If this was a football game it would have been over by Halftime. SDSUWest routed Soccer City yesterday in a city only vote. There is 3.4 million citizens in the county and 1.4 million in the city. Again, the majority of voters were silenced by elections laws. With 72% reporting, SDSU West has 55% and Soccer city has 29%.
So what does the vote mean. I've studied the stadium issue quite a bit and the demolishing of Qualcomm Stadium is around $100 million dollars. SDSU also needs to negotiate the deals for the development around the stadium. Even though the initiative includes SDSU getting 132 acres of land at fair market value the expenses that surround the initiative is substantial. SDSU has claimed they will not raise tuition on students to pay for the extra expenses.
Now SDSU has to go through the land-use process and EIR reports. How Qualcomm will be demolished is in question because to the gas tanks across the street. This is the first of it kind in California in that a land negotiation deal has never been done yet. This initiative will change the municipal codes surrounding the area.
What will happen to the land that now costs the tax payers $12 Million dollars annually?
A 35,000 seat joint-use stadium will be built for the Aztecs on the site.
A 34 acre river park which will be owned by the city. 12 acres of sports fields will be built.
9 acres of neighborhood parks will be established. 2.4 million square feet of office space along with 74,000 square feet of retail space.
A public park along side of the San Diego River.
The initiative also has plans for 450 hotel rooms and 4,800 multi family residential units will be on the site along with 16 acres reserved for a 2nd stadium. I believe the 2nd stadium is only reserved for 2 years.
SDSU West filed their initiative after the Mayor began secret meetings with the FS Investors while also talking to the Chargers in 2016. Two of the three sitting city council members who had a part in the Chargers leaving were voted out of office. Lorie Zapf and Myrtle Cole were defeated with only Chris Cate surviving his seat in District 6.
Soccer city invested three times the amount of money as SDSU West. MLS can still consider San Diego with SDSU plan as well.
Either way it's safe to say that around 2020 Qualcomm Stadium or SDCCU Stadium, "The Murph" will be just a memory in our heads as the post Chargers life takes hold in San Diego.
Next up the Sports Arena and home to the Gulls leasde expires in 2020.
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