The City recently released a draft environmental impact report for the Midway Rising Specific Plan to redevelop the Sports Arena site, asking stakeholders and the public for comments by May 8.

Those comments are to be included in the final document for final approval later by the San Diego City Council. The council will also consider a long-term lease with Midway Rising to redevelop the 48-acre Sports Arena property.

The Midway Rising Specific Plan aims to create a mixed-use community with a new arena, housing, entertainment, and commercial spaces. The plan envisions a vibrant, walkable center.  Build out of the specific plan would allow for approximately 4,254 housing units, including up to 2,000 affordable units, public parks and open space, a multi-purpose entertainment center, and up to 130,000 square feet of commercial uses.

On May 7, the Midway-Pacific Highway Community Planning Group held a special meeting during which the group unanimously ratified its letter responding to the City’s environmental document on the Midway Rising project. Community planners reacted negatively to the short timeline given for public reaction to such an extensive document on the long-term project.

Midway Rising is seeking to secure all necessary grading and construction permits in 2026 for the area’s redevelopment. Currently, there is a 10-year construction timeline on the project, calling for it to be built in multiple phases.

“MPHCPG wishes to express its extreme disappointment with the City’s Development Services Department for its lack of respect,” states the letter pointing out the group was being asked to respond “to thousands of pages of documents in 45 days.”

MPHCPG concluded in its letter to the City that the group “supports this project as the cornerstone of community redevelopment in our long-overlooked community. Yet requiring a volunteer organization to ingest and evaluate such a large project – the largest single affordable project in the country – in such a short period is unconscionable and demonstrates the City’s lack of interest in the community’s input.”

On the positive side, MPHCPG commended the Midway Rising development team for “its commitment to not exceed 165 feet (in height) for the entertainment center and 105 feet for 90% of all other buildings in the project.”

MPHCPG’S letter goes on to list several community concerns about the redevelopment including:

– The need to understand how the upzoning of the project’s City-owned parcels will affect Midway Community Plan’s projected full build-out of 12,090 dwelling units.

– How the pending redevelopment of federally owned land adjacent to Old Town Transit Center will affect the available density, traffic, noise, etc. while both projects are under construction and once they’re completed.

– Risks of rezoning negatively impacting “vague” infrastructure plans for the project which may disrupt utilities.

– The historical impacts of the San Diego International Sports Arena and Kumeyaay resources along Rosecrans Street are currently under-addressed.

– What is the approval/notification process if Midway Rising, at a later date, wishes to exceed its self-imposed limitations?

“We asked multiple times for an (environmental review) extension and were denied,” said MPHCPG chair Jason Vieira. “Hopefully, the City will see some of this information (in our letter) and address some of it.”

Graphic courtesy of Midway Rising