Originally built as a community facility during World War II, the building that houses Skateworld retains distinctive wooden arches spanning its skating floor.
It’s distinctive enough that the city designated it as a historical resource in 2011. It’s a standout too, as San Diego’s only indoor roller-skating rink and a long-time family enterprise. Skateworld opened in 1975 under Gary Stang and his son Brett purchased the family business in 2020. Brett now operates it with his wife, Christina.
“It’s the longevity and the uniqueness of Skateworld,” said Jonas Bimshas, chair of the Linda Vista Planning Group’s Skateworld Ad Hoc Committee. “It has been there for over 50 years now.”
But the community is again watching the property’s future as the city evaluates the Linda Vista site for potential development. And residents have gone through this before. The review has renewed concerns among those who helped oppose a 2019 proposal to replace the rink with retail.
The latest discussions stem from the city’s Affordable Home Development Master Plan, which is examining the feasibility of adding housing to publicly owned properties, including the Skateworld site at 6907 Linda Vista Road.
City officials emphasized that it has not received proposals for the Skateworld property.
“It is important to note that no changes to the Skateworld site are being formally proposed as a part of the Affordable Home Development Master Plan,” the city said in a statement provided by Ombretta Di Dio of the Communications Department.
The city described the master plan as a feasibility study examining how publicly owned properties could accommodate affordable housing while maintaining existing facilities and services.
The study is evaluating several possibilities involving Skateworld and the neighboring Linda Vista Library property. The master plan is still being drafted and is expected to be released in the coming months, according to the city.
Despite the preliminary nature of the study, the Linda Vista Planning Group’s Skateworld Ad Hoc Committee is preparing recommendations intended to ensure that residents can participate before any future redevelopment decisions.
Bimshas said the committee’s immediate priority is improving communication with city officials.
“We really don’t want to be surprised,” Bimshas said. “When looking at 2019 and when looking at previous years, members of the community, the Skateworld tenants, they’ll tell you this. They felt off guard.”
Bimshas said city staff confirmed in December 2025 that the property could be subject to a process under California’s Surplus Land Act, which establishes requirements for disposing of surplus public property.
The committee will hold a public meeting at 6 p.m. Monday to review the property’s history, discuss the housing master plan and consider recommendations asking city officials to engage with residents before advancing any proposal.
The Linda Vista Planning Group has not adopted a formal position on the property’s future, Bimshas emphasized.
“We want some more public comment options than one city council committee meeting and one city council meeting,” he said.
Councilmember Raul Campillo, whose district includes Linda Vista, said his office is working with the committee to keep residents involved in discussions about the property.
“Skateworld is an iconic Linda Vista institution that has provided years of recreation, enjoyment, and lasting memories for community members and families throughout San Diego,” Campillo said in a statement.
“My office continues to work alongside the Linda Vista Planning Group’s Skateworld Committee, helping connect committee members with City staff to ensure they are fully informed about the process and have a meaningful voice in any future development plans for the property.”
The uncertainty is familiar to Skateworld’s co-owner.
In 2019, the San Diego City Council voted against selling the property following community opposition to a developer’s plan to replace Skateworld with a big-box retail store.
Brett Stang said the latest situation is considerably less advanced than that earlier redevelopment effort.
“We haven’t even scratched the surface,” he said. “They literally just put out a survey just to see where everyone was kind of at.”
The business has also struggled to secure a long-term lease, complicating his efforts to invest in the property.
Stang said Skateworld has operated under a month-to-month arrangement for years and is working with Civic San Diego and representatives of Campillo’s office to explore a longer agreement.
“We’ve been trying for the last 25 years to get something longer than a month-to-month, even a year-to-year lease,” Stang said.
Bimshas said deferred maintenance is another issue the committee plans to address. The building requires investment, he said.
The rink continues to host birthday parties, school groups, skating lessons and recreational sessions for adults.
Brett Stang said he supports additional affordable housing, but hopes the city can accommodate development without eliminating the rink.
“I’m for them putting (in) more affordable housing. I’m for them redeveloping the land, totally,” he said. “However, I would like to be considered still in the development process. I would still like to be here.”
The city said additional opportunities for public input would be available if officials decide to pursue development at any properties evaluated under the master plan.
The Skateworld Ad Hoc Committee’s meeting will take place in the rink’s party room. Members will consider a summary document that could be forwarded to the full Linda Vista Planning Group for discussion later this month.
“I hope that this is a starting point for good communication with the city and with the planning group and other community members,” Bimshas said.
