SDStadium.org Blog

Mayor Discusses Stadium Trip, Vision for San Diego Entertainment District
By Jason Riggs

Yesterday, Mayor Sanders spoke at the Riford Club in La Jolla to a crowd of about 100 people in a small gathering that was open to the public.

Sanders began the discussion on the effort to build a new stadium in Downtown San Diego by recapping the history and timeline behind Petco Park’s development.

“We spent about $192M in public funds on [Petco]” said Sanders. “Every dollar that was put into that has been leveraged by seven dollars in private investment. So that’s where you see all of the new hotels downtown, all of the new condos, all of the returning sales tax, all of the returning property tax, all of the tourism and transient occupancy tax… that was a great investment.

Baseball though, has 81 home games a year and that really energizes the entire area. Pro Football only has 10 [home] games a year. The Aztecs probably have five or six home games a year. There are two bowl games. So, it’s not a great investment if you do that by itself. It’s a pretty expensive proposition.”

However, he went on to point out how Qualcomm stadium is also an expensive proposition for taxpayers. “Right now, Qualcomm stadium costs the city between $10M and $12M each year just to keep it open.” Adding, “It’s a 42 year-old facility and it’s falling apart.”

Sanders also discussed how he saw tremendous economic prosperity among the cities he visited last week, derived largely through their stadium/entertainment district redevelopment projects.

So, the solution appears to involve liquidating or somehow utilizing the Qualcomm property while redeveloping a blighted section of Downtown.

According to Sanders, “We have to find a way to make it a venue on the East end of Downtown…. a lot of people won’t walk there now during the day and nobody walks there at night. We think it makes all of the sense in the world to have an entertainment center between the Convention Center bridge, to Petco and over the Stadium so that we activate that every single night.”

Finally, the Mayor noted that he is looking at this as a pure business decision and in fact he “hasn’t been to a Charger game in at least 15 years.” He also said that this will be a County issue and will require cooperation from people and groups well beyond the City of San Diego.

In terms of timing, he said that his team is working on a timeline for a 2012 ballot initiative and details would be forthcoming.

San Diego Mayor Gets Serious About a Stadium
by Jason Riggs

Last week, Mayor Jerry Sanders embarked on a three-city stadium tour in Kansas City, Denver and Indianapolis to see how public/private partnerships are structured in other parts of the country for infrastructure-related projects. The trip marks a significant milestone in the City’s effort to build a stadium in San Diego by providing a clear signal that the Mayor and the City intend to get down to the serious detail-work of creating a plan for pushing this effort forward.

For years, Mayor Sanders was reluctant to get involved in this effort for fear of the potential negative impact on other options that have been explored in other San Diego regional cities over the past decade. Now, with the Chargers entering their tenth year of entertaining various stadium efforts throughout San Diego County while another stadium effort is at least getting traction 120 miles to the north, it’s time for action. The Mayor knows that the final saga in the County’s effort to construct a stadium here will unfold over the next 12 – 18 months. .

The Chargers and the City will likely work to present a public initiative to voters in 2012 that will outline the details of a Convention Center Expansion/Stadium dual project. As unlikely as such a marriage might sound to some of the critics and naysayers, it’s an excellent idea for a number of reasons.

There are still many questions surrounding the Convection Center expansion funding. A significant delta exists between the needed funds and proposed revenue sources as pointed out by this Voice of San Diego Article.

Additionally, a Stadium, Sports District and an expanded Convention Center would attract many more revenue sources including restaurants, housing and retail development than the Convention Center expansion alone. .

What still remains to be seen is how a stadium or any other downtown project will move forward with all of the flux surrounding State redevelopment funds and agencies. So, many will reserve judgment until a plan is presented to the public detailing how various funding mechanisms will be derived. .

However, if the City, the Chargers, Developers and the Taxpayers can arrive at the right agreement, we could have a new multi-purpose year-round facility that would generate billions of dollars in redevelopment and tax revenue for a relatively small investment of public funds. It could be a significant windfall for the San Diego regional economy..

We should all applaud the Mayor for taking the time to study similar models and conduct the in-person due diligence necessary to make such a critical decision for a multi-million dollar investment. It’s a refreshing development and with a little forward thinking, the rest of San Diego will see what Mayor Sanders saw when a stadium financing plan is presented to the public in the coming months.

Join the San Diego Stadium Coalition for a live online Chat on Friday, October 9th at 11:30AM with Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani

Ask your burnning questions as he shares the latest developments on the team's quest for a new stadium.

There's a lot going on with the Chargers and a potential new stadium in the County especially within the City of Escondido, so it's a great time to educate yourself and get involved.

You must be a registered member and logged in during the chat to participate.

The Latest on the Chargers Stadium Search (August 2009)
By Jason Riggs

It's been a little while since we updated our membership on the Chargers stadium search so I wanted to fill you in on some of the recent developments from the past 60 days.

