With National City out of contention for a new Chargers stadium, team executives must now decide whether they can strike a deal in Oceanside or Chula Vista.

Months ago, Oceanside officials identified Center City Golf Course as the only location for a stadium in that city, and the team has been doing extensive study of it.

But last week, the Oceanside City Council voted 4-0, with Mayor Jim Wood absent, to spend $96,000 on a study of the golf course site for alternative uses that do not include a stadium. The vote, part of the council's adoption of the city's $115.5 million annual budget, may indicate a softening of support for a stadium.

"We'll look at our options," Councilman Rocky Chavez said. "If I'm (Chargers President Dean) Spanos, I've got to be thinking that I'm not the only girl on the dance floor."

Chula Vista's sites include vacant private property on its east side and government-owned land near San Diego Bay. The Chargers are paying for a study of the sites, and the team will wait for the results before deciding whether to pursue a deal there.

"This is very difficult work," Chargers spokesman Mark Fabiani said. "When this is over, I'll be surprised if we have one site that works."

Team executives say they want to identify a site this year and negotiate a development agreement with the selected city that would be placed on the November 2008 ballot.

Chargers executives say they want to pay to build the stadium, and want to develop offices, housing, retail, entertainment or some other project adjacent to the stadium - or perhaps on a second site - to generate money to cover the costs of the facility.

The city selected will be expected to become an investment partner in the stadium project in any of several ways, including providing land at favorable terms to the team or adopting zoning changes.

The city would also have to negotiate with the team to determine who pays for game day costs, including police, fire, ambulance, security and cleanup.

When it comes to siting something as big as a stadium, there are no perfect locations. The Chargers are evaluating each site for economic potential, ease of transportation and parking. This year the team will play its 40th season at Qualcomm Stadium.

Oceanside offers the team access to untapped corporate and fan support from Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. It has freeway access from Interstate 5 and ample rail access.

The site - just northeast of the I-5/Oceanside Boulevard interchange - has ocean views. Its main drawback is its size.

The city's golf course and surrounding property is 95 acres. The stadium would cover about 25 acres. But the team is considering construction of an adjacent village of high-end offices and parking garages, which the city suggested as a development option, Fabiani said. It would be a tight fit, he said.

Last week, the team hired an Orange County consultant specializing in office development to determine whether the Oceanside site is suitable for the office market.

Chula Vista has ample property to accommodate a stadium complex and an adjacent development, although most of the land is privately owned. The team would have to pay market rates for the property, adding to project costs.

Two major land holders have vacant property on the east side of Chula Vista, where there are plans for a multicollege campus. Fabiani said the team could build a stadium alongside the campus, as well as a village of housing, retail, restaurants and other businesses to service it.

"Chula Vista's selling point is that you can do it all here," Fabiani said. "That's a huge point."

But transportation in and out of inland Chula Vista would be a major problem. The state Highway 125 toll road would be the only major freeway near the site. The city has plans to use dedicated street lanes to run buses with doors that open and close like a trolley from east to west in the city, but no firm date for implementation.

"There is no mass transit and lots of fans would have to drive across the city on game days," Fabiani said. "Traffic would be jammed on east to west thoroughfares on Sunday afternoons and evenings. It's grim. There's no way to sugarcoat it."

Chula Vista also has a site near San Diego Bay that is occupied by the South Bay Power Plant, which is scheduled to be torn down in 2010.

The property is owned by the San Diego Unified Port District and is under the jurisdiction of the state Coastal Commission. Fabiani said the commission might not support construction of a bayfront stadium.

Chula Vista and the port are trying to work out a development deal for a billion-dollar hotel and convention center on property to the north of the power plant, but that agreement has hit some snags. Such turbulence could also affect a stadium deal, Fabiani said.

"Uncertainty is the enemy of any project," he said.