SAN DIEGO | Boom Rundown, Vol. 2

[homebucket]

PayPal Park in San Jose has a seating capacity of about 18,000.

[roletand]

Originally Posted by ucsbgaucho

This is what I don't understand about the plan. Why build a brand new arena (or Frankenstein remodel of the existing one) and only give it a 15,000 capacity? The smallest NBA arena is in New Orleans at almost 17,000. The brand new Chase Center in San Francisco is 18,000 and the Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee (also almost brand new) is 17,500. So we're going to build a new arena that still wouldn't be considered for a possible NBA team down the road? The smallest NHL arena is over 15,000. Even the redone Key Arena in Seattle (now Climate Pledge Arena) is over 17,000 and that was always a small arena when it was home to the Sonics.

Why not give the arena 17,500 capacity right off the bat? Concerts, NCAA Regionals for mens basketball, and you're set if and when an NBA or NHL team comes calling.

It sounds like the proposals are very intentionally limiting the size of the new arena. Take a read through this article from Voice of San Diego, excerpt below.

RIP to Sports Arena: As Plans Stand, City May Want to Take ‘Sports’ Out of the Name
Voice of San Diego
Scott Lewis
August 1, 2022
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2022/08/...t-of-the-name/

Erik Judson, the CEO of JMI Sports, and a few others recently went to former Padres owner John Moores’ house to fete their friend Larry Lucchino for his induction into the Padres Hall of Fame because of his role in the construction of Petco Park.

In just five weeks, Judson’s team will celebrate the opening of their latest project, Snapdragon Stadium, in Mission Valley, when the San Diego State Aztecs host Arizona in the first football game at the new stadium.

Judson knows something about building big things like that and that’s why he’s the lead on the new arena part of the HometownSD team bidding on the new Sports Arena redevelopment plan.

But he has a message for sports fans who dream of this redevelopment plan bringing another big-league team to San Diego: It will not.

“If an owner came to town and wanted to bring an NBA or NHL team to San Diego – and they’re going to be very, very hesitant to do that given our proximity to LA and Orange County – they would be looking at other locations, not Midway,” he told me.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by ucsbgaucho

This is what I don't understand about the plan. Why build a brand new arena (or Frankenstein remodel of the existing one) and only give it a 15,000 capacity? The smallest NBA arena is in New Orleans at almost 17,000. The brand new Chase Center in San Francisco is 18,000 and the Fiserv Arena in Milwaukee (also almost brand new) is 17,500. So we're going to build a new arena that still wouldn't be considered for a possible NBA team down the road? The smallest NHL arena is over 15,000. Even the redone Key Arena in Seattle (now Climate Pledge Arena) is over 17,000 and that was always a small arena when it was home to the Sonics.

Why not give the arena 17,500 capacity right off the bat? Concerts, NCAA Regionals for mens basketball, and you're set if and when an NBA or NHL team comes calling.

I have an idea. Put a new 17-18,000 seat Sports Arena on part of the Doug Manchester property that apparently he is not building on. It is just a trolley stop or two away from the convention center, East Village, Gaslamp etc. San Diego is the 8th largest city in the U.S. with almost 1.5 million, and now a medium sized metro with almost 4 million. A new arena (downtown, or maybe in Mission Valley or the UTC area with lots of parking and now a trolley line) would almost be certain of getting major league basketball and hockey. Of course, get a yes from the leagues before building, hopefully with some league and future team private money, not just public. Use the Midway for high density housing etc. The old arena (refurbished) could be kept as a smaller venue for events.

[CaliNative]

Originally Posted by roletand

It sounds like the proposals are very intentionally limiting the size of the new arena. Take a read through this article from Voice of San Diego, excerpt below.

RIP to Sports Arena: As Plans Stand, City May Want to Take ‘Sports’ Out of the Name
Voice of San Diego
Scott Lewis
August 1, 2022
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2022/08/...t-of-the-name/

Philadelphia proximity to NYC and Baltimore to Washington didn't stop them from getting major league franchises. Same with Chicago/Milwaukee. If the league blocks expansion, sounds like grounds for a lawsuit, perhaps on antitrust grounds. Only baseball is protected, and only partially. SD already has MLB, and a good team at that :-)

[bgrapes]

-

[Will O' Wisp]

Originally Posted by CaliNative

Philadelphia proximity to NYC and Baltimore to Washington didn't stop them from getting major league franchises. Same with Chicago/Milwaukee. If the league blocks expansion, sounds like grounds for a lawsuit, perhaps on antitrust grounds. Only baseball is protected, and only partially. SD already has MLB, and a good team at that :-)

Based on what I understand of antitrust law, that wouldn't work. While antitrust does prevent the NBA or NHL from halting the formation of a new professional basketball or hockey team, there is nothing that requires them to allow that new team into their league.

In fact, all the teams probably have contracts that forbid them from playing games against outsiders. So you'd need to form your own sports league. That's what happened with XFL in the early 2000s.

What the antitrust laws really do is prevent the NBA or NHL from stopping a preexisting team from moving to San Diego. But it sound like a new arena at Midway probably isn't going encourage that on its own.

[superfishy]

at first glance, these look like good locations for a new arena aiming to lure an NBA/NHL team.

