Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Escondido Hears About Lake Elsinore’s Ballpark Experience

The Escondido Democratic Club held a meeting at their headquarters in downtown Escondido on October 9. Open to the public, the meeting’s purpose was to hear presentations by San Diego Padres representatives along with pro and con voices from the community regarding the proposed ballpark in Escondido.

Mayoral candidates Sam Abed, Tom D’Agosta, and Joe Bologna and city-council candidates Jim Crone, Carmen Miranda, and Ed Gallo gave brief statements to the 100-plus attendees.

Although not currently serving on the city council, Ed Gallo stated that he is “...predisposed that this is not a good deal for the City of Escondido. I don’t like the idea of indenturing our future redevelopment money for the next 25 years. We have other major issues in this town that the money could be better used for.”

Councilman Sam Abed stated, “The ballpark is probably the most critical decision the council will make for the future economic prosperity of Escondido. [The ballpark] could be the most exciting thing that happens to Escondido; it could be a financial liability for a long time.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

To give the perspective of real-world experience, Gary Washburn, the mayor of Lake Elsinore in 1994, described the experience of building a ballpark complex in his city. It wasn’t until now, Washburn asserted, 15 years after construction, that Lake Elsinore is making the project economically viable with the addition of homes, an educational complex, and retail establishments.

Unable to estimate a return on investment, Washburn stated that the City of Lake Elsinore pays $250,000 annually in operating expenses and will be free of that cost in a year or two.

Washburn described three major difficulties that caused the ballpark's cost to go from $18 million to $21 million.

The first was the economic climate: “We were in a recession; we thought we would come out of it, but it kept going.” The second was the State of California: “They came down like an IRS agent and took $3 million from our [redevelopment] fund.” And, lastly, “The City tried to build and operate the facility. Cities probably should build things but they should not operate businesses like ballpark operations.”

Steve Peace of the Padres and Erik Judson, a consultant, described their background and expertise from their involvement with Petco Park. Judson said, “We are in the business of developing projects that are of great benefit to the broader community as well as their prime partners.”

Judson described his analysis of why it makes sense to build the ballpark in Escondido: close to Padres home field, proximity to north San Diego and southern Riverside county population, ease of freeway access and existing high quality infrastructure.

The reason the location of the ballpark is under wraps, explained Judson, is to prevent speculators from bidding up neighboring property prices and thus costing the City more. Financial details are still in negotiation and were not disclosed. The City Council intends to make a decision by December 1, as Padres ownership has until that date to exercise its option to purchase the Portland Beavers.

Escondido will consider signing a memorandum of understanding with the Padres at the October 27 city-council meeting.

Photo: Padres consultant Erik Judson

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Best Kratom Capsules: Top Brands, Benefits & Where To Buy

The Escondido Democratic Club held a meeting at their headquarters in downtown Escondido on October 9. Open to the public, the meeting’s purpose was to hear presentations by San Diego Padres representatives along with pro and con voices from the community regarding the proposed ballpark in Escondido.

Mayoral candidates Sam Abed, Tom D’Agosta, and Joe Bologna and city-council candidates Jim Crone, Carmen Miranda, and Ed Gallo gave brief statements to the 100-plus attendees.

Although not currently serving on the city council, Ed Gallo stated that he is “...predisposed that this is not a good deal for the City of Escondido. I don’t like the idea of indenturing our future redevelopment money for the next 25 years. We have other major issues in this town that the money could be better used for.”

Councilman Sam Abed stated, “The ballpark is probably the most critical decision the council will make for the future economic prosperity of Escondido. [The ballpark] could be the most exciting thing that happens to Escondido; it could be a financial liability for a long time.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

To give the perspective of real-world experience, Gary Washburn, the mayor of Lake Elsinore in 1994, described the experience of building a ballpark complex in his city. It wasn’t until now, Washburn asserted, 15 years after construction, that Lake Elsinore is making the project economically viable with the addition of homes, an educational complex, and retail establishments.

Unable to estimate a return on investment, Washburn stated that the City of Lake Elsinore pays $250,000 annually in operating expenses and will be free of that cost in a year or two.

Washburn described three major difficulties that caused the ballpark's cost to go from $18 million to $21 million.

The first was the economic climate: “We were in a recession; we thought we would come out of it, but it kept going.” The second was the State of California: “They came down like an IRS agent and took $3 million from our [redevelopment] fund.” And, lastly, “The City tried to build and operate the facility. Cities probably should build things but they should not operate businesses like ballpark operations.”

Steve Peace of the Padres and Erik Judson, a consultant, described their background and expertise from their involvement with Petco Park. Judson said, “We are in the business of developing projects that are of great benefit to the broader community as well as their prime partners.”

Judson described his analysis of why it makes sense to build the ballpark in Escondido: close to Padres home field, proximity to north San Diego and southern Riverside county population, ease of freeway access and existing high quality infrastructure.

The reason the location of the ballpark is under wraps, explained Judson, is to prevent speculators from bidding up neighboring property prices and thus costing the City more. Financial details are still in negotiation and were not disclosed. The City Council intends to make a decision by December 1, as Padres ownership has until that date to exercise its option to purchase the Portland Beavers.

Escondido will consider signing a memorandum of understanding with the Padres at the October 27 city-council meeting.

Photo: Padres consultant Erik Judson

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SDSU pres gets highest pay raise in state over last 15 years

Union-Tribune still stiffing downtown San Diego landlord?
Next Article

Flowering pear trees in Kensington not that nice

Empty dirt plots in front of Ken Cinema
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.