SDSU Poised to Make Offer for Mission Valley Property

San Diego State University is poised to make an offer to San Diego city leaders for the Mission Valley stadium property, SDSU President Adela de la Torre announced Thursday. During a noon audio news conference on campus, de la Torre told reporters the university’s offer would be presented at the San Diego City Council meeting Monday, Oct. 14.   De la Torre also said the university had sent a letter to the City earlier in the day ending the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two entities regarding confidentiality during the negotiation process. For 10 months, SDSU has been in discussions to purchase the city-owned property for a proposed campus expansion following a November 2018 vote by San Diego residents supporting the university’s Mission Valley plan.  

“SDSU remains fully committed to negotiating the successful purchase of the Mission Valley site on fair and equitable terms,” de la Torre said. “We look forward to our continued work with the City toward that goal. We do think we are now closer than ever.”

Working Together 

De la Torre reiterated SDSU’s commitment to working closely with city leaders regarding aspects of the university’s plans recently reported as possible sticking points in the negotiations, including construction of a river park, demolition of SDCCU Stadium, and traffic mitigation. The president addressed each issue in turn.   She said SDSU will be responsible for the full cost to build and maintain a 34-acre river park with a construction price tag estimated at $30 million, stating that the university would also build additional park space along with hike and bike trails. “SDSU is excited to do this for the benefit of all San Diegans,” the president said.

Addressing demolition of the current stadium, she pointed out that SDSU has agreed to buy the land with the stadium in place and pay for the cost of demolition expected to run $10-15 million. The City would save additional money by having SDSU take over the property and immediately assume responsibility for its upkeep.  

Regarding traffic mitigation, the president reinforced  that the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was just that - a draft - and subject to finalization by way of the Final EIR. The university plans to present the Final EIR to the California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees in early 2020. SDSU is committed to working with the City and other public agencies to address questions and suggestions on how the university can improve the overall plan, which will include traffic mitigation. She also shared that, following a separate environmental review, SDSU is willing to both fund and take responsibility for constructing the independent two-lane at-grade Fenton Parkway bridge. As part of the construction of the bridge, there is an expectation of developing a reimbursement agreement or receiving credit toward the university’s development impact fees, so that SDSU would only be funding its “fair share” of the bridge.  

“We are doing this because it is the right thing to do,” the president said. “It is for the public good.”  

De la Torre said expansion into Mission Valley would allow SDSU to increase enrollment by another 15,000 students to approach a capacity closer to 50,000, supporting increased educational opportunities and workforce development for the region.