San Diego-based developer Doug Manchester has revealed plans to remodel the city’s Qualcomm Stadium in a move that would preserve the future of the 70,000-capacity venue.
Qualcomm Stadium’s future remains up in the air after it was left without a major league tenant following the recent relocation of the Chargers NFL American football franchise from San Diego to Los Angeles,
Earlier this week, a group aiming to establish a Major League Soccer franchise in San Diego unveiled its full plan for a new stadium on the plot of land on which Qualcomm Stadium currently sits.
The group’s plans would require the demolition of Qualcomm Stadium in order to build a 30,000-seat facility. The stadium would primarily be used by the MLS team but would also act as a home for San Diego State University’s American football team.
The group’s plans also include the option to build another NFL-specific stadium should the league opt to return to San Diego in the future.
The wide-ranging SoccerCity complex would also include 55 acres of public park space, an entertainment district and student housing. The stadium itself would cost about $200m (£160m/€189m), while the overall site proposal is estimated to cost $2.5bn and would be completed over a 15- to 20-year period. A petition campaign is set to begin next month.
However, an alternative solution to the SoccerCity model has now emerged. The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper reports that Manchester plans on remodelling Qualcomm Stadium as a venue for MLS, American football and the Aztecs, as well as build an NBA basketball facility.
Manchester had initially contacted NFL commissioner Roger Goodell over the possibility of demolishing Qualcomm Stadium, but is now keen on preserving the 50-year-old venue.
The Union-Tribune reports that Manchester’s plans include a $500m renovation of Qualcomm Stadium, which would be restructured to hold between 60,000 and 70,000 people.
Nick Stone, the FS Investors partner overseeing SoccerCity, said Manchester’s proposals could come unstuck as MLS requires that its stadia are “soccer-specific”.
Stone told the Union-Tribune: “In our view, certainty matters. Our plan is viable, thoroughly researched and funded.”
Architect Rob Quigley said Manchester’s proposal would be feasible, and insisted that “all proposals can and should incorporate the stadium in some creative fashion”.
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