State Assembly member and mayoral candidate Todd Gloria said Wednesday he supports Measure E to remove height limits in the Midway District because doing so would create thousands of new jobs as the rundown district is redeveloped.
“At a time when thousands of San Diegans are suddenly unemployed, Measure E is the economic jumpstart San Diego needs. Measure E will breathe new life into the sports arena district and create thousands of jobs by enacting smart growth policies that encourage housing and businesses near transit,” Gloria said.
He spoke with labor and business leaders in front of a shuttered business near the aging Sports Arena, which cannot be replaced unless the current 30-foot height limit is removed.
The height restriction was set by a nearly 50-year-old ballot measure to preserve coastal views west of Interstate 5, but the Midway district is far from the coast and is now best know for strip clubs, dilapidated warehouses and the aging arena.
Gloria’s opponent, City Councilwoman Barbara Bry, voted against putting the measure on the November ballot. She has also criticized the process that resulted in selection of Brookfield Properties to redevelop the area if Measure E passes.
Measure E is the only local ballot measure to earn bipartisan endorsement from the Democratic and Republican parties of San Diego county.