[roletand]

Originally Posted by bgrapes

8th and B

That's a great picture of what's going on at Bosa's 8th & B project!

[roletand]

Originally Posted by superfishy

at first glance, these look like good locations for a new arena aiming to lure an NBA/NHL team.

The circle on the right is the MTS bus depot and I don't see that going anywhere soon.

As for the circle on the left, the "Premier" parking lot for Petco, I'd be curious to know if it's large enough for a stadium and if it has any fault lines running through it. The land is owned by JMI who are about to have their hands full with the redevelopment of Tailgate Park, if the deal goes through to purchase that land from San Diego.

[mello]

The obvious ideal site for a new arena is Tailgate Park which Peter Seidler (Padres Owner) is developing, not JMI as the last poster said. That parcel directly behind Petco where the Pedestrian bridge comes down to is not large enough for a modern 17k to 18.5k capacity arena. The tailgate park land area would have been a tight squeeze, there is no way it could fit on the acreage noted in the above image.

Does anyone know why this land right behind Petco has never been developed nor any plans announced?

----- Other places to put an arena: Mission Valley? Where, I can't think of anyplace that could fit it with parking unless you demolish Mission Valley Mall and do it there with added housing and some select retail.

UTC: There would be massive community opposition as that area will be getting very crowded with UCSD continuing to add new students and that big Biotech development going in across from the mall. Also where do you put it? The only place is possibly demolishing that old center with the Ralph's, Trader Joe's, and Best Buy off Nobel Dr.... There is a Trolley stop right there.

[roletand]

Thanks for the correction mello. I still have JMI and the Padres intertwined in my brain even though Moores hasn't owned the team for 10 years!

[ucsbgaucho]

Originally Posted by CaliNative

Philadelphia proximity to NYC and Baltimore to Washington didn't stop them from getting major league franchises. Same with Chicago/Milwaukee. If the league blocks expansion, sounds like grounds for a lawsuit, perhaps on antitrust grounds. Only baseball is protected, and only partially. SD already has MLB, and a good team at that :-)

Orange County is too close to LA, which is why the Angels and Ducks don't have any fanbase anymore. San Diego is far enough away, the Raiders and Rams and Chargers all co-existed just fine in the 80s and 90s. The Ducks are 7th from the bottom in attendance, and the Phoenix Coyotes are 3rd to last, a team that will start playing in a 5,000 seat college arena soon. There's a couple franchises ripe for relocation.

Building a 15,000 seat arena just doesn't seem worthwhile. Either you're going to be a small venue for concerts, which SD already has the SDSU arena that is about that size, or you go big enough and high-end enough to attract a professional franchise. Just seems like they're thinking right in the middle in a no-man's land. They're wanting to build what is essentially the Honda Center in Anaheim, but not as big.

The Honda Center events calendar is full of bull riding, some concerts, WWE, and the Ducks. Capacity is just over 17,000, but it's not nearly as financially lucrative as Crypto Arena in LA.

[Andy-4-SD]

Originally Posted by superfishy

at first glance, these look like good locations for a new arena aiming to lure an NBA/NHL team.

This could work if they decided to build over the rail yards (i.e. hudson yards). Realistically, thats 10-20 years out. Too many more feasible and favorable sites exist in the city today

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by Andy-4-SD

This could work if they decided to build over the rail yards (i.e. hudson yards). Realistically, thats 10-20 years out. Too many more feasible and favorable sites exist in the city today

I don't see them ever building over the rail yards here. Unlike Hudson Yards, these are at-grade with surrounding streets, and I'm sure there would be geotechnical issues (e.g. fault lines) that New York doesn't have.

[Urbannizer]

College Area Apartments



La Jolla Construction

[Streamliner]

Thanks for the pics Urbannizer!

I'm happy to see more housing stock, but the foreground building's paint scheme in that first shot is like the definition of soulless.

Those second shots are UC San Diego, correct? I think that's the new Theater District neighborhood at the campus' southern edge

[unpermitted_variance]

Originally Posted by Streamliner

Those second shots are UC San Diego, correct? I think that's the new Theater District neighborhood at the campus' southern edge

Yep, looks like the 18- and 21-story towers are just about topped out and the 3 mid-rises are just barely above ground.




More renders for the final project here:
https://www.eyrc.com/work/uc-san-die...g-neighborhood
https://plandesignbuild.ucsd.edu/_fi...2020Update.pdf


The site has also been cleared for the Pepper Canyon West Living and Learning Neighborhood:






The university is also in the planning process for more high-rises to replace the Marshall Lower Apartments in the central campus area, but no details are available yet on that.

[Streamliner]

Exciting times for UCSD. They're creating quite the skyline there

[HurricaneHugo]

I wonder what UCSD (my alma matter!) is planning for the east side of former 6th college.

[Streamliner]

Originally Posted by HurricaneHugo

I wonder what UCSD (my alma matter!) is planning for the east side of former 6th college.

Fellow Triton here as well! I'm thinking they'll build a larger-scale version of Pepper Canyon West there. It'll be mostly housing since they'd have to demo a bunch of existing old housing. I imagine that area right next to the Trolley stop will be nice and dense in 10 years.