Midway Rising — an ambitious plan to redevelop 48.5 acres in San Diego’s Sports Arena community — is moving forward, bit by bit. Let’s look at what’s on the table, and what’s next.

🔨 The plan

San Diego City Council selected a proposal last September from the Midway Rising team to transform the heart of the Midway District into a ”transit-oriented,” mixed-use hub for housing and entertainment.

A new, 16,000-seat sports and entertainment arena is at the heart of the plan. | Rendering via Safdie Rabines Architects + Midway Rising

The highlights include:

4,250 housing units — the development team says 2,000+ of these will be affordable housing, and 2,000 will be market-rate
A 16,000-seat arena for sports, concerts, and entertainment — which would replace Pechanga Arena
A multi-acre, central urban park and open spaces
A 200-room hotel (update: this part of the plan has since been scrapped)
2,775 parking spaces for visitors
250,000-sqft of new retail spaces, plus a 9.4-acre public plaza
The creation of 8,500 local jobs — from construction to hospitality

In November 2022, locals voted to approve Measure C, removing an existing 30-foot height limit on buildings in the Midway-Pacific Highway Community and clearing the way for the redevelopment to rise.

The vision includes 4,250 housing units — of which 2,000+ would be affordable housing. | Rendering via Safdie Rabines Architects + Midway Rising

🗣️ Next steps

Over the next few years, the city says the Midway Rising team will enter negotiations to fine-tune its original proposal, conduct an environmental analysis, and continue working with the City Council — eyeing a 2025 groundbreaking. Mayor Todd Gloria is on board, saying the project will create thousands of homes and local jobs.

The developers are also working on community outreach to collect input from residents and businesses to help them deliver what’s best for the area.

Locals can register to attend a Midway Rising Informational Workshop tomorrow, 6-7:30 p.m., at San Diego Central Library. The Midway Rising team is set to provide a project update to councilmembers next month, too.

Update: In June 2023, sports team owner and billionaire Stan Kroenke became the lead investor on the Midway Rising development project.