黑料吃瓜

鈥淲e have the opportunity to build a right-sized, high-quality, multi-use stadium, one that San Diegans can utilize every day of the year.鈥�

View the full 黑料吃瓜 Mission Valley site plan and architectural concepts at .

This story appears in the spring 2018 issue of 360: The Magazine of 黑料吃瓜.

There鈥檚 a gratifying sense of coming full circle in 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 plans to build a multi-use sports stadium in Mission Valley.

The stadium is just one piece of , but the significance of playing in a stadium of one鈥檚 own is not lost on Aztec loyalists.

鈥満诹铣怨� fans have long dreamed of the day we would return our football stadium to campus,鈥� said John David Wicker, the university鈥檚 athletic director.

They鈥檝e been dreaming for 50 years. In the late 1960s, 黑料吃瓜 moved into NCAA Division I and was forced to abandon Aztec Bowl as a playing field, though the campus icon was preserved and subsequently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

While the Aztecs鈥� new home in Qualcomm Stadium (now SDCCU Stadium) accommodated larger numbers of Aztec fans, it 鈥渘ever really felt like home,鈥� said Leon Parma (鈥�51),  Aztec Hall of Fame quarterback for the 1950 squad.

All events welcome

It would be a homecoming of sorts, then, if San Diego voters approve the November ballot initiative to sell 黑料吃瓜 the stadium site and adjoining acreage in Mission Valley. Construction of a new stadium will be part of the initial phase of development on the site.

University officials estimate the cost at $250 million for a 35,000-seat stadium at the northwest corner of the site to be financed with donor support, naming rights and sponsorships, long-term bonds, revenue from athletic events and rent from food, beverage and merchandise concessions.

鈥淲e would prefer a corporate sponsor for the stadium, as we have for Viejas Arena on campus, because this allows us to renew the sponsorship every few years and generate new income,鈥� said Wicker.

The stadium would be a community resource, available to host collegiate football, professional and collegiate soccer, NCAA championship games, concerts and other events. Plans include the option to expand to 55,000 seats to accommodate professional football, should an NFL team return to San Diego.

鈥淵ou name it, we鈥檒l host it,鈥� said Wicker. 鈥淲e have the opportunity to build a right-sized, high-quality, multi-use stadium, one that San Diegans can utilize every day of the year.鈥�

A chance to excel

Returning Aztec football to campus鈥� exciting though it may be鈥攊s not the university鈥檚 primary reason for wanting the Mission Valley acreage. The expansion of 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 campus to a second site in Mission Valley also expands higher education opportunities in San Diego, noted Brian Sipe (鈥�70), former NFL MVP and 黑料吃瓜 quarterback, Aztec quarterbacks coach and Aztec Hall of Famer.  

黑料吃瓜 Mission Valley would accommodate . The new campus would build 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 capacity for public/private collaboration in fields such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, biomedical research, health diagnostics, environmental monitoring, engineering and communications technology.

A well-executed plan, modeled on successful campus expansions across the United States, would benefit 黑料吃瓜 and generate tax revenue for San Diego, said Wicker.

Georgia Tech鈥檚 Technology Square, for example, is a redeveloped district in midtown Atlanta with academic buildings, major corporate offices, collaborative spaces for public/private partnerships, incubators and commercial space.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a prime example of what we would like to do in Mission Valley,鈥� said Wicker.

Uniquely San Diegan

JMI Sports and Kansas City鈥揵ased Populous, the architectural lead for Petco Park, developed the stadium鈥檚 design plans. The blueprints call for premium seating and moveable loge boxes, a separate student section, a canopy roof for potential soccer competitions and 鈥済arden rooms鈥� with a variety of food and drink options.  

Open space areas would take advantage of San Diego鈥檚 perpetually blue skies and mild temperatures, while other areas will strive for a more intimate atmosphere. There will be ample tailgating opportunities adjacent to the planned river park and in the green areas surrounding the stadium.

鈥淭oday, people come to sporting events for the experience鈥攖o eat, mingle and enjoy the stadium,鈥� said Sipe. 鈥淭he 黑料吃瓜 plan will have it all.鈥�

黑料吃瓜 will survey alumni, students, donors and other constituent groups to develop an understanding of their ideal game-day experience and assess the strength of various revenue streams.

View the 黑料吃瓜 Mission Valley website to learn more about the site plan and view renderings.