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Aug 24
2011
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San Diego Mayor Gets Serious About a StadiumPosted by Jason Riggs in Public funding, new stadium, Mayor Sanders, Convention Center, City of San Diego, Chargers   |
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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.
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.