former firehouse at 7877 Herschel Ave., will run for 25 years if approved by the full City Council.

The YMCA would pay the city a base annual rent of $3,250 annually, which would increase according to inflation. The nonprofit, which offers recreational and family activities for residents of La Jolla, northern areas of Clairemont and Pacific Beach, Sorrento Valley and University City, has been using the facility rent-free.

“This will allow them to do a little bit better outreach in the community of La Jolla, and make some improvements to the old, historic firehouse there,” said District 1 City Councilmember Sherri Lightner, who represents La Jolla.

The extension for the Mission Valley site, at 5505 Friars Road, would be for 30 years.

The current lease runs through 2030, but the YMCA needed a longer-term in order to commit to a solar power purchase agreement, part of a plan to install a $3.7 million solar energy system at the facility.

Annual rent at the Mission Valley location would go from $100 to $3,320, with future increases also tied to the inflation rate.

Kristi Geitz of the city’s Real Estate Assets Department told committee members that the proposed rents recover the city’s costs.