SAN DIEGO (CNS) - City officials are asking the San Diego Superior
Court to review two competing development plans for the city's SDCCU Stadium
site in Mission Valley.
Both the SoccerCity and SDSU West proposals have garnered enough
signatures of support to qualify for the November ballot. Whichever measure
receives the most votes -- assuming it exceeds 50 percent -- will win the
rights to negotiate with the city to redevelop the Mission Valley site.
The City Attorney's Office filed petitions asking the court to
determine whether the initiatives "impermissibly exceed the power to act
through an initiative, and whether they impermissibly conflict with state law
and the San Diego City Charter."
"By seeking pre-election guidance from the courts, the city hopes to
avoid a situation where voters act on measures that are later found to be
legally invalid," City Attorney Mara Elliott said. "Even if the court finds
no problems with the measures, it may narrow post-election issues, which will
save taxpayer money and potentially expedite city actions to implement a
successful measure."
The SDSU West plan proposes the sale of about 132 acres of city
property to San Diego State University or an auxiliary organization to clear
the way for a new 35,000-seat Aztecs football stadium. The facility would also
accommodate professional soccer, concerts as well as other events, and could
expand to accommodate a future NFL franchise.
The SoccerCity initiative, meanwhile, proposes a 99-year property
lease and construction of a 23,500-seat soccer stadium that could be enlarged
for football games.
Both proposals also include provisions for housing, commercial and
park development.
