New lease of life for San Diego venue project

Image: Midway Village Plus

The Pechanga Arena (US) is all set to get a new lease of life with the second team involved to rehabilitate the venue revealing plans for the property, which includes a mixed-use vision consisting of two arenas and a soccer stadium. The cost of the project is unknown, but will be to the tune of billions of dollars.

Earlier in June this year, San Diego’s Sports Arena revamp work in Midway District (US) was back to square one after the City was told that it may be out of compliance with California law.

The emergence of Midway Village+ comes after ASM Global was recently named among the companies involved in a fresh bid to develop a new facility on the site currently occupied by the Pechanga Arena.

The Pechanga Arena (formerly known as the San Diego Sports Arena) is an indoor arena in San Diego, California (US). The arena seats 12,000 for indoor football, 12,920 for ice hockey and box lacrosse, 14,500 for basketball and tennis, 5,450 for amphitheater concerts and stage shows, 8,900-14,800 for arena concerts, 13,000 for ice shows and the circus, and 16,100 for boxing and mixed martial arts.

The ‘Midway Village+’ team is spearheaded by housing developers Bridge Housing and Toll Brothers and includes celebrated design practice Populous, venue developer Oak View Group (OVG) and entertainment group Live Nation, along with other national and local partners.
 

Remaking the sports arena

 

For all and sundry

The ‘Midway Village+’ stated that Midway Village+ is a new way of planning, a new way of growing and a new way of living. It creates a diverse and inclusive community with affordable homes and walkable amenities for all. Meet tomorrow’s San Diego.

Midway Village+ will transform one of San Diego’s least attractive areas into a new pedestrian village anchored by affordable homes, sports and entertainment venues, park space, and more.

The centerpiece of Midway Village+ is a new 12-acre Central Park surrounded by a variety of homes, businesses, walking and biking paths, a creek, and more.

More than half the homes are affordable or built for middle-income families. Midway Village+ also includes a new arena, soccer venues, plans for San Diego’s (US) first binational school, and more.

Midway Village+ will stand amongst San Diego’s greatest neighborhoods, promoting health and wellness, sparking economic growth throughout the Midway District and carving a new path for the City. Midway Village+ is a place for everybody.
 

Affordable homes

The people associated with Midway Village+ believe creating a variety of homes for people at all levels of affordability will make a more equitable and diverse community.

That’s why Midway Village+ provides housing options for all income levels. Its affordable housing partners, BRIDGE Housing and MAAC, are experts in collaborating with communities to provide life-changing, equitable housing solutions.

The Waterford Property Company is its middle-income housing partner. Waterford has an impressive track record of working with Cities in California and Arizona (US) to produce thousands of middle-income homes.

The plan exceeds the State requirement of 25 percent affordable, and goes well beyond that – more than half the homes will be affordable or built for middle-income or working families. The remaining homes will be a variety of market rate products developed by the Toll Brothers.

BRIDGE Housing is one of only a handful of affordable housing developers in California that has experience building at the capacity planned for Midway Village+.
 

Open space plan

The team believes that public open space is essential to wellbeing. It’s why the whole plan started as an open space plan. Midway Village+ includes a new regional park that will serve as a ‘central park’ for the entire Midway District. The community also includes a skate park, walking and biking paths and a stream for everyone to enjoy.
 

Alluring arena

Midway Village+ includes a brand new sports and entertainment facility that will attract professional sports teams, esports events and leading entertainment events.

It will seat approximately 15,000 fans and will be designed by Populous, a global architectural design firm. Live Nation will serve as promoter. The arena will be privately financed and built by the Oak View Group (OVG), the largest private arena developer in the world. Oak View Group opened the first-ever carbon neutral arena, the 18,100-capacity Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle (US), on October 22^nd, 2021.

Over the next 18 months, the Oak View Group will open five new arenas across the globe:

• The 18,500-capacity UBS Arena – New York (US) (end of November);
• The 9,500-capacity Enmarket Arena – Savannah, Georgia (US) (January 2022);
• The 15,000+-capacity Moody’s Center – Austin, Texas (US) (April 2022);
• The 11,679-capacity Coachella Valley Arena – Palm Desert, California (US) (December 2022); and
• The 23,500-capacity Co-op Live Arena -Manchester, United Kingdom (January 2023).

