Chargers staying in San Diego for 2015
A sigh of relief and some breathing room.
The Chargers will play in San Diego in 2015.
The team announced late Tuesday that it will not exercise the termination clause in its Qualcomm Stadium lease, something it has had the ability to do every Feb. 1 since 2007.
“It’s great news,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said Tuesday night. “The Chargers belong right here in San Diego. I’m looking forward to working productively with them on a solution, and I’m confident we can achieve one together -- and one the public will support.”
The Chargers would have had to pay the City of San Diego $17.6 million to leave in 2015.
Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani, the team’s point man in its quest to get a new stadium built, said in a statement that the Chargers will “keep working to find a publicly acceptable way to build a Super Bowl-quality stadium in San Diego. Calendar year 2015 will constitute the team’s (14th) year of work on a San Diego stadium solution.”
There appeared slight chance 2014 would be the Chargers’ final season in San Diego. But this had been as uncertain as their status had ever been this late in a year.
The issue of the team’s future has reached an unprecedented level of urgency due to the NFL’s apparent desire to have a team in Los Angeles by 2016 and the ability of the St. Louis Rams and Oakland Raiders to get out of their leases after this season without any penalty. The Chargers believe they would be greatly hurt by another team moving into the L.A. market, especially if they are stuck in in antiquated Qualcomm Stadium.
Numerous sources expressed doubt recently that the league would have a team in L.A. in ’15. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said owners received an “update” on the Los Angeles situation at their meetings in Dallas last week but indicated a lack of tangible progress.
“We continue to work to see if there is a solution for us,” Goodell told reporters after the meetings. “I’m not at the point where I would tell you that anything is imminent or that we have a solution identified at this point in time. There is progress, but we’ve all heard that before.”
Tuesday’s official announcement the Chargers are committed to San Diego at least through 2015 gives the city more time, but the situation remains pressing.
“The L.A. possibility has always been out there, which is one of the reasons I’m committed to making sure we’re moving forward here in San Diego,” Faulconer said last week. “I think 2015 offers us a great opportunity for action.”
Chargers President Dean Spanos has been working to get a new stadium built in San Diego since 2002. The team says Qualcomm, its home since 1967, severely limits its revenue potential due, in large part, to static signage and outdated, undersized video boards and scoreboard.
The Chargers’ latest proposal is for a downtown stadium. They are eyeing a November 2016 ballot measure to ask for public assistance. The team has joined forces with JMI Realty, which plans to build a convention center annex and hotel east of Petco Park, across the railroad tracks from the current convention center. A new Chargers stadium would be one part of JMI’s plans.
Faulconer has said the Chargers “need a new stadium” and has pledged his support for the cause. He also said he believes the stadium is a countywide issue and will pursue avenues with county officials.
The team’s plan faces opposition from politicians opposed to public money being used toward a stadium and from hoteliers, who are in favor of a contiguous convention center expansion.
The Mayor said he will begin to roll out a stadium plan “very publicly” in January.
On Tuesday night, Faulconer said, “I’m really planning on, in 2015, bringing everyone to the table -- all of the stakeholders, working closely with the Chargers and developing a plan that make sense, keeps the Chargers in San Diego and fits the needs of the voters.”
