San Diego's Mission Brewery is putting the finishing touches on its expansion into downtown's historic Wonder Bread building, but the San Diego Chargers' plan for a new stadium-convention center could force the craft brewer to find a new home.
"It would suck," said Den Selis, president of Mission Brewery. "It would be terrible. It would be disruptive."
Selis doesn't hold back when it comes to the prospect of moving Mission Brewery out of its historic home on L Street.
"When people walk in the door, they gasp," he said. "They go, 'Oh my God'; it's not because of what we did. It's because of what Wonder Bread did."
Mission Brewery has spent thousands of dollars nurturing the building's legacy. It's about to finish a double-decker expansion that includes a new IPA bar. Selis said it can host 600 people on gameday.
These days, gameday refers to Petco Park, across the tailgate lot from the Wonder Bread building.
But that could change if San Diego voters approve a Chargers plan to increase a hotel tax to build a stadium/convention-center next door. The Wonder Bread building, and the businesses that line 14th Street, are right in the center of the team's proposal.
"I think it's really going to mess with people's ability to get to work, to get to businesses," said Josh Owen, who works on 14th Street.
Selis will meet with Chargers stadium advisor Fred Maas early next week to get some answers.
"I want to know what they intend to do with this space," he said.
Maas did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The Chargers' 110-page plan encourages integrating the Wonder Bread facade into the convention center, but it also says the building may need to be moved entirely.
"The entire Wonder Bread building is in the middle of the Chargers stadium," Selis said. "This is the 50 [yard line]. They have to do something."
