Mayor Todd Gloria has officially recommended the Midway Rising project as the top finalist to redevelop the former Sports Arena site in the Midway District.

His announcement came two days prior to a scheduled community “conversation” with all three Sports Arena redevelopment finalists in Point Loma. Redevelopment finalists Hometown SD, Midway Rising, and Midway Village+ are scheduled to present on Aug. 24 at a Point Loma Association-sponsored event at Liberty Station Conference Center.

On Monday, Aug. 22, Gloria said, “I’m excited to announce that I am recommending an exclusive negotiation agreement with Midway Rising to redevelop the Sports Arena property.”

Jay Goldstone, the City’s COO, and Penny Maus, director of the City’s Department of Real Estate and Airport Management, will present this recommendation to the City Council’s Land Use and Housing Committee in a special meeting on Thursday, Sept. 8. The item is expected to be considered at a meeting of the full City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

“After a transparent process in accordance with state regulations, I am confident Midway Rising will deliver on my vision of creating thousands of new affordable and middle-income homes, good-paying local jobs, and a new world-class arena and entertainment district,” Gloria said. “This project represents big-city energy and I look forward to getting this done for the Midway community and our City.”

“We’ve opted to go with a brand-new stadium designed by Legends Sports Development, LLC,” said Zephyr Partners-led Midway Rising’s team at a March 24 community meeting sponsored by Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group on the area’s redevelopment. “That is critical for paying for infrastructure and finishing the project’s public elements.”

Midway Rising said the residential-heavy project will be on the west side, with the new arena placed as far east as possible offering a big center corridor of the property that they added “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.”

The Midway Rising development team plans to build a new sports arena characterizing it as “the heart of the project,” along with improving vehicular circulation onsite and maximizing parking and open-space opportunities in parking garages.

Added Gloria: “I have pledged as mayor to tackle our region’s severe housing crisis, and that means deploying City-owned land as part of the solution. The Sports Arena site is an underused piece of property close to high-quality transit, a golden opportunity we are going to make the most of for San Diegans.”

Noting the selection of the Midway Rising team came after a “detailed, transparent bid process that garnered five qualified bidders,” Gloria said, “We whittled down to the three top proposals in the spring. After an extensive evaluation of each proposal and team with the help of outside real estate experts, the Midway Rising team rose to the top.”

At the end of May, the City Council unanimously chose three finalists out of a field of five to redevelop the 48-acre former Sports Arena site to be anchored by affordable housing in the Midway District. Eliminated from the competition were Neighborhood Next, and Discover Midway, leaving Midway Rising, HomeTownSD, and Midway Village+.

City staff evaluated all five proposals on several criteria, with top priority given to the total amount of affordable housing they proposed, as well as their experience with building sports arenas.

The 48-acre Sports Arena site is viewed by the City as a potential catalyst for broader revitalization of the long-blighted Midway District. “This is a critical issue for not just my district but the entire City,” said District 2 Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell. “Midway has the potential to be a major site for economic opportunity, tourism, and most importantly, diverse housing needs. It is important that the momentum of Midway’s development is not slowed down.”

To provide ample time for public review, the City will release all supporting documents on this redevelopment project no later than Friday, Aug 26. For more information, visit midwayrising.info.

Midway Rising will include:

·A total of 4,250 new homes (2,000 affordable, 250 middle-income, and 2,000 market rate);

·A new 450,000 square foot arena with capacity for 14,500-16,500 people;

·A 200-room hotel and 250,000 square feet of retail; and

·More than 11 acres of park and open space along with a 9.4-acre public plaza.