SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - The Pechanga Sports Arena has been in San Diego for decades, and on Sunday, the Midway Village+group showed their proposal to revamp this area to the community in Point Loma.
David Malmuth's group is looking to be picked for a city redevelopment project.
"When we decided that we were going to come back again, we said how can we plus it? By adding a lot more housing and significantly more affordable housing,” Malmuth, the project executive for Midway Village+, said. "So, over 50 percent of housing in the total project is going to be either affordable housing or available for middle-income residents."
The group unveiled their new plans to the public for the first time and it includes affordable housing, a 12-acre park, new temporary and permanent homes for the San Diego Loyal soccer team, and a brand new 15,000-seat arena.
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"Last time we proposed a remodel of this arena. And, you know frankly, we got beat up. People said that's not thinking big enough,” Malmuth said.
In June, the city reset the application process for the project after issues with something called the Surplus Land Act; the process was restarted on Oct. 4.
At a September meeting for the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group, two other groups, Brookfield — who the city chose last time — and ConAm introduced themselves as prospective bidders for the project.
"We understand that this is going to be a competition. We're fine with that. We think it's going to make the project stronger,” Malmuth said.
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Following the Midway Village+'s unveiling, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria told ABC 10News in a statement:
“In a competitive process, it’s inappropriate to comment on any specific proposal. San Diego has a rare opportunity to remake a part of the City that is desperate for revitalization. At the same time, it offers a chance to create a significant number of new homes for San Diegans, allowing us to take a big bite out of our housing crisis. I’m looking forward to a redevelopment process that is public and transparent, complies with the state Surplus Land Act and ends in a project that all San Diegans can be proud of.”
But when it comes to this type of proposal race, it’s all about putting a group’s best foot forward.
"But the most important thing, and this is what we stressed out our outreach event today, it's the community's input that's going to be the plus,” Malmuth said.
The 60-day countdown for the city to accept applications started on Oct. 4.
After meeting certain requirements, the city will start a 90-day negotiating period with one or more developers to go over and refine parts of the proposals.
