The Midway Rising development on the Sports Arena property has long been disputed. But after years of delays, two new California laws may remove legal obstacles that have hindered the project’s progress.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 344 and Senate Bill 958 on Tuesday. The bills will change how the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) affects the Midway Rising development.

State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, MD, a democrat whose district includes the Midway area, introduced SB 344 with two other San Diego area state lawmakers, Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego, and Asm. Chris Ward, D-San Diego. It states that approved environmental impact reports for the Midway Rising development can be relied on for compliance with CEQA.

“It provides certainty,” said Midway Rising project spokesperson, Jeff Meyer. “It's the ability for our project to move forward with shovels in the ground at the end of next calendar year in 2027, should the project be approved at city council this fall.”

Midway Rising is a $3.9 billion project that will redevelop 49 acres of city-owned land on the Sports Arena site. It will add 4,254 new homes, 14.5 acres of open space, and a 16,000-seat entertainment center. Nearly 2,000 of the homes would be affordable, making it the largest affordable housing development in California history according to SB 344.

“At the end of the day it's about delivering desperately needed affordable housing and a brand new entertainment venue that will benefit not just the city but the entire region,” Meyer said.

The nonprofit organization Save Our Access, which supports maintaining a 30-foot building height limit in the coastal zone, sued the city over height limits for the Midway project. In response to the governor signing the new laws, John McNab, who leads the group, said he is concerned that moving forward with the development will create congestion and limit coastal access.

“It's the definition of a government that doesn't care about human need,” McNab said. “It's a major social justice issue. But again, where do you go? We fight.”

McNab said Save Our Access will continue to assess new avenues to push back against the project.