Dive Brief:
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In what looks like an attempted end run around two major-league sports stadium developers, San Diego State University officials have said they are interested in buying or leasing 47 acres of the Qualcomm Stadium site, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
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SDSU presented its proposal to San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. In it, the school outlined its plans to build a 35,000-seat to 40,000-seat football stadium on 12 acres, 5,000 parking spaces and a campus expansion on 35 acres. What is absent from the proposal is any mention of sharing the site with another developer.
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SDSU representatives said the school could build a $150 million Aztec football stadium there within three years, but that it would also use some of the land for an expansion of the school's academic programs.
Dive Insight:
There are currently two other proposals on the table for the former home of the Chargers — one for a $2.5 billion MLS soccer stadium complex and another for a new 70,000-seat NFL venue, both privately financed.
FS Investors' SoccerCity proposal would see a $200 million, 30,000-seat soccer stadium, which would be complete by 2020, as the anchor for a trolley system, a 55-acre park and various mixed-use developments. The entire project would take an estimated 15 or 20 years and would leave room for a future NFL stadium, if the city managed to bring in a new franchise to replace the Chargers.
In its proposal, FS suggested that SDSU could share the Gensler-designed SoccerCity venue. Although the project would be privately financed, FS is campaigning to get a measure on the ballot so that it can demonstrate support from city residents.
The other proposal is from builder and former owner of the Union-Tribune, Doug Manchester. He contacted the NFL last month and expressed interest in fast-tracking a new stadium so that the Chargers could return or to entice another NFL franchise to San Diego.
