Mira Mesa neighbors want big changes at big eyesore in the heart of their neighborhood

Mira Mesa residents have expressed concerns for years about a neglected teen-activity center in the heart of their community.

Brenda Bowman has lived in Mira Mesa for more than 40 years.

“Oh my God, I've seen a tremendous change in Mira Mesa from when we first moved here,” Bowman said.

Bowman said some of the changes over the years haven’t been positive.

“The landscaping has gone to pot," Bowman said. "That's not kept up."

The 8,000-square-foot building on Mira Mesa Boulevard, which was called the Epicentre, has been vacant for years.

The Mira Mesa Concerned Citizens Community advocacy group wants city officials to step up, arguing that group in charge of maintaining the building, the Department of Real Estate Asset Management (DREAM), hasn’t maintained the facility and wants to see a long-term plan for change.

“It's sad,” said Karin De Jauregui, who’s lived in Mira Mesa since 1990. "It's really sad."

Some of the shattered windows on the building have been boarded up at the building, which sits across the street from Mira Mesa High School.

“We don't have the best reputation between Scripps and La Jolla,” De Jauregui said.

A representative for the city San Diego said the city and county have been in negotiations since 2021 about reviving the building since 2021, with the county even committing $8 million for repairs to reopen the building as a community center with programs and activities for kids 10-18 but many residents feel history could repeat itself.

“I don't want to be an experiment for the county," Bowman said. "It sounds great and all the bells and whistles they showed us look beautiful, and it's like, 'Oh, that'd be great.' But again, in my heart, I think it's going to be another lost experiment."