Interesting story in the Watchdog column of the San Diego Union Tribune about a consultant, Conventions Sports & Leisure International, that has a “record of sunny forecasts” on stadium impacts. Â CSL has been quite active in the stadium impact business, it seems.
Last week, a CSL report stated that each $1 of public investment in Petco Park (home of the San Diego Padres) was “met by more than $5 in private investment.”  Is that cause for celebration?  Maybe.  The story provides links to the report (so you be the judge) along with other reports issued by CSL.  Kudos to Watchdog for posting those, along with the wry comment that CSL “could be warming up to examine a proposed Chargers relocation. If the firm’s previous analyses are any guide, expect promising forecasts for stadium boosters.”
A friend of mine lives in San Diego, loves baseball, and told me about these “5 to 1” claims several years ago. Â He believes Petco Park did make a difference to the re-development of San Diego’s Gaslamp District, primarily by providing a physical barrier between the district and the unsightly — by today’s standards — railyards. Â (See the picture on p. 2 of the CSL report). Â But he’s a skeptic of the 5-1 claim. Â The report (p. 69) lists $1.79 billion in increased property value due to the ballpark. Â Wow, that’s a big number! Â One interpretation of this figure is that there is a large negative externality associated with the San Diego railyards.
Conventions Sports & Leisure International walks, talks and plays like a shill for all the factions that benefit from huge public works corporate welfare projects…architectural firms, builders, union labor, team owners, hotel and travel interests..
The figures above are as bogus as the Governments “jobs saved” numbers…in other words laughable. If only the tax payers weren’t picking up the bills.
San Diego made the right choice. Petco Park changed everything about the downtown area. My ‘yes’ vote on Prop. C helped. Baseball is important to a community (just look at Lake Elsinore). It’s more important than the Chargers (say good bye to them soon). And more important than Comic-Con (say good bye to them soon too.) I don’t mind the rail yard. I do mind $27 mllion being spent on a ‘walking’ bridge. Just random thoughts from someone who lives in America’s Finest City. Time to head out into the blue 🙂