Dateline Carson — Carson Mayor Albert Robles thanked the NFL and Carson’s partners, the Chargers and Raiders, for the opportunity to participate in the competition to build a pro football stadium in Southern California.
The mayor made his remarks after NFL owners voted yesterday to allow the rival stadium project in Inglewood to proceed, clearing the way for the St. Louis Rams to return, with the Chargers having a year to decide whether to join them.
“This NFL bidding process has put Carson on the map as a city that has the wherewithal to compete in the big leagues for development opportunities,” said Mr. Robles.
“In just a few short months, our city attorney’s Office and the City Council put together one of the most complicated transactions in Southern California in decades.”
“Carson will now re-start our original plan for building out our 157-acre property in partnership with one of the nation’s largest commercial developers,” the mayor said.
For the past year Carson has been locked into an agreement with the Chargers and Raiders to develop a football stadium on the city-owned 157-acre site just south of the junction of the 405 and 110 freeways.
In April that agreement will expire and the city will be freed of its commitment to the teams.
“After April, for the first time ever, the city will be in complete control of the destiny of this shovel-ready, hugely valuable, strategically located property,” said Mr. Robles.
“We have been in talks with a nationally prominent developer who has been patiently waiting in the wings. Now we can turn our focus to completing those negotiations. We are excited about this new opportunity.”
Meeting in Houston, the NFL owners late yesterday agreed on a plan to build a $2 billion stadium in Inglewood as the future home of the Rams. They gave the Chargers a one-year option to join the Rams in Inglewood.
“We wish Inglewood and our former partners, the Chargers and the Raiders, the best of luck,” said Mr. Robles.
Meanwhile, Carson city leaders also said they will be watching with interest how a preliminary ruling by the Federal Aviation Administration may affect the Inglewood stadium project.
Two months ago, the FAA issued a “notice of presumed hazard” that concludes the Inglewood stadium’s height, building design and composition posed a major flight risk for jetliners at LAX.
The proposed stadium is three miles from LAX and is directly under the flight path taken by hundreds of planes daily as they approach LAX to land.
Former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge and others repeatedly have warned about the public safety dangers posed by the proposed Inglewood stadium’s proximity to LAX’s flight operations.
Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke has submitted a plan to deal with the FAA’s concerns. It remains to be seen whether the FAA or others, including the pilots’ association and passenger consumer groups, will be satisfied that an Inglewood stadium can co-exist safely with LAX.
“If the league must revisit this issue, Carson stands ready,” said Mr. Robles. “Our site will be exclusively available as a stadium site until at least April when our current agreement with the Chargers and Raiders expires.”
Mr. Schwada may be contacted at John.schwada@gmail.com
