A San Diego City Council committee Thursday advanced the sale of two acres of property to SDSU for the university's Mission Valley expansion project.
SDSU says it needs to purchase the sliver of land just north of the stadium property to complete its Mission Valley development, which will include housing, hotels, commercial space and a park. The development, and the sale of the former Chargers stadium property, was approved by voters in 2018.
While the sale of the larger stadium property was completed in 2020, the sale of the remaining two acres has been caught up in a dispute between SDSU and organized labor. The San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council has been pressuring the university for union-friendly construction agreements and assurances that former Qualcomm Stadium concession workers would be rehired to work in the new stadium.
The council's Land Use and Housing Committee voted unanimously Thursday to forward the sale to the full City Council. But, in a sign that the labor dispute is still simmering, the committee declined to offer a recommendation on whether the sale should actually be approved.
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"I very much hope that our partners can work together to find a resolution and to do what's right by our workers and by our community," Councilmember Stephen Whitburn said.
Councilmember Chris Cate alluded to the labor dispute, saying "things are at play," but said the sale of the final 2 acres should not be used as a bargaining chip.
"We entered into an agreement for this, the voters spoke decisively on this, we spent numerous hours — staff spent numerous hours — developing this and trying to move this along," Cate said. "Let's get this across the finish line."
SDSU says its newly built Snapdragon Stadium is still on track to open for Aztec football games in the fall.
