The City Councilman representing Mission Valley said Wednesday the “Friends of SDSU” ballot measure being circulated is so weak on details that it should not be signed.
The ballot measure would allow San Diego State University to purchase the former Qualcomm stadium property for university expansion and a new college football stadium.
“Due to lack of specifics, it is impossible to determine the impacts of the ‘Friends of SDSU’ proposal on the Mission Valley community and San Diego taxpayers. Therefore I urge San Diegans to refrain from signing the ballot measure currently being circulated,” said Scott Sherman, who represents District 7.
Sherman, who backed a special election for the competing SoccerCity ballot measure, released a white paper comparing the two proposals. He said the Friends of SDSU plan lacks crucial details on housing and university expansion plans, and argued that it would be wrong for SDSU to purchase the land with public funds and then pay no property tax.
“What is clear in this proposal is that it forces the city to sell a taxpayer asset to a taxpayer-funded organization for the privilege of receiving little to no tax generation from the asset,” he said in the white paper. “This seems less than ideal.”
He said the proposal lacks specific commitments for affordable housing and student housing, so it “does not allow the public to make an educated decision on whether or not the initiative will help alleviate the city’s housing crisis.”
Friends of SDSU responded to Sherman later on Wednesday, saying their plan for “SDSU West” is designed to protect the long-term interests of all San Diegans.
“SDSU West is designed to protect the long-term interests of the city, San Diego State University and all San Diegans. Only our initiative carefully balances those interests,” the group said in a statement. “SDSU West unlocks the potential for the university to exceed its current $3 billion economic impact and continue growing to meet the critical higher education needs of our region.”
