I just spoke with Peter Watry, vice president of Crossroads II, a residents group focused on land-use issues in Chula Vista, about the Chargers stadium report.
Here are his concerns:
- The lack of mass transit on the east side site would force nearly all the stadium-goers to drive, but the only freeway serving the region is a toll road. “I don’t know who will take the toll road. If they don’t, that means they’ll be on surface streets.”
- “We also don’t know for either site how big the subsidy will be or what form it will take,” he said.
Watry noted that the city had financial troubles (as detailed here by my colleague Kelly Bennett) and surmised the city would contribute land and entitlements allowing the team to build dense development.
- That Gaylord Entertainment, the group that has had troubles advancing its proposal for a convention center and resort on Chula Vista’s waterfront, will not like the idea of having views of an empty stadium all the time.
“The problems are obvious,” he said.