Mira Mesa community calls for cleanup of decaying Epicentre

The 8,000-square foot Epicentre along Mira Mesa Boulevard is now a far cry from what was once intended. The former teen activity center is decaying.

Plywood covers some of the shattered windows. A faded sign once drew your eye to a butterfly garden now overgrown by weeds. Exposed openings are boarded shut to keep people out. There is trash strewn about and a strong smell of urine.

Since vacant, it has fallen into disrepair. Visitors say it attracts squatters, drug users and vandals. It's located in the Mira Mesa Community Park.

“It’s a little uncomfortable,“ park visitor Andrina Ledesma said.

Ledesma and Scottie dog Bert are frequent visitors to the community park where the Epicenter was built. She has watched it slowly deteriorate.

“Its kind of too small of a space to make anything out of but also I’m not sure what you would do with it,“ Ledesma said.

The vacant structure sits across the street from Mira Mesa High School and is just a stones-throw away from the senior center.

“I feel uncomfortable because you never know what could be going in there,” neighbor Henry Fu said.

Fu spent his whole life in this neighborhood. The park is where he and his mother take evening walks.

“It's boarded up and you see a lot of homelessness. People like sleep in there,“ Fu said.

What happened to the Epicentre?

The building hasn’t been occupied since the non-profit group “Harmonium” backed out of its lease with the city in 2015. After that, it became an eyesore that seemed to have no solution.

Residents thought their prayers were answered when they received a mailer in July of 2023. It’s a development proposition for the Epicenter which includes artist renderings, a dining space recreational area and program center.

Still after eight months, nothing has been done. To them, it feels more like broken promises. That’s what the Mira Mesa Concerned Citizens group tells NBC 7.

In part of a statement released Tuesday, San Diego City Spokesperson Tara Lewis wrote:

“Property agents with the City’s Economic Development Department do visit the site periodically to check on the condition of the site and see if there are any noticeable issues to address. There are no known reports of encampments to the City at this site."

Lewis says the city and county have been in negotiations for reviving the building since 2021. The county committed $8 million for the repairs and reopening the center with programs and activities for kids 10 to 18 years old.

“Negotiations for a lease are currently active between the City and the County and are anticipated to be finalized and brought to both elected bodies for approval in the coming months,” Lewis said.

“Before it was used as a youth center, so I feel like something like that would be great, “ Fu said.

Concerned Citizens would say seeing is believing but the city cleaning up the mess is a good start.

The upcoming meeting

On Thursday morning, community advocates are planning a press conference to outline the troubles they’ve had with the Epicenter and to insist something be done about it now.