The City Council on Monday unanimously confirmed Reese Jarrett as president of Civic San Diego, which handles major development projects for the city.
Jarrett, who was nominated by Mayor Kevin Faulconer almost two months ago, formerly headed the now-defunct Southeastern Development Corp.
Jarrett, who was previously with the real estate firm E. Smith and Co. and was a partner in Carter Reese & Associates, served as the SEDC president in the 1980s.
The SEDC, a city organization that worked on projects in Southeast San Diego, went out of business when the state phased out redevelopment agencies. Its functions were turned over to Civic San Diego, which was created to work on projects in the post-redevelopment era.
"I believe the mayor has selected a candidate who shares my passion for urban revitalization, especially in neighborhoods that have historically been underserved, and with a special skill set required to move Civic San Diego forward," said Councilwoman Myrtle Cole, who represents Southeast San Diego.
She said she wants the 18 neighborhoods in her council district to become vibrant, prosperous, clean and safe.
"We want quality retail and quality jobs," Cole said. "We want to see buildings going up."
Much of the discussion on Jarrett's appointment had to do with improving neighborhoods in Southeast San Diego and City Heights. Civic San Diego can bring some of the same tools to the effort that were used to make downtown development successful, the mayor said.
Jarrett said he was "humbled, honored and blessed" to become head of the organization.