 

Events center

The Midway Village+ includes a 3,500-seat events center that will host concerts, performances, community events, and more.
 

Level playing field

The ‘Midway Village+’ further stated that soccer is everywhere in San Diego. This is why the plan invests heavily in professional soccer but also enables soccer for everyone, including youth soccer.

The San Diego Loyal Soccer Club debuted in 2020 and its ‘loyal’ fans continue to grow in number as the team continues to rack up wins on the pitch.

The San Diego Loyal Soccer Club is an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team was founded by Warren Smith and Landon Donovan. San Diego Loyal made its debut in 2020 as an expansion team in the United Soccer League (USL) Championship.

The Torero Stadium is a 6,000-seat multipurpose stadium in San Diego, California. It was built in 1961 and serves as the home of the San Diego Loyal Soccer Club.

Midway Village+ will serve as the new home for the Loyal, a team inspired by and created by San Diegans. The club’s four pillars are featured on its crest: Independent, Authentic, Inclusive, and Optimistic.

The modular soccer stadium planned for Phase 1 of Midway Village+ will activate the site, provide immediate returns for the City and the Midway District, and give the Loyal and its fans a new home for up to 10 years (when the club will move to a permanent facility). It also will create numerous soccer opportunities for all skill levels and connect more kids and parents to the game.
 

Soccer-specific stadium

Midway Village+ gives the City what it needs to reach its soccer potential.

The team’s plan extends beyond the 49-acre Sports Arena site and includes the adjacent 17-acre site directly to the Northwest. Here is where they are proposing locating a new privately-financed permanent soccer-specific stadium with approximately 20,000 seats and additional housing, including affordable housing.
 

Sustainability first

The team believes Midway Village+ should be a leading example of universal design – enabling residents and visitors of any ability to access all elements of the property.

Midway Village+ will also showcase the region’s leadership in every aspect of Green, sustainable and human-centered design.

The community will connect to its neighbors and fully integrate smart mobility options that embrace 21^st century technology.
 

The Mexico connection

The team believes in the value of education, youth sports and the region’s connection to Mexico.

The plan includes a potential partnership with San Diego Unified to create the region’s first binational Spanish-immersion school (K-5 or K-8) that would host youth sporting events for kids on both sides of the border and include space for refugee children.

In addition, Midway Village+ also plans to host the region’s first Lab School for young children (preschool to T-K).
 

Team viewpoints

Stated Project Executive David Malmuth, “We believe we have the best plan and the best team, but this is a competitive process so we’re going to need your support to bring this plan to life. This is a plan designed specifically for San Diego but this process is just beginning, and our plan will evolve and become stronger as we hear from members of the community.”

Remarked Aruna Doddapaneni, Senior Vice-President of Development, BRIDGE Housing, “We know the need for affordable homes and middle-income homes is tremendous throughout our region, which is why our plan puts such an emphasis on housing San Diegans can afford. BRIDGE is looking forward to creating a diverse and inclusive community with a variety of housing choices.”

Said Arnulfo Manriquez, President and CEO, MAAC, “MAAC is proud to be part of the all-star team that will bring Midway Village+ to fruition. As a catalyst of affordable housing for working families, we’re ensuring equitable access to economic opportunities for all San Diegans. Together, we’re building a strong and vibrant community we can all be proud of.”

Remarked Francesca Bodie, President of Business Development, Oak View Group, “We’ve built arenas ranging in size from 10,000 to 22,500 seats in all corners of the globe and we’ve long-viewed San Diego as a jewel. Our team will work with the community to create a memorable space that reflects the needs of the market, but I can tell you it will be a world-class facility that will draw top concerts, comedians, sports teams, and others.”

Noted Ricardo Campos, President, San Diego Loyal, “Obviously, we appreciate the investment in soccer by Midway Village+ and the opportunities it creates for the Loyal and our fans, but this plan and this team is about so much more than soccer. It’s inclusive and diverse and bursting with goodness. It’s a place for all of us.”

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• ASM Global
• Midway Village+
• Pechanga Arena
• San Diego
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