District 2 Councilmember Dr. Jen Campbell and City Council colleague Chris Cate are advocating a November election ballot initiative to remove the Midway District and Pechanga Arena area from the 30-foot coastal height limit building restriction.
Democrat Campbell and Republican Cate have asked a City Council committee to consider a November ballot measure to rescind the 30-foot coastal building height limit. That voter-sanctioned limit has been in effect north of downtown and west of Interstate 5 in the Midway, Pacific Highway, and sports arena communities since 1972.
In a memo, both council members argue that maintaining Midway’s 30-foot height-limit will impede ongoing plans to redevelop the city-owned former sports arena complex, built in 1966. “The memo initiates the process of revitalizing the Midway community, a process called for by the members of the Midway community,” said Campbell. “The opportunity to create a livable, walkable and transit-oriented community in a place like Midway does not come around often. This urban location, with its close proximity to downtown, could become a vital connector to our beach and bay communities while remaining a lively entertainment destination.”
Added Campbell, “If done correctly, Midway can become an example of how visionary San Diego can be. I look forward to this conversation moving to the Rules Committee in April.”
The Campbell-Cate memo calls for amending the coastal height limit section of San Diego’s municipal code as it relates to, and only to, the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan. The City recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking to redevelop, rehabilitate and operate the 48-acre site commonly known as the sports arena. Currently, home to the Pechanga Arena, retail businesses and a parking lot six parcels in the heart of the Midway District, the sports arena area includes a large industrial warehouse district, a commercial strip and affordable housing expected to add about 10,000 more units over the next 30 years to Midway’s now-updated community plan.
Under the terms of the RFP, the City will accept proposals from qualified organizations. Bidders can propose renovating or rebuilding the existing Pechanga Arena with new commercial retail, office and residential space.
Cathy Kenton, chair of Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group, said the group has yet to address the November ballot initiative proposal, or weigh-in on the redevelopment of the former sports arena, now in its early, exploratory phase.
The Sports Arena area redevelopment is a huge puzzle piece in the larger picture of long-term Midway-Pacific Highway restoration. That concept was furthered by the recent adoption of an updated community plan for the neighborhood, which was once a part of the San Diego River delta. The neighborhood gave rise to the military and the aviation industry in the ’20s. Midway/Pacific Highway corridor encompasses 936 acres and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot covers 388 acres.
“The existing sports arena is 75-feet and was built before the 30-foot height limit went into effect,” Campbell told Midway planners recently, noting the Midway District is dissimilar in many ways from other coastal areas where the 30-foot height limit prevails and preserves the public’s ocean view shed.
Midway’s recently minted community plan update calls for creating: distinctive districts and villages with their own uses, character, and identity; a sub-regional employment center with space for office and research uses to provide jobs; a mobility system that provides options for people to walk, ride a bicycle, take transit, or drive; and re-establishing connections between Midway and other nearby areas including the Presidio, San Diego Bay, Mission Bay and the San Diego River.
