Developers behind the Midway Rising redevelopment project are pushing ahead with plans to transform the land surrounding Pechanga Arena, despite years of legal hurdles and continued opposition from some residents.<\/p>\n
At a public forum Sunday at Pechanga Arena, developers and project supporters outlined plans for a large-scale redevelopment of the city-owned property, while residents questioned the project’s environmental impacts, transparency and use of public land.<\/p>\n
The Midway Rising project calls for replacing the aging Pechanga Arena with a new 16,000-seat entertainment venue, along with more than 4,200 homes, retail space, parks and other community amenities.<\/p>\n
Supporters say the redevelopment would create construction and permanent jobs, provide new opportunities for local businesses and help address the region’s housing needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cRedeveloping this area \u2014 this long-standing property \u2014 can create construction and permanent jobs,\u201d said state Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, D-39, who organized Sunday’s forum.<\/p>\n
The event drew both supporters and opponents of the project. During a question-and-answer session, one attendee pressed developers on the project’s potential impact on groundwater.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though I know we shouldn’t get into a discussion with people paid to disagree with us, how much have you budgeted for groundwater pumping 7 days a week, 24 hours a day?\u201d the attendee asked.<\/p>\n
But others voiced support for the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to thank all of you for years-long effort to get Midway Rising approved because it will create thousands of high quality jobs for us,\u201d one attendee said. \u201cHow soon can we break ground on this project?\u201d<\/p>\n
The Midway Pacific Highway Community Planning Group<\/a>, a city-recognized land-use advisory board, has been involved in discussions surrounding the project for years.<\/p>\n Cathy Kenton, chair of the planning group, said developers have consistently participated in community meetings and responded to requests for information.<\/p>\n \u201cThey’ve been very open, they will respond to any request, they have attended every one of our meetings for the last 2 and a half years,\u201d Kenton said.<\/p>\n Kenton said some of the residents raising concerns now have had opportunities to participate in the process.<\/p>\n \u201cThose folks who say they’ve never heard a lot of this are simply choosing to ignore it until now because we’re getting close to the finish line,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Susan Gates, who lives near Pechanga Arena, said she remains opposed to the project and believes residents’ concerns have not been adequately addressed.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is supposed to be a public use land and what they’re doing is now they’re dividing it up and giving it to a developer,\u201d Gates said.<\/p>\n Gates also questioned the absence of San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who was invited to Sunday’s event but was unable to attend. Representatives from his office attended in his place.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a big project. This was one of his baby projects, he said it was \u2018his baby.\u2019 Well where is he?\u201d Gates said.<\/p>\n Gates said renderings of the proposed development do not capture the concerns of people who live in the surrounding neighborhoods.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t live on a rendering, OK? I live in the real world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The project has faced a number of legal and political hurdles since the city’s Midway-Pacific Highway Community Plan Update was approved in 2018.<\/p>\n One of the most significant disputes has centered on the area’s 30-foot building-height limit. In January, the California Supreme Court declined to hear the city’s appeal<\/a> in the case, leaving a lower-court ruling in place that blocked an exemption to the height limit for the project.<\/p>\n The developers say the project has undergone an extensive environmental review, with more than 1,000 pages of environmental analysis. They say the redevelopment is designed to mitigate potential environmental impacts while creating a more “vibrant and productive community.”<\/p>\n The development team, co-led by Legends Global, plans to seek additional approval from the San Diego City Council later this year. Those approvals would allow the project to continue through additional planning and environmental review before construction begins.<\/p>\n Developers hope to break ground in 2027, if the project receives the necessary approvals.<\/p>\n