Gallery: Renderings of a San Diego stadium were prepared by Populous, a global architectural firm hired by the City [10 Images] Click any image to expand.
Draft of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) here:
Financial Concept Released here:
Renderings/Images Released (See Photo Gallery)
EIR
The public will have the opportunity to provide the City with comments on the study. The City will use the feedback to update and further refine the report. The final environmental impact report is scheduled to be presented to the City Council in October.
The stadium project would demolish the 48-year-old existing stadium and develop a new fixed roof multipurpose sports and entertainment complex.
The draft report is a key document for constructing the new facility within the existing developed footprint of the Qualcomm Stadium property. The new stadium would have a normal capacity of up to 68,000 seats and could be designed to expand to approximately 72,000 seats for special events, such as the Super Bowl. The demolition of Qualcomm Stadium is also analyzed in the draft report. The draft report studies the project’s impacts on air quality, noise, traffic and other issues.
Financing
Qualcomm Stadium is owned by the public, and under existing agreements taxpayers are responsible for 100 percent of the cost for repairing the aging facility. The financial concept announced today for a January election fixes this by putting a strict cap on the public contribution, making the Chargers responsible for operating and maintaining the new stadium and ensuring taxpayers are not on the hook for cost overruns.Qualcomm Stadium is owned by the public, and under existing agreements taxpayers are responsible for 100 percent of the cost for repairing the aging facility. The financial concept announced today for a January election fixes this by putting a strict cap on the public contribution, making the Chargers responsible for operating and maintaining the new stadium and ensuring taxpayers are not on the hook for cost overruns.
1. No new taxes on San Diegans
2. Protections for taxpayers: Cap on public funds, Chargers responsible for cost overruns and stadium operations/maintenance
3. Two dollars in private money for every dollar in public funds
4. Requires voter approval
To hold a special election on January 12, the last day to submit a financial agreement with the Chargers to the City Council is September 11. Mayor Faulconer will not ask the City Council to call a special election unless there is an agreement. A Mission Valley stadium plan could appear on the regular election ballot in June or November 2016 if the NFL changes their current timeline.
The financing concept calls for the Chargers to be responsible for stadium operations, maintenance, future capital improvements and all construction cost overruns, in exchange for naming rights and revenue from stadium operations. The sale of personal seat licenses and funds from the NFL make up the remainder of the private contributions. The public contribution would come from the City and County of San Diego.
More Private Money, Less Public Funds Compared to Other Stadiums
Not only does the financing concept improve upon the current stadium agreement, but it also compares favorably to stadium deals across the country. The average public contribution for the last five NFL stadiums built is 48 percent. San Diego’s financing concept caps public contributions at 32 percent.
Renderings/Images
Renderings for a new San Diego stadium were prepared by Populous, a global architectural firm hired by the City that has designed stadiums for the National Football League, Major League Soccer, the 2012 Olympic Games in London and more. Populous has designed new and renovated stadiums for five of the six NFL team owners on the Los Angeles relocation committee: the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.The renderings show a venue that could be used for NFL games, concerts, civic events and other major events, including soccer games, San Diego State University Aztecs football games, the Holiday Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl.
The new stadium would include energy efficiency, water conservation, low-impact development and other green-building practices, which would be incorporated into the final design to achieve a minimum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold rating.
NEW STADIUM, NEW OPPORTUNITIES: FACT SHEET
CURRENT STADIUM AGREEMENT
· Taxpayers 100% responsible for subsidizing stadium operations and repairs
o Taxpayers are responsible for up to $282 million over the next 20 years for operations, maintenance, repairs and debt payments, according to City’s Chief Financial Officer
o Qualcomm Stadium needs $85 million or more in repairs, based on a 2011 study
o City spends millions of dollars every year from the general fund and tourism occupancy tax for stadium operations – $12.8 million in this fiscal year alone
· No cap on public costs, no protections for taxpayers
o Taxpayers are responsible for all stadium costs related to operations, maintenance and infrastructure repairs
o Chargers essentially pay nothing in rent after deducting credits for parking, concessions, etc.
FINANCING CONCEPT FOR A JANUARY 2016 ELECTION
1. No new taxes on San Diegans
2. Two dollars from private sources for every dollar in public sources
o 2/3 private funds, from the NFL, Chargers and personal seat licenses
o 1/3 public funds, from the City and County of San Diego
3. Protections for taxpayers: Cap on public funds, Chargers pay for cost overruns and stadium operations/maintenance
o Chargers responsible for any construction cost overruns
o Chargers pay for stadium’s annual operation and maintenance
o Chargers responsible for future capital improvements
o Cap on public funds
4. Requires voter approval
o Voters will have final say if San Diego and Chargers reach an agreement
o No public money will be spent on construction unless approved by voters
Financing Concept: Funding Sources
Private Sources: $750 million
Chargers: $362.5 million
NFL: $200 million
Personal seat licenses: $187.5 million*
Public Sources: $350 million
City/County: $350 million
Total cost: $1.1 billion
*Based on NFL analysis
Key Dates*
•September 11, 2015: Supplemental docketing deadline for City Council hearing on Sep. 14 to direct City Attorney to prepare ballot ordinance
•September 29, 2015: Publish Final EIR
•October 13, 2015: City Council hearing to call election on January 12
•October 14, 2015: County Board of Supervisors hearing on Final EIR and term sheet
•November 12, 2015: Last day to file CEQA litigation on City’s EIR
•October 16, 2015: City delivers election material to Registrar of Voters January 12, 2016: Special election
•January 26, 2016: Alternative special election date
•April 25, 2016: Trial court process final
•September 1, 2016: Court of Appeal decision final
•January 2017: Construction begins on new stadium
•August 2019: Construction complete on new stadium
*dates are approximate
