It's halfway through the baseball season and the Padres are still in first place. But whether you're a baseball fan or not, most people will agree, Petco Park is a winner.
It was 10 years ago, almost exactly, when crews first started digging up the ground to build Petco Park. There were critics who didn't like the idea of so much money going into a private venture. But a new study on the impact of the ballpark claims every penny was worth it.
“Oh I think it built everything around it. Because once the ballpark came, the whole East Village changed,” East Village Resident Josh Burland said.
That change is being measured by the San Diego Economic Development Corporation. The EDC is going to release a detailed economic impact study of Petco Park on Wednesday.
“By every measure, by every commitment that either the Padres or the city of San Diego made, the ballpark and the ballpark district have exceeded expectations,” San Diego Economic Development Corp. spokesperson Julie Meier Wright said.
The study looks at sales tax revenue, property values, job creation, hotel rooms and more.
“It was always about more than a ballpark,” Wright said.
So why should we care about this study?
Clearly there were critics when they first announced building a ballpark in this area. You don't hear from them so much anymore, but there are others who want to build their own ballparks and libraries that would like to find similar success.
“I would say every public/private partnership deserves a fair and objective and independent expert scrutiny,” Wright said.
