Sixteen comments about an environmental impact report for San Diego's proposed Mission Valley stadium project had been submitted by the public to the city as of late Friday, right before the filing deadline, according to the mayor's office.
City officials will now review the comments and decide whether to make any changes to the EIR, assembled over the summer in a quicker-than-usual manner in a bid to get an agreement with the Chargers to a January special election for voter approval.
However, a deadline for such a deal with the local National Football League team went by two weeks ago, and city officials hope to try for the June primary next year, or the November general election.
The Chargers broke off talks with the city in June, objecting to the environmental study's timeline. Team special counsel Mark Fabiani said the document won't stand up to legal scrutiny.
Among the comments:
— one person believed the artist renderings were deceptive, placing the stadium in the wrong corner of the intended site next to existing Qualcomm Stadium, and that the facility is sited in a flood plain;
— the San Diego Archeological Society requested the new stadium project include an exhibit about Qualcomm Stadium and Mission Valley history;
— the Mission Valley Planning Group suggested direct access ramps be constructed from Interstate's 8 and 15, and noted that the document contains no mention of a proposed park on the current stadium property; and
— concern from the Serra Mesa Community Council that impacts from the 230-acre, partially built Civita housing development on the north side of Mission Valley might not have been included in the study.
A Rancho Bernardo man referred to Mayor Kevin Faulconer, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith and county Supervisor Ron Roberts as "The Three Stooges." The trio is leading efforts to keep the team in San Diego.
"The NFL and (Chargers chairman Dean) Spanos are playing these three fools like the pathetic, begging, `give away the store just to get re-elected' political whores they are, while embarrassing our beautiful city and county," the man wrote. "We will be better off without the Chargers!"
Spanos has been asking for a new facility for almost 15 years to replace aging Qualcomm Stadium, and have purchased land in the Los Angeles County city of Carson to build a stadium, perhaps in concert with the Oakland Raiders.
The owner of the St. Louis Rams, Stan Kroenke, has proposed moving his team to Inglewood, near the Los Angeles airport.
The lucrative L.A. market hasn't had an NFL franchise for about 20 years, and NFL owners could authorize one or move teams to move to the country's second-largest city, with a decision possible late this year or early next year.
Earlier this week, a report surfaced on the Pro Football Talk website that NFL owners were leaning toward allowing just one franchise to move, and that the Rams were the most likely team.
