A meeting between the San Diego Chargers and a developer interested in helping the team build an NFL stadium in Escondido reportedly went well Monday, although specific details from the discussions were not divulged.

Mark Fabiani, general counsel for the Chargers, said four representatives the developer sent to the meeting appeared to have a good grasp of the potential project's opportunities and challenges.

"We knew this was a major developer who was going to ask the difficult questions, which they did," Fabiani said. "And we answered those questions as best we can. We didn't expect a verdict today. This is a complicated project, and people have to go back and evaluate it. But clearly, people understand the idea and are interested in it."

The stadium would be combined with condominiums, offices or retail shops.

Chargers and city officials are looking a deteriorating industrial area south of Highway 78 and east of Interstate 15 as the site for a stadium complex. The site includes a 12-acre swap meet that could be combined with adjacent vacant and underused parcels to yield the 30 to 60 acres Chargers officials have said they need for a new stadium.

Escondido Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler and Dave Ferguson, an Escondido attorney spearheading the effort to bring the NFL football team to town, also attended the meeting.

The Chargers have said "ancillary" development is necessary to generate the $400 million the team needs to bridge a funding gap for the $800 million project.

"We went over the stadium proposal, talked about what might be included in the complex, including ancillary development, what that might cost, and how much revenue it might generate," Ferguson said. "The developer's going to digest all the information and get back to us in two weeks or so with their comments and analysis."

Both Ferguson and Fabiani said no previously unknown hurdles to building in Escondido came up during the meeting. The men declined to identify the developer, saying the company asked them not to for competitive reasons.

Ferguson described the company as a "very strong, nationally known" developer.

"We only want to talk to people who would be capable of tackling such a large project," he said.

Pfeiler could not be reached Monday for comment.

The meeting came less than three weeks after the Chargers disclosed the team had been eyeing potential Escondido sites for its new stadium. The city is the latest of several the Chargers have looked at since the team launched its search several years ago for a home to replace outdated Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley.

The team considered rebuilding that stadium but ruled out the possibility after San Diego officials nixed the team's proposal to use 60 acres of the stadium's parking lot for a hotel, condominiums, offices and shops. The Chargers also looked at sites in Chula Vista, Oceanside and National City.

Escondido was added to the list after the team ran into obstacles in the other cities.

Chargers officials have said the site in Escondido is especially attractive because it's close to the Sprinter light rail line and freeways that provide easy access to San Diego, coastal North County and Riverside County.

The project hinges on whether the stadium can be privately funded. The developer at Monday's meeting was one of several who have expressed interest in providing capital for the ancillary project.

The Chargers are still considering Oceanside and downtown San Diego as potential locations for a new stadium. Fabiani said that although it was difficult to rank the three cities, the enthusiam among city and local leaders in Escondido is a plus.

He also said the team will discuss the proposal with a couple of other developers while waiting for the first company's response.

Call staff writer Andrea Moss at 760-739-6654.