Project Summary

The Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry (LPOE) is the busiest commercial port in California. In October 2023, GSA completed a modernization and expansion of the campus, including both new construction and renovation efforts:

• New buildings:
  • New hazardous material containment building and inspection docks, pits, and canopy
  • New building & docks for the United States Drug Administration (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
  • New Commercial Annex Building (CAB) housing Customs & Border Protection (CBP) SENTRI Permitting, CBP Fines Penalties & Forfeitures, CBP Support & Management Spaces, and Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
  • New bus inspection building with pit and canopy for the New Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) bus inspection building with bus pit and canopy
• Renovated buildings:
  • Renovation of the Detention Center and Main Pedestrian Building to increase pedestrian processing from 6 to 12 booths
  • Renovation of the Export Inspection Building within the CBP Training Facility
• Other improvements:
  • 16 new primary import inspection booths with canopy
  • 6 new exit import booths with canopy
  • Old, deteriorated asphalt paving replaced with new concrete paving in the full export truck inspection lot
  • Demolition of the old Commercial Export Hazardous Material Inspection Building

Sustainability Features

The standard requirement for new construction was to design for 30% more energy efficiency than a baseline building and to be ready for a future photovoltaic project to bring it to net-zero. Through excellent fundamental project management practices and great regional teamwork, the project team delivered a net-zero Commercial Annex Building and additional photovoltaics that contribute to the long-term goal of a net-zero campus.

The team further made the facility future-ready by providing infrastructure for both future electric vehicle charging stations and a future expansion of photovoltaics by allowing for a plug-and-play system. The team acquired and delivered HVAC improvements, exterior lighting, and more photovoltaics through a utility energy service contract (UESC). Between the UESC project and the above-and-beyond photovoltaics that were installed through the original project, the total campus energy use intensity (EUI) is expected to be reduced by approximately 12.1 kBtu/gsf per year, which mitigates approximately 1,153 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year.

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