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What’s a city to do?”

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All that real estate is still vacant.

The football stadium continues to decay.

The city continues to bleed money in upkeep.costs.

And now we have more plans unveiled to develop the sight that was Qualcomm Stadium.

San Diego State has signed a deal with the architecture firm Populous of Kansas City.

They will design a multi purpose stadium that would house the Aztecs football program, possibly play host to pro soccer, and could be expanded to NFL standards.

All that for 150M, to be funded by university bonds and fund raising.

But the deal with Populous is not a stand-alone transaction. It has to be included in the bigger University West Campus proposal, currently in the idea plans.

SDSU wants to buy 132-acres at cost, develop academic buildings, research buildings, add dorms, all part of the “Friends of SDSU” proposal to grow the university.

There would be a river park and additional business development. It is a huge undertaking for a university on a growth spurt, but needs quality leadership.

All this comes months after FS-Investors wrote an initiative to build a soccer stadium, that could be expanded-upgraded for the Aztecs to use.

The FS package, the catalyst for obtaining an MLS franchise, includes the river park, development, and a tract of land set aside for an NFL stadium, plus lots of retail..

The city of San Diego never got a deal done with the Chargers, despite a unique city-county financial consortium to help pay for it. Now they are faced with a real dilemma, with different needs.

The Mayor’s office has thrown its support behind the FS plan, and seems willing to negotiate sale of 79-acres of land to make it work.

Now we see if they change their mind, and instead put pencil to paper, and then sign on with what SDSU is attempting to do.

Both are grandiose in scheme, both could be big revenue makers, and both would be done without taxpayer involvement.

Now we have two dueling plans, with differing goals. SDSU to create an academic world, the soccer people looking for business investment and financial returns.

The FS Stadium design was snazzy with great upside.

The Aztecs ideas swirl around what Colorado State just opened, Hughes Stadium, their 220M sports facility in Ft Collins, an impressive structure that just opened last month..

But what is proposed is so much more than just a football-soccer…or soccer-football stadium. The spillover to help academics is amazing. The financial streams from the commercial enterprises are just as appealing.

Will be interesting to see how the city reacts, and then what the voters do come next November.

What’s a city to do. From zero success at the Mission Valley sight, to two very unique and differing proposals.

Somebody will win this race, the other will lose. The city and the community will prosper either way.

Just wondering, which is the right way?

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