Release from FTB Alliance cheers Chula Vista, jeers San Diego city

The Fans, Taxpayers and Business Alliance, a community coalition put together to place a stadium in San Diego County, put out this message earlier. In it, they praise the Chula Vista City Council for their service and denounce the city of San Diego's handling of stadium issues.

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HATS OFF TO MAYOR COX AND THE ENTIRE CHULA VISTA CITY COUNCIL

The nationwide Neilson ratings released on Monday shows this year’s Super Bowl as the second most watched program ever in the history of United States television. But, a little known fact is that the Chargers AFC Championship game against the Patriots garnered a larger local rating than the Super Bowl did.

























The conversation has never been about keeping the Chargers here at all costs, it has always been about working through the issues to see if it is possible to do so in a financially responsible way. Absent any meaningful conversation with the City of San Diego, Chula Vista has stood tall in saying they would at least study the issue.

Yet the City of San Diego, who stands to gain the most by finding a reasonable solution, is defiantly silent in how they might assist Chula Vista in retaining the team in the region. No time, no money, obviously no interest, not even in how to stint the ongoing cash drain as the City continues to pay about $19 million per year to maintain Qualcomm Stadium. (San Diego Union-Tribune, October 9, 2005)

Not one elected official in the City of San Diego has taken a public position on how to assist in solving the issue.

In music, that is called tone-deaf.

No matter what side of the issue you are on, it is important to let the local political leadership know what you think. Be sure to log onto www.ftballiance.org to contact your elected officials or send a letter to the Union-Tribune, Voice of San Diego or Chula Vista Star-News.

Fabiani open to discuss Terminal site

Brandon Stone
San Diego StadiumWatch


Chargers spokesman Mark Fabiani is open to stadium ideas about the proposed deck on the 10th Avenue Terminal.

"We are always open to any new and promising idea," Fabiani said, "and we meet with people all the time who call us with thoughts and plans."

Last week, San Diego Community Solutions announced their desire to build a deck at the terminal, saying it would help maritime service in San Diego Bay and allow for more parking downtown. SDCS is working with engineering company CH2M Hill to develop the terminal space.

"We will be happy to meet with anyone and everyone who wants to help," Fabiani said. "In the end, we aren’t going to do anything that is against the interests of our friends in organized labor. Nor do we want to become bogged down in a dispute with the Port Commission or other government agencies."

Fabiani's main concern is the cost of building on top of the deck.

"The kind of deck being talked about is enormously expensive to build," Fabiani said. "The New York Jets proposed a similar deck over the rail yards on Manhattan’s west side, and cost estimates for the deck were in the many hundreds of millions of dollars."

Scott Maloni, public affairs consultant for San Diego Community Solutions, has the same concerns.

“The odds of the stadium there are slim,” he said. “The finances aren’t put together … there’s not enough events. I’m not sure a football stadium makes sense.”

According to Maloni, the goal of the measure isn’t to instantly build on the terminal, but to amend the master plan to allow construction on the terminal. The group has started collecting signatures in the five cities that represent the Port Commission, which runs the area. If the group collects enough votes, the deck proposal could be on the November ballot.

“The initiative doesn’t have a project, it has a process,” Maloni said. “Some of the building could be for a convention center or for hotels or a sports arena. It could be a stadium.”

“It is premature to get caught up in any project,” he said.

Stadium not in 10th Avenue plans, group says

SDCS says terminal vote is "process, not project"
Brandon Stone, San Diego StadiumWatch


Building a stadium as part of a double deck on the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal is not in the big picture of the proposal, according to a group spokesperson.

“The odds of the stadium there are slim,” Scott Maloni, public affairs consultant for the private group San Diego Community Solutions, said. “The finances aren’t put together … there’s not enough events. I’m not sure a football stadium makes sense.”

SDCS announced their desire to build a deck at the site last week, citing that it would upgrade maritime services in San Diego Bay and allow for more parking downtown. The Port Commission would decide what structures could go on top of the deck, including hotels, parks or a convention center. SDCS has been working with engineering company CH2M Hill to develop innovative designs for the terminal space.

“The concept is that you maintain the terminal on the lower level,” Maloni said. “You would take advantage of the vertical space. There’s a vision of a monstrosity on the bay, but it is not like that.”

“It’s one of the most fantasized areas on the bay,” Maloni said. “One side says that it should always be a maritime terminal and the other says that it’s a waste. We’re mutual. We think you can do both.”

Maloni said that the group’s goal is to redevelop the area for both maritime and public use, respecting both those who want the land for industry and those who want to create something new. According to Maloni, the goal of the measure isn’t to instantly build on the terminal, but to amend the master plan to allow construction on the terminal.

“The initiative doesn’t have a project, it has a process,” Maloni said. “Some of the building could be for a convention center or for hotels or a sports arena. It could be a stadium.”

“It is premature to get caught up in any project,” he said.

The group has started collecting signatures in the five cities that represent the Port Commission, which runs the area. If the group collects enough votes, the deck proposal could be on the November ballot.

“The measure creates a process with specific criteria and timeframe to find a developer,” Maloni said.

Contact with both port and Chargers officials have not been made as of this time, but their response will be covered if there is comment.

A Morning On The Bay

I stood on a rock listening to the sounds of the birds along the muddy banks as the smell of ocean coasted through the air on Bayfront Park.

Streaks of sun reflected down from the dull blue sky. The sound of the water slapping against the marsh was only broken in moments by fishing trucks driving along the road and planes roaring above. Dogs ran through grassy stretches while one man practiced Tai Chi along the water’s edge. People jogged and biked, boats launched, couples talked on benches. It was a morning removed from the hustle of life across the interstate. It was a momentary pause.

