November 23, 2002

Padres charged with stadium "bait and switch"

The San Diego Padres have revised plans for development around their new stadium, replacing low-rise apartment buildings with high-rises, and largely eliminating views of the field from a picnic area beyond the outfield wall. One local developer told the Union-Tribune the new design constituted a "bait and switch" on plans approved in a public vote in 1998; Wayne Metlitz, a resident of the East Village neighborhood that had several blocks demolished to make way for the stadium, noted: "I think certainly the park was appealing to everybody, and it was a big draw to the project. I think it helped convince some people to vote for it."