San Diego is ready and needs a “willing partner” to develop a financial package for a proposed NFL stadium that can be presented to the public, Mayor Kevin Faulconer said Tuesday.
The City of San Diego will make a formal presentation at the NFL owners' meetings in Chicago on August 10.
Mayor Faulconer also said the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Mission Valley site is on schedule to be released for public comment on Aug. 10. It will be presented to the City Council in October.
Faulconer, San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith updated the status of negotiations after a meeting with NFL officials.
NFL Executive Vice President Eric Grubman was one of several league officials to visit San Diego this week for more meetings involving the future of a franchise in San Diego.
Supervisor Roberts said the meeting with the NFL spent time reviewing environmental issues, the city's timeline and the negotiation process.
Faulconer mentioned several times how it's necessary to get the Chargers back to the negotiating table to find a financial package both sides accept.
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“Time is ticking to reach that deal,” the mayor said. “But the clock has not run out yet.”
State Assembly Speaker, and former San Diego City Councilmember, Toni Atkins joined the session. Faulconer described her support as a "shot in the arm."
In February, the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders announced plans to build a joint-use 72,000-seat stadium in Carson if talks with their respective cities are unsuccessful.
The mayor’s Citizens Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG) has recommended using the current Mission Valley stadium site, while the team has said it prefers a hybrid stadium/sports arena complex on 12 acres in East Village encompassing Tailgate Park and the Metro Transit bus yard.
CSAG proposed a a 65,000-seat stadium with a $1.1 billion price tag and a financing plan that has the Chargers paying for $300 million of it.
Two weeks ago, the San Diego City Council voted to spend $2.1 million on an EIR, which assesses the environmental cost of destroying the current Qualcomm Stadium and building a new one. The process usually takes a year to complete.
Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani has said that even if the EIR is complete in a few weeks for under $3 million, the issue will still get tied up in the courts and eventually invalidated, just like the convention center.
When city leaders met with NFL officials in June, the message was clear - fast tracking an EIR is key to the project moving forward.
