If Detoxified, Will They Come?

On December 2 at an Ocean Beach Planning Board meeting, Centre City Development Corporation representative Sheila Harden spoke about the downtown site being considered for a San Diego Chargers’ stadium. Being studied is the feasibility of establishing a stadium in the approximate vicinity of Imperial Avenue and 12th Street.

“Environmental challenges with gasoline tanks and toxic substances underground may make it too costly over the long run”, said Harden, pointing out that two weeks ago mayor Jerry Sanders approved a $106,000 study to begin looking at the site.

“With our city in the economic position it is in at the moment,” said a board member, “isn’t there a better way we could spend that money? That’s an awful lot of money for a survey for something that may never happen.”

A representative from the San Diego Historical Society questioned whether or not there had been any discussion about “historic preservation,” with specific inquiry about the Wonder Bread building. “The preservation of historical sites will be taken into consideration during the comprehensive, extensive study,” said Harden.

I asked Harden if there was a timeline in place for the project and she said, “There are so many environmental issues in our way that it is impossible to know whether or not the site would even be suitable for a stadium, let alone how long the cleanup would take and who would pay for it.”

For more information visit: ccdc.com