The San Diego Chargers plan to meet with their consultants this week to look deeper into the possibility of a new stadium site in Oceanside. Oceanside City Council voted unanimously over the weekend to discuss the idea further with the Chargers. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.
The Oceanside City Council vote, taken at a special meeting over the weekend, means the city is now officially open to exploring the possibilities. The last time the suggestion came up, it wasn’t taken seriously. But a visit to the mayor by Chargers’ President Dean Spanos last week changed that dynamic, and now both the city and the team are considering the pros and cons.
The site, directly east of Interstate-5, is more easily accessible to Chargers fans in Orange County than either of the two possible South San Diego sites: Chula Vista and National City. Oceanside does have underutilized land that might be redeveloped by the Chargers to help finance the project. However the site is bordered on two sides by residential neighborhoods. If it is determined a football stadium could be built there, the plan would need to be put to a public vote, probably in 2008. Alison St John, KPBS News.