The Next Phase of SDSU Mission Valley

By Ryan Brothers

This story was published in the Summer 2023 Issue of SDSU Magazine.

Since opening in September, Snapdragon Stadium has become the new home for Aztec football as well as professional rugby and soccer. Now the stadium is making room for Major League Soccer’s newest team, which will start play in 2025. The May announcement came just months after approximately 32,000 San Diego Wave FC fans broke the National Women’s Soccer League regular-season single-game attendance record. (The previous record was 25,218, set in 2019 in Portland.)
 
The momentum continues this year: The stadium will host more than 45 special events, including concerts by Coldplay, Guns N’ Roses and P!NK.

But Snapdragon isn’t the only project in play at SDSU Mission Valley. There are others on the horizon for the mixed-use, transit-oriented development that are moving along as planned. Upon full buildout, the site will include 80 acres of parks and open space, up to 4,600 market-rate and affordable housing units, 1.6 million square feet of office, technology, laboratory and research space, 90,000 square feet of retail space and a hotel. Here’s what to expect next:
 
Innovation district
The first innovation district project will provide 315,000 square feet of leading-edge facilities for research and innovation in three buildings designed and built by LPC West. This includes the headquarters for Techstars San Diego Powered by San Diego State University, a startup business incubator, that will further amplify SDSU’s economic impact to the region. Expected completion: 2026.
 
River Park
As the neighborhood grows, it will flow into the new 34-acre river park with access to multiuse fields, bike paths and walking trails. With natural shade from the elevated trolley line and native trees, the park will encourage outdoor leisure year-round. The area will also help restore the ecosystem by reintroducing dozens of native floras to the region. Expected completion: end of 2023.
 
Residential and Retail Space
The first market-rate residential and retail project, including approximately 600 apartments and 30,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, will be developed by AvalonBay Communities. The apartments will be a mix of studio through three-bedroom units, and the neighborhood-serving retail space will provide a variety of options, including a grocery store, for those living and working on-site. Expected completion: 2026.

Affordable housing
An affordable housing development, led by Chelsea Investment Corporation, will support tenants averaging 50% area median income. The first project will consist of approximately 180 units, ranging from one-bedroom through four-bedrooms, and a community-serving child care facility to support up to 70 preschool and pre-K children. At full buildout, 10% of all housing units on-site will be restricted for affordable housing. Expected completion: 2027.