SAN DIEGO—A new fate has been proposed for SDCCU Stadium—the new name for the former Qualcomm Stadium, also known locally as “the Q.” Friends of SDSU has begun the SDSU West Campus Research Center, Stadium and River Park Initiative, which would authorize the sale of the stadium site to San Diego State University and direct the university to create a comprehensive site plan for the site.

Kim Kilkenny, a member of the 24-member Friends of SDSU Steering Committee, tells GlobeSt.com, “Historically, investments in education and research have helped drive our regional economy. This initiative envisions that growth of SDSU will assist the region in preparing a job-ready workforce for the region's industries, providing employment opportunities for a highly trained and educated workforce, and promoting the city as a great place to live and work.”

As GlobeSt.com reported in June, Fred Pierce, president and CEO of Pierce Education Properties, Friends of SDSU steering committee member and chairman of the Fowler College of Business Administration at SDSU, had told us he was speaking out on behalf of the SDSU Alumni Past President Council as the voice against the SoccerCity Plan proposed by developer FS Investors, as well as against using an initiative as a method to decide this measure. Pierce said at the time that he was advocating instead “a public RFP process as every piece of significant public land should be subject to. Let's stipulate the criteria for the RFP. The City Council would require proposals to reserve 35 acres of the site for university expansion and either land for SDSU to build a stadium with related parking or a joint-use stadium that meets SDSU's requirements (all of which SDSU would pay for at the same price per acre as the winning developer). Then, the balance of the 233-acre site will be left to the creativity of developers to suggest what they would like to see. Let's see creativity and competition to produce what's best for the region.” GlobeSt.com was unable to reach Pierce before deadline for further comment on the SDSU West initiative and what it would do for the San Diego region.

“We are proud to formally introduce our initiative, which is centered around our shared goal of helping SDSU grow, prosper and continue to meet our regional higher education needs,” says Malin Burnham, a member of the Friends of SDSU Steering Committee, in a prepared statement. “As one of the last remaining pieces of land in the heart of our city, the stadium site in Mission Valley represents a significant opportunity to create an innovation center and a permanent home for SDSU football.”

As a critical component of San Diego's higher education system, SDSU has been challenged by a lack of space for expansion. Additionally, the City's decision to shutter SDCCU Stadium in late 2018 has raised questions regarding the future of the SDSU football program.

“For well over a century, the fates of San Diego and SDSU have been inextricably linked,” says former SDSU president Elliot Hirshman in the statement. “One in seven adults with college degrees in San Diego are graduates of SDSU. But each year, the university is forced to turn away thousands of promising students due to a lack of space. SDSU needs the facilities to attract top students and researchers from across the globe and power our knowledge economy.”

The SDSU West initiative requires that SDSU purchase the site at fair market value. The initiative also requires a full environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act including an Environmental Impact Report.

“The SDSU West initiative requires a public plan, developed through an open and transparent process,” says Kilkenny in the statement. “Friends of SDSU is proud to provide an alternative plan for the existing stadium site in Mission Valley that better meets the needs of all San Diegans.”

The SDSU West initiative requires SDSU to plan the existing stadium site comprehensively to provide facilities for educational, research, entrepreneurial and technology programs within a vibrant mixed-use campus village and research park. The initiative also requires revitalization and restoration of the San Diego River Park south of the site as 34 acres of public park land, including walking and biking trails, a river buffer of native vegetation, and requires River Park improvements be made at no cost to the City's General Fund.

The initiative also requires SDSU to construct a joint use stadium for SDSU football at no cost to the City of San Diego. The City will not be required to pay for any stadium rehabilitation costs, demolition or removal costs, cost overruns, operating costs, maintenance, or capital-improvement expenses. SDSU West also allows for inclusion of other potential sports partners, including but not limited to professional, premier, or MLS soccer and adaptable for the NFL.

On Sept. 30, a notice of intent was set to be published, beginning a 21-day noticing period. At the conclusion of this period, a signature gathering effort will begin at to-be-announced locations across the City of San Diego to qualify the initiative to be placed before voters in 2018. The group has launched the http://www.sdsuwest.org website to provide additional information on the initiative. Supporters are encouraged to visit the website to learn more about the initiative and ways to get involved.

Instant Insights /

SDSU West Initiative Aims to Buy, Redevelop Stadium

Related Stories

Recommended For You