After nearly two years of negotiating and planning, a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the upcoming construction of San Diego State University's new stadium was held at the Mission Valley site.
SDSU officially took ownership of the Mission Valley stadium site on Thursday after much negotiation. Ultimately, the San Diego City Council voted in favor of selling the site to the university for a cool $86.2 million. The project came to be after voters in San Diego approved Measure G in November 2018.
Prior to the sale, the city had been paying $1 million each month for the property.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, a public groundbreaking ceremony was not be held. However, Aztecs fans were able to tune in for the momentous occasion via livestream.
“This is not the groundbreaking ceremony originally imagined prior to the onset of COVID-19, however, to celebrate this historic occasion with San Diego, the university has opted to create a livestream, which can be accessed on the SDSU homepage and will be recorded,” the university said in a statement.
During the ceremony, Mayor Kevin Faulconer said that although the current stadium will always be a part of the city's history, San Diego is ready to head to the next chapter.
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Ecstatic car honks in support of the long-awaited ceremony could be heard in between speakers.
The ceremony ended with a video compilation of the university's marching band and cheerleaders performing.
The property will boast a 35,000 capacity Aztec Stadium, new classroom facilities, a hotel, 95,000 square feet of retail space and a river park that will be publicly accessible.
