Competing Visions for East Village—San Diego's SOMA

Downtown San Diego's East Village neighborhood shares traits with San Francisco's SOMA, circa 1990s. However, there are competing visions for the area: academic and high tech vs. stadium and convention center expansion.

3 minute read

November 29, 2015, 1:00 PM PST

By wadams92101


San Diego has been embroiled in a widely publicized effort to keep its professional football team, the Chargers, from moving to Carson in Los Angeles County in pursuit of a bigger and better stadium (and perhaps a bigger market). In an effort to keep the team, San Diego's mayor has proposed a new stadium on the site of the old stadium, which would require voter approval to fund the city's share of construction costs.

At the same time, the city has been struggling with expanding its convention center. A recent initiative would have the city raise its transit occupancy tax to fund a non-contiguous convention center expansion (disfavored by expansion supporters) on an East Village site, and to limit siting of any new football stadium to East Village.

In an op-ed, several leading land use specialists criticized the East Village stadium and convention center proposal, noting the strategic value of the proposed site and the burgeoning mix of academia, residential, and creative incubator development in the area. The op-ed recommends that the city "not even think about dropping the neutron bomb of a stadium on East Village."

Land use attorney Bill Adams followed up the op-ed with his own, suggesting the city fully adopt a vision consistent with the academic and high tech green shoots already blossoming in the East Village. Moreover, Adams proposes that the city dedicate the site proposed for the stadium and convention center expansion for construction of a university campus, and marshall its stadium resources to attracting a major university satellite campus.  

The East Village has great synergy for an academic use.  The new Central Library, an expanded City College, the New School of Architecture, the Woodbury School of Architecture, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, the Urban Discovery Academy, e3 Civic High School (in the Library), the IDEA District, dense rental apartment projects, the city's highest density zoning, and hundreds of acres of the most valuable land in the City laying fallow as surface parking or weedy lots add up to a unique opportunity for creating an academic and economic powerhouse - located downtown but regional in impact.  Yet San Diego remains the only major metropolitan downtown without a major university presence.  

. . .

Imagine what could be accomplished if some of the millions being suggested for subsidizing an NFL stadium were instead used to attract a satellite campus of an Ivy League or other major university to the East Village -- such as recently happened in New York with Cornell's Tech Campus project on Roosevelt Island or in San Francisco with UCSF Medical School in Mission Bay.

Adams goes on to describe the unique "education-friendly infrastructure" of East Village and argues that pursuing a major university satellite campus for the site has far more economic and cultural benefit than a stadium or convention center expansion. 

Friday, November 27, 2015 in UrbDeZine

Sweeping view of Portland, Oregon with Mt. Hood in background against sunset sky.

Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary

Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.

March 12, 2024 - Housing Wire

Aerial view of green roofs with plants in Sydney, Australia.

Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024

A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.

March 10, 2024 - Daily Journal of Commerce

Cobblestone street with streetcar line, row of vintage streetlights on left, and colorful restaurant and shop awnings on right on River Street in Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts

From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.

March 12, 2024 - Strong Towns

Aerial View of Chuckanut Drive and the Blanchard Bridge in the Skagit Valley.

Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding

The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.

March 18 - The Seattle Times

Historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles with large "Pan American Lofts" sign on side of building.

Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly

The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.

March 18 - Beverly Press

View from above of swan-shaped paddleboats with lights on around artesian fountain in Echo Park Lake with downtown Los Angeles skylien in background at twilight.

LA's Top Parks, Ranked

TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.

March 18 - TimeOut

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.