“Devil is in the Details”

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Nothing got done for 30-years I have lived here at Qualcomm Stadium, now everybody is in a foot race to try and get in a fire-sale bid for the 166-acres of decaying stadium, parking spaces and wooded areas.

“FS” Investors is pushing hard to negotiate a ‘fair’ price for the 79-acres they want to purchase from the city for “Soccer City”.

Doug Manchester is posting pictures of his snazzy stadium on all the telephone poles, but saying the NFL must tell him ‘they will come’ before he will bid and build on the land.

And now San Diego State wants the right to lease or buy some 47-acres for their own university run stadium, with land options for student housing, research buildings, and parking spaces.

All in the span of 3-months, since Dean Spanos scorned everyone, and followed the trail of greed to Carson, and then onto Los Angeles in 3-years time.

We know most of the players in the game, the Stones of LaJolla representing their soccer interests. Manchester, the hotel magnate. And at first glance, John David Wicker of San Diego Stater.

But there could be a hidden wheeler dealer in all this too, yet to be revealed.

Now the city must configure the best game plan for all.

Which is most important? An NFL Stadium sight? An Aztecs-Holiday Bowl sight? A soccer stadium that can be used for lots of different things?

How do you fast forward the state funding for the River Park? How-who finances student and faculty housing and parking garages? Who should control what, once it is all bit?

The Soccer City proposal lays out everything, land purchase, price, stadium financing, mixed use, and a timetable of sub-letting land for construction of various parcels.

SDSU offers ideas, no public developer, a game plan, but no financing yet.

Manchester talks generic dollar, but virtually nothing else, and his idea is linked to Roger Goodell and NFL owners signing off on giving us a franchise. That has not happened very often in NFL history.

I’m enthralled with all the interest the city is getting in these phone calls, meetings and prospectus letters.

I’m enthused to see if there can be a common ground for the city to mix the Stone-FS ideas with the creative needs at SDSU.

And I’ll be excited to learn who the real backer behind the latest set of ideas is.

The devil is really in the details.

But I am also anxious to see who is behind the package put forth in the SDSU position paper.

Who might that be? Who might be the idea man? Who might be the finance man? Who might be the catalyst to take the Q-sight a different direction?

The guy who wanted to create a “Front Door” to San Diego State via expansion?.

The Devil in the Detail guy behind the curtain, might it be John Moores, the ex-Padres owner, the philanthropist, the creator of Petco Park. Think JMI and all they have done around the country, creating and building and renovating since the Moores-Larry Lucchino Days.

Stay tuned. It’s going to get interesting before it gets done.

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