Chargers in Oceanside…?
There’s been a lot of interest lately in the possibility that the Chargers are eyeing Oceanside as a possible spot for a new stadium
Personally the idea worries me quite a bit
- Stadiums generally do not bring peace and calm with them - instead they provide crowded roads, parking, and quite a bit of noise - far from increasing property values (and consequently making Oceanside more ‘upscale’ as some proponents claim this will instead reverse much of the gains Oceanside is trying to make)
- Even in whats been reported as the Charger’s best season ever in terms of attendance the city of San Diego STILL LOST MONEY! Why should we expect anything different from our city?
- Some people have claimed a stadium will ‘put Oceanside on the map’ - if you really can’t find Oceanside on a map right now you’ve got bigger problems than professional sports… Oceanside is a laid-back beach community among many other cities along the coast which are almost uniformly prohibitively expensive. That, combined with Oceanside’s numerous attractions and atmosphere, is enough for Oceanside to ‘be on the map’ already. If you want to live in L.A. or La Jolla by all means, there’s an Amtrak station off Mission Ave.
I may be oversimplifying but I still haven’t heard any convincing arguments in terms of the financial rewards to Oceanside of this move, nor has anyone managed to realistically speak to the effect on the quality of life in this town.
UPDATE:
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/25//news/top_stories/1_22_194_24_07.txt
So in addition to the stadium the Charger’s would also own an adjoining office complex? What a ridiculous idea - we want the stadium to bring people to Oceanside…. to spend money at a Chargers owned commercial village??
UPDATE:
The city has 2 presentations on the topic here and here
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Should the Chargers come to Oceanside?
- Definitely (53%)
- No Way (47%)
- Who cares? I don’t live in Oceanside. (0%)
Total Votes: 38
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March 13th, 2007 at 10:06 pm
I am totally against the idea of the Chargers moving here because traffic will not be the only problem. What about the unwanted drifters that it will bring and enviroment issues that it can cause. It may give some people work but will also turn into a crowded Oceanside. It’s bad enough without having massive construction, and major traffic jams. Traffic on 78 and 5 are crazy now. What do you think is going to happen then. Take a very good look at the big picture now and vote “NO!”
March 15th, 2007 at 11:08 pm
When we first moved to Oceanside almost 20 years ago I kept hearing stories about the political atmosphere and short sighted politicians and residents that let so many great projects slip through their fingers, projects which later ended up in neighboring Carlsbad. It was difficult to undestand back then. However, the longer I have lived in Oceanside the more I see how short sighted our city and a lot of its’ residents are. Anyone who would be against the opportunity to have a world class sports team of any type based in our city is absolutley nuts! Just look at our location…halfway between San Diego and Orange County, a perfect location to draw hundreds of fans from. Look at the revenue and employment….does anyone out there disagree we need it. Look at the shot in the arm for an city that needs a little TLC in a lot of areas. For everything we gain there is a price to pay, we all know that. I for one do not believe that our beach citiy neighbors have paid a great price at all for the projects and their resulting benefits that Oceanside in its’ “small town” thinking pushed away in the past. Isn’t a professional sports stadium in Oceanside going to be a fabulous benefit overall and aren’t we long due for at least one? If you want no traffic, no noise, etc. try moving out to the county. Oceanside is a CITY, a city of over 170,000 people. Lets start acting like one!
March 16th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Look - I’m not against revitalizing the city but the fact of the matter is this will most likely drop property values, *cost* Oceanside money, while stripping this town of its charm and turning it into an enormous parking lot. This is not the mall (which Oceanside was absolutely stupid to let slip) - this is a stadium for a team that has basically never ever generated revenue for its hosting city. Revenue and employment? Hot dog sellers and groundskeepers?? Quite frankly I could care less about having a ‘world class sports’ team here… I don’t see how it being world-class offers anything to our city - what will we get? More pride (do we not have any right now?), more cash? (history shows that the stadium is unprofitable), more employment? (yes but not necessarily the right kind - if the city of Oceanside is going to *Pay* why not offer incentives for higher end businesses to place roots here).
March 18th, 2007 at 10:10 pm
My basic premise is:
If the Chargers do decide to move to Oceanside follow these basic 4 steps and add on all other things as needed:
1) Chargers to Pay for Entire costs and take care of all traffic and environmental problems.
2) Chargers to become part of a Special District Area encompassing about 1.5 miles in circumference of the planned stadium and the vote of the citizens must be abided by with only one appeal to the City Council. And no Courts by voluntary agreement.
3) Chargers to relocate and rebuild with new facilities any facility they need to dramatically impact to the point of demolition or blocking access like the Current Senior Center, Elks Club, Boys and Girls Club, Golf Course, etc.
4) Chargers to build and operate for the city a year round open convention center within the stadium location.
If they won’t agree then thank you Chargers but go south we know your history…….
April 16th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Forget it - the Charger’s business people are a hell of a lot more shrewd than the Oceanside City Council. There’s almost no way the city is going to benefit financially from this parasite team which costs San Diego millions and millions of dollars every year. Why should we have to bankroll a crummy sports team that’s just going to clog traffic and generally diminish our quality of life??
Stadiums should be built inland somewhere, not in prime property.
July 5th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
go chargers, kick butt and takes names.
July 16th, 2007 at 2:45 pm
I lived in and around Oceanside when I was a kid and am planning a visit this fall. Looking at your website I found the discussion about a football stadium.
I live in Irving, Texas, soon-to-be former home of the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are leaving Irving and moving down the road to Arlington. The City of Arlington has done a great job with their entertainment/sports district. The voters of Arlington voted @ ten years ago to build a new baseball stadium funded by a less than 1% city sales tax. The stadium was funded in less time than projected and the tax was repealed. The voters were presented recently with a similar plan for a football stadium. Unanimously this passed. The area is booming with restaurants, offices, parks and more. A proper development plan is a must.
Take a look at Arlington’s success. You might find some good information as well as some benchmark standards within stadium/entertainment development.
See you in October.
August 11th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
You are absolutely right- the City will lose on this one. Please see my website for more info: www.goawaychargers.com
Stadiums don’t fill the treasury’s coffers; they drain it with hidden costs. Plus the giveaway of 73 prime ocean view acres that belongs to the public is a crime! Don’t fall for this field of schemes!