And across the wetland, guarded by a fence nearby and clouds above, the South Bay Power Plant stood. Silent yet pronounced, it stood there. It was impossible to ignore, easy to remember, and notable for a person making their first trip to the park.

I had to come here before I could really begin trying to talk about the issues that make up the situation. How could anyone approach tearing down a plant, cleaning up and putting in a stadium without actually seeing it from this perspective? Before you can talk about a power plant, you have to follow the power lines with your eyes coming down Interstate 5. Before you can talk about an environmentalist’s claims that a new stadium hurts local animals, you have to see a bird scrounging for brunch in the mud. Before you can talk to the County Department of Public Works about adding lanes, you have to hang a right at L St., park in the dirt and imagine if over 70,000 people could travel in and out of this place at that moment.

And that’s what it is about right now – the moment. That’s why it is so important to capture what those who make decisions both now and on a ballot have to say. What they think of now can change the way thousands used to think. Hearing a person one moment can change thousands more moments.

That’s why I keep promising to you that I’ll give you as many moments as I can if you keep giving me reasons to write them down.



A couple quick notes on that morning:

Even though I did not quote anyone on the existence of the South Bay Power Plant in a previous story, I could not find anyone who did not favor doing away with the 706-megawatt plant. One man called it “an eyesore” and that “getting rid of it is a good idea,” while another said he’d “love to see that plant go.” What wasn’t as clear was how they planned to compensate for the lack of emergency power. The plant is designated to power up to 500,000 Chula Vista homes in case of a power shortage. The battle for a new plant in South County existed before the stadium, and with the latest statements from the Public Utilities Commission, the battle isn’t settling down.

Traffic is another large concern. Interstate 5 and Bay Blvd. are the main vertical routes, and both connect to several smaller streets along the bayfront. The difficulty is that most of these streets run in single lanes – therefore, the quantity does not necessarily equal the quality. There is room for expansion along stretches of Bay Blvd, and space to add lanes on the bridges. However, the traffic situation will have to be revisited.

And as for the cleanup effort, the need stretches farther than what’s in the power plant. Driving through Bay Blvd., it was not hard to notice how much industrial work there is along the coastline. Placing anything as intense as a stadium requires the whole area to improve, and that includes making all of the bayfront impressive. Parts of the bay are far from that. Add that to the list of daunting tasks for the project.

And a quick note for the site: you’ve probably noticed the labels. Links are for pools of stuff to look at, headlines are for the “breaking news” angle, news is for the articles that I write, and feature is for the profiles and issues I write on.

Anything not making sense? Mail me.

Excitement, concern from locals over stadium bid

Locals ready for change but weary over enviroment and traffic
Brandon Stone
San Diego Stadium Watch

Joe Romero doesn’t hesitate when asked about placing a stadium on the bayfront.

“I’d love it,” he says.

Romero’s feelings are similar to those who spent Friday morning at the Chula Vista Marina. Concerns over traffic and the environment mixed with excitement over a new stadium nearby.

“There’s no place like this,” Romero, the 56-year-old resident of Chula Vista, said. “It’s near the bay, with a nice setting, right next to the interstate, and the trolley. It’s perfect.”

Currently, the Chargers are starting a six month survey on how to privately finance a new stadium in both the bayfront and in Eastlake. The Chargers’ broad plan for the Chula Vista bayfront includes destroying the South Bay Power Plant, cleaning up the area and constructing a billion dollar stadium. And while the team and the city work towards a proposal for the November election, the residents of Chula Vista wait and watch.

“I just want them to stay here,” 35-year-old Chula Vista resident Eric T. said. “I’d prefer it here because it is good for me. But this site – I don’t know what they’ll do.”

Some fans felt that they hadn’t received enough information on the proposals yet, and that they were being left in the dark.

“I really don’t know,” Salvador Martinez said. “It’s whatever I hear on the radio. First it’s National City, now it’s Chula Vista. I don’t know what’s going on.”

The big concern for this group is the environment. Removing a power plant and placing a stadium means a massive cleanup effort, and the area could be covered with hazardous material. The marina is also home to marshes where various birds and sea creatures live. People like Romero wouldn’t want the new construction to lead to the end of wildlife at the marina.

“I hope the stadium affects the city for the positive, but the wetlands are a problem. I enjoy them,” Romero said.

“The view here is cool, but I’m not sure if they can clean it up,” Eric T. said.

For Chula Vista policeman Tony Nichols, the concern is over who will help out keeping the new stadium safe.

“The job stays the same,” Nichols said. “We have a small department, so there has to be some aid. But I just do what they tell me to do. It’s all up to the city and the bureaucrats.”

Change on the bayfront doesn’t just affect the residents of the city, but also local businesses along the coastline. Along with traffic and crime, some owners may be forced to relocate.

“I like it right here,” Patrick Fuller, an employee of HAR Construction on Frontage Road, said. “It will increase traffic, but otherwise I like it. It’s a good spot. I’d like to see them stay closer to home.”

Fuller said that HAR would combat traffic by putting chains on the driveways.

“On game days there will be parking problems with increased traffic, but we’ll deal with it,” Fuller said.

“It would be a great Renaissance for Chula Vista,” Xavier Casillas of Hardex Custom Hardware and Fixtures on Bay Blvd. said. “Everything south of 805 is old. It would generate more business.”

At the end of the day, the important thing for most people on the marina was seeing the Chargers remain in San Diego – no matter the location.

“I’m a diehard fan,” Romero said. “We’re a football town. If they leave, I’ll blame the politicians.”

“I’d like them to stay some place,” Martinez said. “It’s important to all the cities.”