Rams owner building a stadium in LA.

[Chief Roundup]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la...ry.html#page=1

The owner of the St. Louis Rams plans to build an NFL stadium in Inglewood, which could pave the way for the league's return to Los Angeles.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, who bought 60 acres adjacent to the Forum a year ago, has joined forces with the owners of the 238-acre Hollywood Park site, Stockbridge Capital Group. They plan to add an 80,000-seat NFL stadium and 6,000-seat performance venue to the already-massive development of retail, office, hotel and residential space, Stockbridge and the Kroenke Group told The Times.

The announcement is the latest in more than a dozen stadium proposals that have come and gone in the meandering, two-decade effort to bring an NFL franchise back to the nation's second-largest media market. But Kroenke's move marks the first time an existing team owner has controlled a local site large enough for a stadium and parking.
Inglewood stadium project

What's more, Kroenke, a billionaire who built his fortune in real estate, has the ability to move quickly. The Rams can choose later this month to convert their lease in St. Louis to year-to-year. The Rams declined comment on any plans to move, but it's no secret that the team is unhappy in the Edward Jones Dome, which is outdated by current NFL standards.

Kroenke's Inglewood plans ratchet up pressure on St. Louis to either strike a deal for a new stadium or watch the team return to Southern California, where it played from 1946 to 1994.

Under their current deal, the Rams can end their 30-year lease a decade early because they have not reached an agreement with St. Louis officials on improvements to the stadium. The sides remain about $575 million apart. St. Louis is expected to offer the team a new proposal by month's end.

The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders are similarly unhappy in old stadiums that don't offer updated amenities. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would not be accepting relocation applications for the 2015 season. So the earliest any team could move would be 2016. Any team that moves could play in a temporary venue, such as the Coliseum or Rose Bowl, until a new stadium is constructed.

The Inglewood site Kroenke bought last year is too small for a stadium and parking, but the deal with Stockbridge, the neighboring developer, provides ample space.

"We are excited to unveil an expanded plan that will bring a world-class sports and entertainment district to Hollywood Park," Terry Fancher, founder of Stockbridge, said in a statement. "We are committed to working with [the Kroenke Group] to build a project that will put Inglewood back on the map as home of the truly great sports and entertainment venues."
NFL stadium

The developers said no tax dollars would be used for the construction project, including the stadium. The group plans to begin gathering signatures soon for an initiative that would place the entire project on the Inglewood municipal ballot in 2015.

Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. said he was "extremely supportive" of the ballot initiative that would add the sports and entertainment complex to the already-approved Hollywood Park development and speed construction. The stadium could be completed by 2018, the developers said.

"This will hasten the time for the citizens of Inglewood to get the project they deserve," Butts said. "This is something they have waited for for a long time."

The owners are calling the combined Kroenke and Hollywood Park projects the City of Champions Revitalization Project. Wilson Meany, a San Francisco firm, is heading development of the site. Wilson Meany is also developing Bay Meadows, a former horse racing track in San Mateo.

The developers want to restore Inglewood to prominence as a sports and entertainment hub. Before Staples Center was built in 1999, Inglewood's Forum was home to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team and Kings hockey team. The Forum was recently renovated to be a pure music venue.

Since the Raiders and Rams left after the 1994 season, the threat of moving to Los Angeles has been used as leverage by NFL teams looking to get stadium deals done in their current cities. In that sense, the region has been more valuable to the league without a team than with one.

Because stadiums are so expensive, now routinely topping $1 billion — and because there is no appetite in Los Angeles for public funding — the NFL has a great deal of influence on which team or teams ultimately move into the market. The league can issue loans to help pay for a stadium and award Super Bowls, which are used as a financing mechanism. Any relocation must be approved by a three-quarters majority of team owners.

As it stands, Los Angeles has two sites with the legal, political and environmental clearances for NFL venues: the Farmers Field plan downtown and Ed Roski's proposal in City of Industry. The stadium entitlement process, which invariably involves resolving lawsuits filed by people opposed to a given project, typically requires at least a year, thousands of pages of documents, and millions of dollars in legal and consulting fees.

The developers of the proposed downtown Los Angeles stadium, entertainment giant AEG, have a few more months to find a football team under an agreement with the city. AEG has vowed to build a stadium called Farmers Field along with a new wing for the city's convention center. The center's obsolete West Hall would be demolished to make way for Farmers Field.

AEG, an international sports and music entertainment firm founded by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, owns the Los Angeles Kings and the L.A. Galaxy soccer team.

Hollywood Park, through its sheer size, offers a rare opportunity for large-scale development in an urban area, industry observers said. At neary 300 acres, it is about the size of Boston's financial district and twice as big as Vatican City.

The developers aim to create a new neighborhood in Inglewood, with curving streets and parks. The first phase of construction that began in June includes preparation of the site and demolition of the racetrack and grandstands.

