Marcela Escobar-Eck Weighs in on Planning for an MLS Stadium and Housing at the Q
January 24, 2017
Full article appears on Voice of San Diego.
A new proposal for the Qualcomm Stadium site includes a $200 million stadium, a river park, student housing and more. It’s unclear whether San Diegans will get to weigh in with a public vote, but there’s no shortage of opinions about how this should play out. We asked local urban planners, architects and community members what they want to see happen to the site.
It wasn’t too long ago that the city told the Chargers they could rent the Qualcomm Stadium site for just $1 a year, and now an investment firm has stepped in and floated a proposal for a $1 billion redevelopment of the Mission Valley property.
The proposal includes a new $200 million stadium to be used mostly by a Major League Soccer team and San Diego State University’s football team, plus a 55-acre San Diego River Park, new student housing and more.
The big question now is whether the City Council will approve the plan without putting it to a public vote. Whether or not they ultimately weigh in at the polls, San Diegans definitely have opinions about how this should all play out.
We sought out some of those opinions and asked local urban planners, architects and community members what they want to see happen to the Qualcomm Stadium site. Add your thoughts by leaving a comment or emailing me. The responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.