On March 24, all five bidders vying to redevelop the City-owned area around Pechanga Arena made their pitch at a town hall sponsored by Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group.

“Tonight is the only public forum where you’ll be able to hear from each of the five bidders being considered by the City for the redevelopment project,” said Cathy Kenton, immediate past Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group chair. “When all five groups have completed their 10-minute presentations, the audience can circulate and ask each of the bidders’ questions at booths.”

“Midway is the center of opportunity for District 2,” said Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell in opening remarks. “It has so many big projects going on like NAVWAR and the old post office’s redevelopment. But nothing is more impactful than our Sports Arena redevelopment. I’m excited to see Midway reach its full potential in becoming a walkable, multi-use, transit-oriented neighborhood with plenty of affordable housing.”

Midway Village+

“We’re proposing over 4,000 homes, a 15,000-seat new sports arena, a 12,000-square-foot modular soccer stadium, a 3,500-seat events hall, and a 12-acre central park,” said David Malmuth of Midway Village+. “What we’re hoping to do is catalyze the much larger Midway District. This domino is one of the keys. We need to make sure it’s the right domino, and that we do it the right way.”

Malmuth touted Midway Village+’s deep pockets, technical background, and experience. “Our affordable housing team has got enormous expertise and financial strength,” he said. “Doing public-private partnerships, that’s a special kind of development challenges. Our housing plan has over 2,000 affordable units, 50% of which are affordable for people with middle incomes. It’s not just about vision. It’s about how you’re going to make this project happen.”

HomeTownSD

Sarah Kruer Jager noted their development team has “produced low- and middle-income housing in San Diego for decades having developed 20,000 residential units. Housing is our passion, our exclusive focus. We are local, women-led, with deep relationships and track records that go back 50 years.”

Added Kruer Jager, “This will be an inclusive community with 3,250 homes, more than 2,000 of those will be deed-restricted, affordable- and middle-income housing. This is really about striking a balance between the residential community, the 18-acre green community with a central park in the middle, and the sports arena.”

Erik Judson of JMI Sports, which worked on Petco and SDSU’s new Mission Valley stadium, said his group intends to create “a right-sized 10,000-seat arena specific to the neighborhood with a smaller footprint and capacity that serves the hometown teams. There is a tremendous market for a 10,000-seat arena that is expandable for concerts and integrated into the community.”

Discover Midway

Presenter Ted Lohman pointed out that their team, which includes ASM Global, an L.A.-based venue and event management company, was originally selected by the City in 2020 to redevelop the Sports Arena site.

“We really don’t have any peers as a development company,” Lohman said. “ASM has built and managed arenas of all shapes and sizes all over the globe. And Brookfield has over $650 billion of assets. We’re planning a mix of uses and a network of bicycle and transit connections, as well as open-space plazas and active ground-floor uses in all our buildings.”

Added Lohman: “We’re going to renovate the arena in the middle, but we’ll never shut down its operations. We’re proposing 3,200 units and we’ve also got 450,000-square-feet of commercial and office space, as well as 150,000-square-feet of ground-floor retail, beverage and entertainment uses.”

Team member Jimmy Silverwood of Affirmed Housing Group called upon the City “to do a fiscal analysis and not just pick a beauty contest winner.”

Midway Rising

Zephyr Partners-led Midway Rising team spokesperson Jim Andersen said they plan to build a new sports arena and 4,000 residential units. “This is all about housing, and our plan for 2,000 affordable housing units is the critical element,” Andersen said. “We’ve also opted to go with a brand-new stadium designed by Legends Sports Development, LLC. That is critical for paying for infrastructure and finishing the project’s public elements.”

Added Andersen, “This residential-heavy project will be on the west side, with the new arena placed as far east as possible. That gives us a big center corridor of the property that allows us to have 20 acres of accessible park and open space. We’re focused on affordable housing first with family, veterans, special needs, and permanent supportive housing units.”

Their development team plans to build a new sports arena that would be “the heart of the project” improving vehicular circulation onsite and maximizing parking and open-space opportunities in parking garages. Their project envisions an active arena with outdoor, retail, and entertainment venues, as well as providing a 15,000- to 16,000-square-foot state-of-the-art sports arena.

“We think we’ve come up with something that is very special, concluded Andersen.”

Neighborhood Next

Presenter Zach Adams talked about his team’s vision for the Sports Arena site. “This isn’t about checking the boxes,” he said. “Our vision is to transform Midway, making it a cultural part of San Diego and attracting people from all over the world to come here as a destination.”

Adams said that would be accomplished by “bringing in the best architects” and by “bringing things to life between buildings.” Noting their plan has “five key ingredients,” Adams said: “Public space is at the heart. We need to create a really special place for people to connect, and walk up and down on a Friday night. We have over 5,000 units in a courtyard setup, very connected with nature.”

Presenters noted urban redevelopment doesn’t have to be a “concrete jungle,” pointing out that many European cities now feature “urban street trees” and other sustainable green development.

Adams concluded their plan “provides a mix of available housing across-the-board,” He added their design plan improves “walkability creating a dynamic environment, a place where you want to be.”

Kenton noted the town hall was the only community-led opportunity for public input ahead of the City of San Diego’s Land Use & Housing Committee meeting on April 21. City staff is expected then to present a report shortlisting certain Sports Arena redevelopment teams.