flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

San Diego Chargers announce plan for downtown stadium and convention center

Sports and Recreational Facilities

San Diego Chargers announce plan for downtown stadium and convention center

The project will be funded primarily by a tax increase on hotel stays.


By Mike Chamernik, Associate Editor | April 1, 2016
San Diego Chargers announce plan for downtown stadium and convention center

Qualcomm Stadium, the San Diego Chargers' current home. Photo: SD Dirk/Creative Commons

The San Diego Chargers released a 110-page report regarding details of a $1.8 billion plan for a new football stadium and convention center in downtown San Diego.

The stadium and convention center will be funded by a 4% tax increase on hotel stays. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the proposed hotel tax rate, 16.5%, will be one of the country’s highest. 

But the rate will spare taxpayers of a large financial burden. Funding will come from the hotel tax increase and $650 million from the Chargers and the NFL.

The Chargers will sign a 30-year lease and a non-relocation agreement, and they will be responsible for any construction cost overruns and future stadium improvements.

The new report is the first step toward gaining 70,000 signatures by June so that the plan can be included on California ballots this November. 

A final architectural plan has not been determined. Options include building the convention center either underneath or next to the stadium. Dubbed the "convadium," it will be built near Petco Park, where the San Diego Padres of MLB play.

Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers' current 70,000-seat home, was built in 1967 and is the NFL’s fifth-oldest stadium. The team desires a new home, either in San Diego or elsewhere.

Los Angeles has been a possibility for the last several years. This winter, the NFL approved the St. Louis Rams’ proposal for a new $3 billion stadium in Inglewood (just outside of L.A.), and the league rejected a joint stadium venture in the city for the Chargers and Oakland Raiders. The Chargers have a year to decide whether they want to move to Los Angeles and share a stadium with the Rams.

Related Stories

Giants 400 | Oct 17, 2023

Top 130 Sports Facility Architecture Firms for 2023

Populous, Gensler, HOK, and HKS head BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest sports facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.

Contractors | Sep 25, 2023

Balfour Beatty expands its operations in Tampa Bay, Fla.

Balfour Beatty is expanding its leading construction operations into the Tampa Bay area offering specialized and expert services to deliver premier projects along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Mixed-Use | Sep 20, 2023

Tampa Bay Rays, Hines finalize deal for a stadium-anchored multiuse district in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team announced that it has reached an agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County on a $6.5 billion, 86-acre mixed-use development that will include a new 30,000-seat ballpark and an array of office, housing, hotel, retail, and restaurant space totaling 8 million sf.

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Sep 1, 2023

New Tennessee Titans stadium conceived to maximize types of events that can be hosted

The new Tennessee Titans stadium was conceived to maximize the number and type of events that the facility can host. In addition to serving as the home of the NFL’s Titans, the facility will be a venue for numerous other sporting, entertainment, and civic events. The 1.7-million sf, 60,000-seat, fully enclosed stadium will be built on the east side of the current stadium campus. 

Adaptive Reuse | Aug 31, 2023

Small town takes over big box

GBBN associate Claire Shafer, AIA, breaks down the firm's recreational adaptive reuse project for a small Indiana town.

Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023

Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023

Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.

Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023

2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms

A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.

Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023

Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023

Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.

Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 26, 2023

10 ways public aquatic centers and recreation centers benefit community health

A new report from HMC Architects explores the critical role aquatic centers and recreation centers play in society and how they can make a lasting, positive impact on the people they serve.

Standards | Jun 26, 2023

New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings

The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category


Mixed-Use

A surging master-planned community in Utah gets its own entertainment district

Since its construction began two decades ago, Daybreak, the 4,100-acre master-planned community in South Jordan, Utah, has been a catalyst and model for regional growth. The latest addition is a 200-acre mixed-use entertainment district that will serve as a walkable and bikeable neighborhood within the community, anchored by a minor-league baseball park and a cinema/entertainment complex.


Cultural Facilities

Multipurpose sports facility will be first completed building at Obama Presidential Center

When it opens in late 2025, the Home Court will be the first completed space on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. Located on the southwest corner of the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Home Court will be the largest gathering space on the campus. Renderings recently have been released of the 45,000-sf multipurpose sports facility and events space designed by Moody Nolan.


halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021