The Padres' project proposal seeks to refashion the asphalt area" into a commercial office hubCITY OF SAN DIEGO
The Padres have "won the opportunity to turn four city blocks, currently used as a Petco Park parking lot, into an urban square," as the club and its development partners were chosen to "redevelop the 5.25-acre plot of land known as Tailgate Park," according to Jennifer Van Grove of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The Padre's $1.4B project proposal "seeks to refashion the asphalt area" into a "commercial office hub." The campus "will include 1.35 million square feet of office space and be accented by 612 market-rate and subsidized apartments, 50,000 square feet of shops, 1,600 parking spaces and 236,000 square feet of open space for public gatherings." A best-case scenario "would see the Padres secure the necessary governmental approvals next year and break ground in 2023." San Diego Smart and Sustainable Communities Deputy COO Erik Caldwell said that one of the proposal’s "major selling points was the public amenities." The team’s plan "calls for urban parks, a central plaza and a recreation field atop the parking garage" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/24).
FILLING THE VOID: In San Diego, Tom Krasovic wrote the Padres and San Diego State "stood to gain from the Chargers leaving San Diego." SDSU "didn’t want the Chargers in Mission Valley" and the Padres "didn’t want them downtown." And for both organizations, a "post-Chargers world seems to be paying big dividends" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/24).