Q: Are the Chargers still in discussions with the City of Chula Vista about building a new stadium in that region of the County?
A: No. With the recent Iraq deployment of Councilman and City of Chula Vista point-person John McCann in addition to the numerous obstacles associated with the most viable sites in Chula Vista, the Chargers have suspended discussions with the City for the time being to focus on other options within the County. If in the future the City of Chula Vista succeeds in shutting down the power plant, and the City is then interested in re-starting discussions with the team, the Chargers have indicated that they would re-open negotiations at that time.

Q: Is it true that the Chargers are exploring the possibility of building a stadium in Oceanside?
A: Yes. The team has been engaged in discussions with Thomas Enterprises which is a large credible developer. Thomas Enterprises already has City approval to build 950,000 square feet of retail space on roughly 90 acres along State Route 76 in Oceanside between Foussat Road and Mission Avenue. It is the site of a defunct Drive-In Theater and there are several factors that make it attractive to the team including its proximity to their season-ticket-holder fan base. However there are also several obstacles that must be cleared for this site to become viable including FAA regulations regarding the nearby municipal airport. Nonetheless, the team continues to explore this site as a future home for a new stadium.

Q: Are there any other sites within the County currently being discussed?
A: The Chargers continue to explore new options and ideas as they surface within the City and County of San Diego. However, at this time, the site in Oceanside is the only option currently being actively pursued by the team. The San Diego Stadium Coalition is committed to providing the latest information on this and all other stadium sites as developments occur.

Q: Is the State of California is considering a purchase of the current Qualcomm stadium site as part of a plan to expand the San Diego State Campus?
A: Yes. Mayor Jerry Sanders and SDSU President Stephen Weber have begun discussions in recent weeks on the possibility of the university using the land as a solution to significant problems at the city and the University. The proposal, which is still preliminary but quickly gaining momentum, would not directly impact the Qualcomm stadium structure, however, It does, call for displacing some of the 18,000 parking spaces to make way for student and faculty housing, research facilities and a riverfront park. If approved, this further removes the current stadium site in Mission Valley from the list of potential options and would create a more definitive timeline for the team’s relocation to remain viable. This recent development has potentially troubling implications for the Chargers regardless of its impact on the Qualcomm stadium structure itself.

Q: When will The Chargers again have an option to leave San Diego County? A: The Chargers remain committed to staying in San Diego County, however, they can explore a relocation deal with other cities between Feb. 1 and May 1 each year until their lease with the City expires after the 2020 season. This process of searching for a new stadium site will not continue indefinitely and it is reasonable to believe that at some point in the near future, when all options within San Diego County have been exhausted, the team will begin looking to other regions. Nonetheless, their commitment to remain in the County is clear when you factor in the nearly 8 years and over $10M that they’ve invested in their search for a new stadium site.

 

A Letter from a New Member Says It Best

We recently received this email from one of our newer members. It is so powerfully written and offers such an honest take on why members of the San Diego Stadium Coalition are working so hard to get stadium built in San Diego County that I want to share it with everyone.  

"First off, I apologize at first for this mass email.  I hate them myself and never send them out except on occasions I feel can benefit.
 
Many of you know that I am diehard Chargers fan and a native of San Diego, America's Finest City.  My favorite city and football team have some serious issues that need addressing.  At one time, I believed I could not affect anything as I am not a politician, nor did I want to be, and this email is far from anything political.
 
I have joined a group of people who are dead set on keeping the Chargers in San Diego.  We are a grass roots group of people (not a political group) who are devising a plan to keep the Chargers in San Diego.  It has long been known that the San Diego City Council members have closed their ears to the Chargers about getting a new stadium.  This group has already been effective as to going beyond city officials in hopes to get a deal done.  We have already made in-roads with Mark Fabiani (Chargers general counsel), Dean Spanos (owner of the Chargers), other investors, developers, and media personnel (print, radio, TV).
 
So, why am I writing this to you?  This group needs your help and you do not need to be a resident of San Diego to help.  Our group, "San Diego Stadium Coalition" has setup a website where you can access articles about the group and our efforts in keeping the Chargers in San Diego County.  I kindly and humbly ask that the only thing I could ask of you is to sign up on our website, that's it.  The membership numbers is key to allowing us to show the Chargers, city officials, investors, developers...etc that we are serious about what we are doing.  Now, I know what you may be thinking, oh my, why do I have to sign up for something?  Well, to sign up on our website, you only need to provide your name, email, and a logon name.  You won't be asked for a credit card, your email information will NOT be sold.  This is just a simple signup website, and after signing up, you don't have to do anymore if you don't want to.  And if you feel like participating, there is a message forum; we have live chats with key people, including a live chat with Mark Fabiani on May 15th.
 
If you're wondering why the Chargers would leave San Diego?  The answer is that they are financially unable to compete with other teams because of the lack of luxury suites at the current stadium.  All 32 teams share revenue on their regular ticket sales, but they keep their luxury suite ticket revenues for themselves.  All of this type of information can be found on our website, plus other questions you may have.
 
Our group's website is http://www.sdstadium.org/.