City Accepted Proposals in 2020 Showing Housing Development Could Occur in Midway Sports Arena Area Under 30-Foot Height Limit

Graphic showing Brookfield Properties proposed development of Sports Arena area under the 30-foot height limit.

By Geoff Page

The proponents of removing the 30-foot height limit in the Midway area – Measure C on the November ballot – are deliberately misleading San Diegans. That is putting it politely. The proponents are telling the public that redevelopment of the Midway area is doomed unless the height limit is removed.

That is completely untrue, evidenced by the previous redevelopment proposals the city received in 2020. The proposing firms each submitted two proposals, one showing development at the current 30-foot height limit and the other showing development if the height limit was removed.

Ta da. Proof positive development is possible with the 30-foot height limit.

The main mouthpiece for proponents of Measure C seems to be councilmember Chris Cate. Cate was interviewed on KUSI, Friday, October 7. During that interview, Cate described all the wonderful development that will occur in the Midway area and then said “All those things won’t be allowed to occur unless we remove the 30-foot height limit.”

This contradiction of the facts and clear untruth from a current sitting city council member is, sadly, something we have come to expect from our city politicians.

A July 21, 2020, OB Rag report about the Midway group’s monthly meeting, described the dual proposals.

The dual proposals were also recounted in a September 23, 2020, Rag article about Midway’s September 16 regular monthly meeting. During that meeting, Midway voted to hold a special meeting to exclusively discuss whether or not to support Kevin Faulconer’s chosen redevelopment firm, Brookfield Properties.

Another Rag piece, dated September 28, 2020, recounted what happened during the September 23 special meeting.

In that story, this writer wrote:

Brookfield has used the issue of green space in its argument that the height limit needs to be removed.  If they can build higher, they can devote more land to open space.  If they have to stick to 30 feet, well, there won’t be much land left.  This argument, of course, assumes that the area must be built out to the absolute maximum that the zoning will allow.

During the special meeting, Brookfield used another veiled threat about what would happen if the height limit was not removed.  A question was asked about the future of an entertainment/sports arena facility if Measure E did not pass. (The current ballot initiative is Measure C; it was Measure E in 2020.)

Brookfield’s representative gave an answer worthy of any politician. He said if Measure E did not pass “public benefits and amenities become very challenged.”  Immediately before this comment, he had spoken about the economics of the development.

It was clear that Brookfield was saying. There would be no new entertainment/ sports venue if the 30-foot height limit was not removed because the “economics” would not allow for it. But, oddly enough, Brookfield’s under 30-foot proposal graphic contained an entertainment venue as can be seen in their graphics.

Certainly, the Sports Arena is popular. But, many people are now questioning whether or not this is the best use of land that could be devoted to more housing. Voting to remove the height limit, just so we could have a new entertainment/ sports venue, would be a colossal shame.

Another thing to keep in mind regarding the entertainment/ sports venue is that it would be surrounded by very high-density housing, hotels, and commercial ventures. The big parking lot will be gone.

The current chosen proposer emphasized that their design purposefully allows for very little parking in order to discourage use of cars and encourage use of, well, anything else. It is difficult enough to attend an event there now, one can only imagine what it would be like with all that development.

The takeaway is that proposals the city received in 2020 showed development could occur under the 30-foot height limit. To say that nothing can or will happen without removing the height limit is simply, a lie.