CHULA VISTA – Curious residents went to school last night to learn more about a proposed $1 billion Chargers stadium development for their city.
Judging from their questions at a town hall meeting at Corky McMillin Elementary, many believe the idea deserves more study.
The two sites being considered in Chula Vista are a 500-acre, vacant, mostly privately owned parcel on the city's east side, and the 139-acre power plant property owned by the San Diego Unified Port District.
But questions remain, including:
Can the Chargers' plan to privately finance the stadium be accomplished?
Can residents and fans travel smoothly if a stadium is built on the city's already traffic-choked east side?
If the Chargers and the city choose the bayfront site of the current South Bay Power Plant, can the facility be dismantled and its grounds cleaned of contamination in a timely way without breaking the stadium budget?
Chargers general counsel Mark Fabiani told the audience of more than 100 that those and other questions would be answered as the team focuses on the South Bay city.
A solid majority of the audience said they favored a Chargers stadium. Most supported the power plant site because of its ease of access by way of Interstate 5 and the trolley.
“What can we do to help keep the Chargers in Chula Vista or some other place in the county?” asked Marilyn Phillips, an east-side resident and season-ticket holder who said she is proud when San Diego views are aired during games.
But west-side resident Dario Sarcoz said he is against building a stadium in his city. “I don't want it anywhere in Chula Vista. It's too big a project for a small community.”
Chargers executives want to select a location by the end of the year, then work with the City Council on a stadium agreement that might be placed on the November 2008 ballot. Fabiani said an agreement – even if it is not ready next November – would go to a binding public vote.
With Oceanside pulling out of consideration Oct. 3 as a stadium site, the Chargers are down to Chula Vista, the county's second-largest city. A second town hall meeting is scheduled for Nov. 28 at the Chula Vista Library, 365 F St.
A group of San Diego businessmen say Qualcomm Stadium's central location and its 40-year status as the Chargers' home turf make it the preferred site, but team officials say they do not believe a deal can be worked out there.
Team executives say they have not looked outside the county for a stadium site, although their contract with the city of San Diego permits it. The Chargers are under contract to play at city-owned Qualcomm Stadium through the 2019 season.
While Chula Vista residents and city officials are considering the stadium idea, the city is grappling with an $8.2 million deficit in the current $299 million budget. The council is scheduled to decide how to trim the budget Dec. 4.
