San Diego Chargers old stadium site turns into SDSU housing and park hub

What is happening at the former Chargers stadium site in San Diego

Nine years after the Chargers departed for Los Angeles, the 135-acre site of their former stadium in Mission Valley is turning into a full-scale residential and university district.

Where Qualcomm Stadium once sat surrounded by acres of asphalt, San Diego State University (SDSU) is constructing up to 4,600 homes, 1.6 million square feet of research and office space, and a 34-acre public park along the San Diego River.

The property, which SDSU purchased from the city at fair market value in 2020 after voters approved Measure G in 2018, already features the 35,000-seat Snapdragon Stadium. The venue opened in 2022 and hosts college football, San Diego Wave FC, San Diego FC, rugby and music festivals.

Apartment construction and infrastructure underway

Heavy construction moved onto the property near Snapdragon Stadium in mid-2025 as the first residential developments broke ground.

Avalon Mission Valley, a 621-apartment development featuring about 30,000 square feet of retail space and a planned grocery store, began construction in August 2025. In May 2026, SDSU and Chelsea Investment Corp broke ground on Addison, a 126-unit affordable housing project where 20 units are reserved for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Both projects expect to welcome their first residents in early 2028.

SDSU plans to reserve at least 10% of all future housing on the site for affordable units, equal to roughly 460 homes at full buildout.

Transport and access works are also advancing. Jacaranda Street reopened to traffic in July 2026, and work began in September 2026 on the Fenton Parkway Bridge, a high-water crossing over the San Diego River scheduled for completion in late 2027 for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

River park and Innovation District plan

The earliest completed section of the redevelopment, a 34-acre river park running alongside the San Diego River, opened in late 2023. Cellphone location data analyzed by SDSU recorded more than 400,000 visits to the park during 2025.

San Diego River Park Foundation chief executive Rob Hutsel said the new green space has reconnected the public with a natural waterway long hidden behind security fences and parking lots, which previously allowed unfiltered runoff to reach the river during heavy rains.

The university is also planning a 1.6 million-square-foot Innovation District focusing on technology, defence and environmental sciences. SDSU broke ground in December 2025 on its One Water Laboratory to study watershed science using the park's stormwater systems, while California awarded $3.95 million toward a planned National Security Hub on the site.

At full buildout, SDSU projects that the Mission Valley district will generate $3 billion in annual regional economic activity.