There’s one truth that all San Diegans can agree on: the Midway District needs help.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re driving down Sports Arena Boulevard to watch a Gulls game or flying out of the airport or driving on Rosecrans Street, the commute is unfriendly and the view is depressing.
Old strip malls, empty warehouses and worn-down buildings are what welcome San Diegans and visitors to the Midway community. And it’s been that way for decades.
That is why the San Diego City Council should vote yes on Midway Rising.
Midway Rising is an economic adrenaline shot of $1.4 billion dollars of private money that will transform 49 acres of city-owned land, which currently consists of old asphalt and an out-of-date sports arena, into the transit-oriented, interconnected neighborhood village that was detailed in the 2018 Midway Community Plan Update. It will bring to life a vibrant, modern, residential mixed-use district with homes, parks, jobs, entertainment and new community amenities.
Decades of disinvestment has contributed to neglected infrastructure, and planning restrictions have left the Midway community stuck in time while surrounding San Diego neighborhoods evolved and modernized. As a result, the Midway neighborhood has become one of the city’s most visible examples of unrealized potential.
Midway Rising will change that and the scale of the opportunity is significant.
It will create new economic opportunities across San Diego. The project includes 2,000 deed-restricted affordable homes, acres of new parks and open space, critical infrastructure improvements and a new entertainment center designed to serve future generations.
But one of the most compelling reasons to support this project is what it means for San Diego’s working families.
Midway Rising is expected to create approximately 22,000 construction jobs and thousands of additional permanent jobs, opening doors for local workers, hospitality and entertainment-related employees and countless local small businesses. It is a real opportunity for San Diegans to earn good wages, support their families and live in the heart of Midway at all income levels.
Housing affordability remains one of the defining challenges facing our region and Midway Rising also offers a real response. The project’s binding commitment to 2,000 affordable homes for working San Diegans would make it the largest affordable housing program in California history under the Surplus Land Act. Those homes represent opportunities for teachers, healthcare workers, construction workers, hospitality employees, public servants and countless others who increasingly struggle to afford to live in the communities they serve.
After years of meaningful and real outreach to the community, including more than 70 community meetings and events, 10 community workshops in every council district and a robust environmental review, the question before us is no longer whether the Midway District needs investment and revitalization, but how soon can there be shovels in the ground.
San Diegans have talked about cleaning up Midway for decades. We have talked about replacing aging infrastructure, creating more housing, improving public spaces and generating economic opportunities. Midway Rising gives us a chance to turn decades of talk into real action.
Cities are ultimately judged by whether they can turn plans into progress, and putting it bluntly, the Midway District has waited long enough.
Now is the time to move Midway Rising forward to build opportunities for San Diego’s working families and give this neighborhood the transformation it deserves.
Carol Kim is the business manager for the San Diego County Building and Construction Trades Council, which advocates for 22 affiliated construction and trade unions and more than 30,000 workers across San Diego County.
