SAN DIEGO -- The chairman of the board of the Unified Port of San Diego said Wednesday he was gratified at voters' rejection of a plan to build a deck over a downtown shipping terminal to create space for a sports stadium.

More than 70 percent, or 301,761 San Diego voters, were opposed to Proposition B, while 29 percent, or 126,535 voters, were in favor.

Proposition B would have changed the Port of San Diego's master plan to allow the development of a 40-foot-tall deck over the 96-acre, 10th Avenue Marine Terminal on downtown's San Diego Bay.

Supporters, led by developer Frank Gallagher, said the project would create land that could be used for the development of a stadium for the San Diego Chargers, hotels and a cruise ship terminal.

Port officials and other bayfront users opposed the measure, saying it threatened high-paying jobs and was incompatible with existing cargo operations.

"This is a victory for San Diego, the state of California, the protection of the tidelands and the thriving maritime industry," said Michael Bixler, the port's board chairman.

Bixler said the port is looking into legislative changes to preserve its authority.

"The reality is, the types of uses this measure proposes cannot possibly coexist with a working cargo facility," Bixler said.

But Gallagher said the project would preserve maritime freight operations.

"We would have not written this initiative if it was our intention to do away with marine freight," Gallagher told the City Council.

Gallagher was part of a private group that collected more than 34,000 valid signatures to get Proposition B on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The proposal was rejected by the City Council, Mayor Jerry Sanders, every local member of Congress and the Navy.