Wal-Mart originally owned the 60 acres adjacent to the Forum but sold it to Kroenke after failing to get public approval for a superstore. Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the Forum, had planned to buy the lot in order to acquire more space for parking and possibly additional development, but Kroenke beat them to it.

Kroenke is a former Wal-Mart board member and husband of Ann Walton Kroenke, daughter of Wal-Mart co-founder Bud Walton. Forbes magazine estimates Kroenke's net worth at $5.8 billion — not counting his wife's $5.6 billion — making him the NFL's second-richest owner to Seattle's Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder who is worth an estimated $17.1 billion.

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by Cochise

Good... St. Louis doesn't need a football team. They ran one off before and they don't support the one they have now...

LA has done it twice already.....what's your point?

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by POND_OF_RED

If your NFL team starts taking a backseat to your NHL team it's time to call it quits

Starts?

This city has been crazy about hockey from the time they entered the league in 1967.

Hell, I'd trade 5 Cardinals championships for one Stanley Cup, and a lot of people here would agree.

[BigChiefFan]

Originally Posted by Couch-Potato

If they stay it will only be bc they agree to terms on a new stadium that will be at least partially paid for with taxes.

If they move to LA, owner has to pay out of pocket for stadium. Los Angeles wont support a stadium built with taxes bc our city is broke : /

This whole thing is a power play to get St Louis to put tax money up for a new stadium. "If you won't pay for our stadium here in MO and we have to pay for it ourselves, we'll pay to build our new stadium in the 2nd largest market in North America."

Good point, but lets not act like it doesn't generate money for the state long term, which was my point.

[POND_OF_RED]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Starts?

This city has been crazy about hockey from the time they entered the league in 1967.

Hell, I'd trade 5 Cardinals championships for one Stanley Cup, and a lot of people here would agree.

I never even realized they didn't have one. That's even better. A team that's always failed in a failing league has more support than the team with a championship in the most popular sport in America! Awesome!

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Cochise

Good... St. Louis doesn't need a football team. They ran one off before and they don't support the one they have now...

St. Louis will always be a baseball town.

They do support the Blues pretty good.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Hell, I'd trade 5 Cardinals championships for one Stanley Cup, and a lot of people here would agree.

Hey wait a minute...........No deal pal!

[Jakemall]

Bring the Chiefs to LA and move the Rams to KC. Win!!!

[Mi_chief_fan]

St.Louis Rams just never sounded right to me. L.A. Rams just always sounded right.

[Chief Roundup]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Starts?

This city has been crazy about hockey from the time they entered the league in 1967.

Hell, I'd trade 5 Cardinals championships for one Stanley Cup, and a lot of people here would agree.

BULLSHIT

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by BigChiefFan

Why would you laugh? That's less revenue for the state. Guess who picks up the slack?

No, it's really not any less revenue for the state.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

70% of the seasons for the Rams/Cardinals have been losing seasons and you wonder why the fans don't show up. It's not a fan base problem, its been a team problem. Especially when the other two franchises in town win fairly consistently.

This

Nobody talked about a lack of fan support during the 'Greatest show on turf' years

Fans generally support winners

[jd1020]

Does Bradford get a plane ticket?

[Rams Fan]

Originally Posted by Pablo

All seven of the Rams fans are distraught.

Not a city that can support a football team.

That's bullshit. The team has been here for 20 seasons now. 4 winning seasons, 5 playoff appearances , 2 8-8 seasons, and 14 losing seasons. It's very ****ing hard to build a fan base when a team does not consistently win. The fans aren't the problem, city leadership that negotiated the lease is the ****ing problem. Giving a team the opportunity to leave after 20 years, after a new stadium was built, by having the lease go year to year if the stadium isn't top 25% of the NFL is just ****ing stupid.

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

70% of the seasons for the Rams/Cardinals have been losing seasons and you wonder why the fans don't show up. It's not a fan base problem, its been a team problem. Especially when the other two franchises in town win fairly consistently.

This. So much this.

[Sassy Squatch]

Originally Posted by Rams Fan

That's bullshit. The team has been here for 20 seasons now. 4 winning seasons, 5 playoff appearances , 2 8-8 seasons, and 14 losing seasons. It's very ****ing hard to build a fan base when a team does not consistently win. The fans aren't the problem, city leadership that negotiated the lease is the ****ing problem. Giving a team the opportunity to leave after 20 years, after a new stadium was built, by having the lease go year to year if the stadium isn't top 25% of the NFL is just ****ing stupid.



This. So much this.

Hug it out, bro?

[Couch-Potato]

Originally Posted by Jakemall

Bring the Chiefs to LA and move the Rams to KC. Win!!!

haha blasphemy! But that'd be great for me!