Links: Election Fallout, Port's Open House

Today was spent at the BACCS event, and a report on that can be expected tomorrow. In the meantime, how about those elections?

The important races with the stadium in mind were seats three and four on the Chula Vista City Council. In the next few days, expect to see how all four candidates feel about a stadium in Chula Vista. Another proposition was shot down that would have restricted the height of buildings in the city, similar to the rule San Diego has.

Mayor Sanders won re-election outright last night, and today said that he will not assist the Chargers in staying in Mission Valley during his new term in office.

As for the Port of San Diego, the Enviromental Impact Report concerning the bay front is up for public review from now until July 8th. An open house meeting is scheduled for June 16 at the South Bay Fish and Grill. You can find the EIR here.

A Couple Of Links & The May Rundown

Happy end of April to all the stadium watchers out there. Let's get to the quick links.

-A Nick Canepa column details the links between Ed Roski and Chargers ownership.

Last week, when Roski proposed building an $800 million NFL stadium on 600 acres of pre-zoned land he owns in the lovely City of Industry – about 20 miles east of L.A. – I wondered aloud: “What's in it for him?”
...And, of course, the Chargers immediately came to mind, because they're looking for new digs and can take off following the 2008 season. Do not rule that out.

-Another SDUT article shows a link between campaign finaning and bay front development. Alfred and James Baldwin, developers from Orange County, have spent over $11,000 on various campaigns. The stadium link comes with eastern Chula Vista, a place where the team would most likely build homes and commercial space to help fund a bay front stadium. Baldwin companies have special rights to that land, and would collect major funds if the Chargers built in the area.

Baldwin money has gone to three main people - Mayor Sanders and two candidates for City Council, April Boling and Carl DeMaio. The two have similar plans and backgrounds, and both are not critical of Sanders' policies. Do the Baldwins favor these two with Sanders because they may not want a new stadium in Mission Valley? There are other factors. Both the candidates largely favor remaking infrastructure, something that the Baldwin companies can work on. There is certainly more to this, and Stadium Watch will have it.

Now, let's talk about May. There are a lot of things going on this month - and SDSW has a lot of plans.

On May 4th, SDSW will be at Chargers Mini-Camp in Kearny Mesa taking opinions from Charger fans about the negotiations. This will lead to SDSW's first podcast, coming sometime during that week.

May 6th is the scheduled date for the Port Commission to meet with San Diego Community Solutions about the 10th Avenue Marine Terminal. While SDSW won't be at the meeting, there will certainly be coverage of what takes place.

For May 9th, there will be a feature on the Chula Vista Police Department. Is law enforcement ready and able to control a stadium on the bay front? What steps will they have to take? Does stepping up the force mean more taxes for Chula Vistans?

Finally, the last week of May will come with a new look for SDSW. New colors, fonts, bars, links - we're changing everything for the summer. Stay tuned.

A Small Helping Of Links

- Organizations in the San Diego business community have declared their support of the Chargers' efforts, according to an opinion piece in the San Diego Union-Tribune. San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and San Diego International Sports Council are on the list. The letter asks for San Diegans to support Chula Vista government, get involved, put pressure on other politicians and to not be derailed by fantasy offers that detract from Chula Vista's progress.

- More on Wednesday's news over the Marine Terminal - the Port Commission has hired laywers to assist defending the terminal against San Diego Community Solutions.

- The stadium negotiation came up in last week's San Diego mayoral debate. Mayor Jerry Sanders was taken to task by his main rival Steve Francis over Sanders' inaction with the Chargers. Here's the part you need to see:

Francis knocked Sanders for refusing to negotiate with the Chargers, who are studying two sites in Chula Vista for a stadium.

Sanders has said keeping the team should be a regional concern, not only San Diego's, and he would support a regional plan that does not rely on taxpayer money to build a stadium.

Francis agreed that taxpayer money should not be used. But he said San Diego's mayor should be more involved.

That's it for now. I'll talk to y'all during the weekend. Don't forget to leave a comment or mail me if you've got something to say.

Port Commission and SDCS at odds over 10th Avenue Marine Terminal

From the Daily Business Report of San Diego Metropolitan Magazine:

The Board of Port Commissioners will challenge a proposed ballot initiative that would amend the Unified Port District's master plan to allow hotels, restaurants and possibly a sports stadium at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. The initiative, “The Port of San Diego Marine Freight Preservation and Bay Front Redevelopment Initiative,” is being proposed by a group known as San Diego Community Solutions LLC. The group is headed by Richard W. Chase, Nancy Chase and Frank Gallagher. The sponsors must obtain at least 75,000 signatures of valid registered voters to qualify the measure for the ballot in November.

Possibly a sports stadium? Interesting words from the Metropolitan, because the words of SDCS spokesman Scott Maloni and Chargers spokesman Mark Fabiani don't reflect much chance of one. We've talked about this on Stadium Watch on two occasions:
Stadium not in 10th Avenue plans, group says
Fabiani open to discuss Terminal site

Draw your own conclusions, but I don't think the Chargers will stick their heads into this situation for a while. Maybe they'll peek through the window, but another battlefront to go along with the bay front doesn't seem like the best thing for them at this time.

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.