Under a plan proposed by San Diego officials, the land surrounding the Valley View Casino Center could be redeveloped into an area that includes housing and recreational space.
City officials are pitching a community plan update that would, over time, redevelop the area around Valley View Casino Center. New amenities could include housing, recreation space, and measures that make the area more friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians.
This redevelopment would likely unfold over a period of decades, though the initiative could be hastened by expiring leases on city-owned land surrounding the arena. The bulk of existing leases for city-owned land parcels expire in 2020 and officials have not, at least to this point, discussed renewals. As for how redevelopment would affect the Valley View Casino Center–home to hockey’s San Diego Gulls (AHL) and other events–the proposal leaves open three possibilities. More from The San Diego Union-Tribune:
The proposal envisions three possible fates for the aging arena: it continues operating as is, it gets replaced by a modern version or it gets demolished and not rebuilt.
A developer is also proposing an upscale office complex on the former site of the defunct postal complex on Midway Drive, which could also be a catalyst.
The community plan update covers the area next to the arena and the surrounding Midway District – 1,324 acres bordered by San Diego International Airport, Interstate 5, Interstate 8, Laurel Street and the eastern edge of Point Loma.
“This plan update is an opportunity to create a new future for the Midway District as a more vibrant, transit-oriented community,” Mike Hansen, the city’s planning director, said by email. “It will make room for more than 6,500 homes near transit in line with the city’s landmark climate action plan and also accommodate the existing arena or a potential new arena in a mixed-use entertainment district.”
Plans are not finalized at this point, as the proposal is expected to be discussed at several meetings over the coming months. Valley View Casino Center originally opened in 1966, and has been home to the current incarnation of the Gulls since 2015.
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