San Diego International Airport operators plan a Jan. 20 opening for the newly completed, $316 million consolidated rental car center, which will initially house the operations of 14 rental car brands in one facility.
During a Jan. 12 tour of the facility for local media, San Diego County Regional Airport authority President and CEO Thella F. Bowens said the 2-million-square-foot facility will be served by 16 energy-efficient shuttle buses going to and from airport terminals, each with a 25-passenger capacity. Those will replace more than 80 buses currently operated by rental car companies from locations throughout the airport and downtown area.
There is room for five more rental car brands to set up operations at the new center. The current lineup of operators, including Hertz, Avis and Enterprise, will have ground-floor rental counters in a “mini-mall” configuration, and the facility has a four-level parking deck that will house up to 5,400 cars, with fueling, maintenance and car-washing operations to be run by the rental firms.
There are two customer lobbies, five interior and exterior public art installations, and space for a future restaurant, sized around 8,000 square feet, that will seat about 300 people.
The facility was designed to achieve Silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
The facility sits on a 25.5-acre site at 3355 Admiral Boland Way, on the northern side of the airport near Interstate 5. Officials said the project created approximately 4,600 jobs during construction, with on-site operational employment to be determined by the rental car companies.
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