SDSU Transforms Former Chargers Stadium Site Into Riverfront Community

Nearly a decade after the San Diego Chargers moved to Los Angeles, San Diego State University is reshaping the former stadium property in Mission Valley into a mixed-use community featuring public parks, housing, sports facilities and retail. The redevelopment reconnects residents with the San Diego River while creating new opportunities for recreation and residential growth on land the city previously owned.

According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the transformation includes a 34-acre public park with walking trails, playing fields, playgrounds and landscaped basins designed to filter stormwater. A two-mile loop accommodates walkers and cyclists, while an existing Metropolitan Transit System trolley station provides access without requiring a car.

The San Diego River Park Foundation has advocated for greater public access to the 52-mile waterway for more than two decades. Its president and CEO, Rob Hutsel, described the environmental improvements as a significant change for the river.

"There was a fence and then there was some green thing behind it," said Hutsel, co-founder, president and CEO of the San Diego River Park Foundation.

Before redevelopment, extensive parking lots separated the stadium grounds from the river. Rainwater runoff carried pollutants toward the waterway, while fences restricted public access to the riverbank.

"It is wonderful to see … dozens of acres of green space where there once was a sea of cars," Hutsel said.

He also described the ecological impact of the project in direct terms.

"a game changer for the river," Hutsel said.

The Chargers' departure in 2017 also opened the door for competing redevelopment proposals. In 2018, voters rejected the SoccerCity initiative, with 67.4% voting against it, and approved SDSU West with 54.5% support. San Diego State purchased the property at fair market value in 2020.

Gina Jacobs, SDSU's associate vice president for Mission Valley Development, said the university initially explored ways to keep the Chargers in San Diego before pursuing its own expansion plans after the team left.

"I think we were in the ‘How can we help you stay?’ camp," Jacobs said.

Snapdragon Stadium opened in 2022 with 35,000 seats. Beyond college football, the venue hosts San Diego Wave FC, San Diego FC, rugby, concerts and festivals. The River Park opened in late 2023, ahead of the stadium project's required deadline.

Jacobs said the stadium was designed to serve multiple sports and community uses rather than function exclusively as a football venue.

"We talked about it, not just as a football facility, but as something that was going to support soccer as well," Jacobs said.

SDSU estimated that the park received more than 400,000 visits in 2025, using cellphone-location data. The figure includes people attending stadium events as well as visitors using the trails, fields and playgrounds.

Jacobs said attendance had surpassed her expectations despite the absence of residents and workers on the redevelopment site.

"It has exceeded my expectations in terms of usage," Jacobs said, "and that’s before we have anyone living or working on the site."

Hutsel welcomed the redevelopment as an opportunity to bring the public closer to the river after years of limited access.

"From a San Diego River Park Foundation and a personal perspective," Hutsel said, "it’s really exciting, and it’s been a remarkable transformation over a relatively short period of time."

Construction is now expanding beyond recreational facilities. Avalon Mission Valley, which broke ground in August 2025, is planned to include 621 apartments and approximately 30,000 square feet of retail space, including a grocery store.

In May 2026, SDSU and Chelsea Investment Corp. broke ground on Addison, a 126-unit affordable housing development. Both projects are expected to welcome their first residents in early 2028.

At full buildout, SDSU plans to provide as many as 4,600 homes, with at least 10% designated as affordable housing. The university's first affordable housing phase, Addison, will maintain income restrictions for 55 years and prioritize eligible SDSU employees. Twenty apartments are reserved for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

Infrastructure improvements are also underway. Construction on the Fenton Parkway Bridge began in September 2026, with completion scheduled for fall 2027. The bridge is designed to accommodate motorists, pedestrians and cyclists during high-water conditions. Jacaranda Street reopened in July 2026.

Jacobs said the university intends to continue advancing development projects while addressing financial and construction challenges.

"The transformation is taking place," Jacobs said.

The Chargers' relocation also changed business conditions around the former stadium and elsewhere in San Diego. A separate Union-Tribune analysis published October 2 found that the team's departure reduced customer traffic for some bars, restaurants, retailers and hotels, even as the broader regional economy continued to grow.

San Diego County's inflation-adjusted gross domestic product increased 8.6% from 2016 through 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, while the Los Angeles metropolitan area grew 10.3%. San Diego metropolitan employment rose 5.7%, compared with 4.2% in Los Angeles, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Taxable transactions increased 10.3% in San Diego County and 11.4% in Los Angeles over the same period, according to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. San Diego's leisure and hospitality employment grew 11.4%, while visitor spending increased from approximately $10.4 billion in 2016 to $11.6 billion in 2019, according to tourism data cited by the newspaper.

Sports economist Andrew Zimbalist, professor emeritus at Smith College, cautioned that broad economic comparisons cannot establish the independent effect of a team's relocation. He said research has generally found limited evidence that professional football teams generate substantial metropolitan economic growth.

"The general finding of economists who have looked at this is that adding an NFL team to your city doesn’t have a positive economic impact," Zimbalist said.

He explained that losing a team does not necessarily eliminate the money previously spent on games because residents may redirect their spending to other local businesses and activities.

"And therefore, if you lose an NFL team, it won’t have a negative impact," Zimbalist said.

Zimbalist described this shift in consumer spending as the substitution effect.

"The substitution effect means that the activity is displaced," Zimbalist said.

He further explained where that spending may move within a city.

"It’s displaced from one area of the city to another," Zimbalist said.

At the neighborhood level, however, the loss of football crowds affected businesses that had depended on game-day traffic. The Union-Tribune reported that downtown bar Barleymash lost $1 million in revenue in 2017, while Sports Fever at Westfield Mission Valley reported a $250,000 decline. The Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley estimated that losing NFL games cost it between $50,000 and $75,000 that year.

Ian Linekin, owner of McGregor's Bar & Grill near the former stadium, said the restaurant had developed a customer base beyond football fans since opening in 1996.

"Anybody that bases their business off of eight games a year shouldn’t be in business," Linekin said.

McGregor's also faced an earlier challenge when the San Diego Padres moved downtown after the 2003 season, taking 81 baseball dates away from the surrounding area. Linekin said the business adapted by serving neighborhood customers and maintaining its regular clientele.

Reflecting on the reduced game-day business after the Chargers left, Linekin acknowledged that the former crowds have not been replaced on the same scale.

"I wouldn’t say it’s on par," Linekin said.