City Council Repeals Measure C Which Allowed Midway Rising to Bypass Coast Height Limit But With Anticipation that State Law Will Okay Project

San Diego City Council unanimously repealed Measure C, but state affordable housing law could still allow the 48-acre Midway Rising project to bypass coastal height limits.

By Allison Ash / 7SanDiego / August 24, 2026 

The San Diego City Council unanimously voted to repeal Measure C, eliminating the voter-approved law that allowed the massive Midway Rising project to circumvent the city’s 30-foot coastal height limit.

The repeal adds another wrinkle for Midway Rising, a proposed 48-acre redevelopment of the Sports Arena area that would include a new 16,000-seat venue, restaurants, shopping and more than 4,000 homes. Nearly half of the homes would be designated for low-income residents.

Measure C was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2022, allowing developers to move forward without being bound by the coastal height limit. Courts have since ruled that the measure may violate California’s environmental impact rules.

City Council President Joe La Cava said the council had an obligation to remove the Measure C language from the city’s municipal code.

“Opponents didn’t like measure C and the outcome there and challenged it in court and they prevailed in court so it is in fact not the law of the land and so we have an obligation to clean up our municipal code and strip that language out,” La Cava said.

Even with the height restriction restored, Midway Rising may still be able to move forward. State law could allow projects that include affordable housing to receive an exemption from height restrictions.

“Because of the nature of what Midway Rising is proposing they can actually get a deviation or variance depending on how their lawyers look at it, and they can say we are not bound by the coastal height limit. So they no longer need the easier path which was measure C,” La Cava said.

The Midway Rising master plan would completely transform the Sports Arena area, demolishing the existing Pechanga Arena and replacing it with the new venue and surrounding residential and commercial development.

The proposal has also drawn opposition over concerns that include traffic, noise, pollution and the area’s vulnerability to rising sea levels.

Concerned citizen Lori Saldana pointed to flooding in the area two years ago as one reason for concern.

“Frankly the local coastal program needs to recognize that our rising sea level is causing inundation in this area,” Saldana said.

The City Council is now expected to vote on Midway Rising sometime in the fall. Council members will have to consider those concerns as they decide whether to approve the project.