Dive Brief:

• Demolition of Navy buildings began this week in San Diego, the first step in the construction of a $1.3 billion mixed-use complex, according to the Times of San Diego.
• At 3 million square feet, the Manchester Pacific Gateway project will encompass eight city blocks and include six office towers ranging from six to 29 stories, two hotels, retail, a museum and public parks, as well as a new Navy headquarters.
• Representatives of the Manchester Financial Group said the project has been 11 years in the making, and Navy officials characterized the project as "an important chapter" in their 100-year relationship with San Diego.

Dive Insight:

This is the just the latest in major development news for San Diego. Earlier this week, city officials gave their initial approval for the demolition of an abandoned downtown theater in order to make way for a $125 million mixed-use residential high-rise.

The 40-story tower will feature a reproduction of the 1920s-era theater's facade, as well as 282 residential units, an interactive park with exercise and recreational space, a bike share hub and an architectural light show, as well as retail and dining space. The project will be served by the San Diego Trolley, and officials hope the new project will revitalize the area.

The Port of San Diego is also getting a $1.2 billion facelift with the planned Seaport San Diego project. The development will feature a Virgin Hotel with a 350-microroom Yotel, retail, dining and entertainment, office space for port-based businesses, a charter school, an observation tower, an Odysea aquarium, a beach-side park and modernized port facilities.

The Manchester Financial Group has also proposed a plan for a new NFL stadium in San Diego. A burgeoning MLS franchise currently has its eye on the Qualcomm Stadium site and has proposed a massive $2.5 billion complex to replace it, but Manchester contacted NFL owners earlier this year and made his own pitch.

The Manchester Group said it could build a 70,000-seat, privately financed stadium and ancillary development on a fast track that could keep the Chargers in San Diego or be home to a different NFL team on a partnership or lease basis. Voters rejected a deal in November that would have used tax dollars to finance a new stadium and convention center, a scenario that Manchester said could be avoided because his proposal uses no public funds.