Los Angeles Football Stadium

The NFL welcomes THE LOS ANGELES ...("grain of salt edition")

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: This is purely a rumor since I obtained this information from a "source". Apparently the NFL is looking to fill the NFL void in Los Angeles within the next 2-3 years. Recently there has been a proposal to build a stadium and Roger Goodell is weighing his options.

Option #1: Relocation of current NFL teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills and the Oakland Raiders (if Al Davis passes in the next 2 years). I'm not sure if these teams will keep their current logos etc or just move the franchise (i.e how the Cleveland Browns became the Baltimore Ravens).

Option #2: The NFL will create new teams for both the AFC and NFC. The prime candidates are LA and San Antonio. There was also the idea of having 2 Los Angeles based teams (NFC/AFC) to take advantage of the second largest market in the U.S. when it comes to football/accumulating revenue.

The next "phase" might include teams ...

Deal for public land makes NFL stadium more likely

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 7:00:00 +0000

City leaders will move mountains to bring a professional-football stadium to Southern California. They'll also build sewers, construct streets and install utilities, according to a contract at City Hall.

And they'll give developer Majestic Realty Co. free use of $600 million to $800 million in public land for 65 years. In return, the city will get half the profits.

It's a deal that makes sense for both sides, said John Semcken, a vice president of Majestic Realty Co. and lead for the stadium project...

"We'll get our money back," Mayor Dave Perez said. "Think about it. We still own the land. And think about how high rent is going to be in 50 years. We're getting paid back and then some."

Majestic's proposal to build an $800 million stadium and retail complex by 2011 has been called an "interesting possibility" by NFL officials. Majestic Chairman Ed Roski Jr. said he hopes to have an environmental review on the project wrapped up by ...

The other side of the stadium game

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: ...As the Colts prepare to open Lucas Oil Field, it's worth pointing out there is at least one team whose dream of a similar facility remains in the far-distant future -- if at all.

The Minnesota Vikings have been lobbying for a new stadium since the middle of the 1990s, spanning three ownership groups, and to date have made only incremental progress. Their lease at the Metrodome expires after the 2011 season, and the price on owner Zygi Wilf's proposal for a new facility is expected to rise well above $1 billion when the final figures come in...

The NFL has embraced a recent proposal to build a privately financed stadium in California's City of Industry. Renderings of the stadium, proposed by Los Angeles businessman Ed Roski, can be seen here.

On the Web site, Roski's group hints that it has made contact with multiple NFL teams but adds: "We can not disclose which teams we are talking with."

If you're a conspiracy theorist, yo...

New Stadiums Set High Bar for Rest of the NFL

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: ...If St. Louis loses its NFL team after the 2014 season, it can be pinned on the new stadiums being built by the Cowboys and Jets/ Giants. Since these facilities will utilize every sort of revenue-building device available to them, cities such as St. Louis will either have to scramble to find funding to upgrade its football facility or build a new stadium entirely.

There are rumors that the owners of the St. Louis Rams are looking at Los Angeles as a destination in about seven years, when an escape clause in the Rams' current 30-year deal kicks in: The Rams have to be in the upper 25% of stadium revenues; otherwise ownership is free to move, despite having 10 years left on the lease. Rams owner Georgia Frontiere moved her team from Anaheim to St. Louis after the 1994 season, because the city offered her the keys to the city's new domed stadium, which was built as part of a convention center. The stadium is just 13 years old, but with new stadiums com...

Roski's vision: Football field or fairy tale?

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: ... BILLIONAIRE developer Ed Roski has unveiled plans to build a stadium right here in our very own San Gabriel Valley aimed at luring the National Football League back to Los Angeles, where it has been absent since 1994.

That's great news. It was also great news when similar plans were announced for the Rose Bowl, Hollywood Park, Dodger Stadium, the city of Commerce and various other schemes.

"I think this is important for Los Angeles, for the fabric of the city," said Roski, who along with Philip Anschutz built Staples Center. "The city has done real well without the NFL, and the NFL has done real well without the city. But I think it's important to have a professional football team in Los Angeles."

Roski controls the land necessary to build the stadium and already has a certified environmental impact report for the site, according to published reports.

The price tag: $800 million or so, which is cheap compared with other st...

Fox & Hound: CA will benefit overall as Roski and NFL move toward LA Stadium deal

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: ...Several proposals for new football stadiums in the greater Los Angleles area have come and gone over the past twenty years, but none has appeared to be quite as refined or thought out as that put forth by Roski. Aspects of the stadium design, such as the use of hilly terrain to vastly reduce the cost of construction and the multi-use capabilities of the planned surrounding development, as well as Roski's surprising success in gaining support from local elected officials in the City of Industry, where the proposed stadium site is located, gives the plan a strong possibility of success...

Best case scenario -- a strong possibility exists that California could see four state-of-the-art sports venues open in the next seven years, along with a potential investment of eight billion dollars into the state economy from construction alone. Cities would benefit by owning and operating versatile facilities that could attract events such as the World Cup, NCAA tourna...

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: NFL calls Roski stadium proposal "interesting possibility"

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: ... Ed Roski Jr. has made a significant gain on his proposal to build a football stadium on the east side of the city. National Football League officials, who initially had little reaction to Roski's proposal, now call the plan "an interesting possibility" after a sit-down meeting earlier this week with officials from Roski's Majestic Realty Co. "At their request, the Roski group provided us an update on their stadium project," wrote NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy in an email to this paper. "Mr. Roski's site certainly seems to present an interesting possibility. The permitting and construction processes seem to be more defined than other sites we have seen." … Majestic Realty Co. Vice President John Semcken, who is the lead for the project, said the NFL brass are now showing a little enthusiasm. "They have seen the plan now," he said of a meeting he had Monday at the NFL headquarters in New York. "They're very impressed." … After putting up a www.losangelesfootballstad...

Orange County Business Journal: Developer Appeals to Anaheim, OC with NFL Plan

Mon, 2 Jun 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: ...The building of a stadium and the luring of a team to City of Industry—just beyond the county line from Brea—stands to benefit hotels in Anaheim and the rest of OC ... The 75,000-seat stadium would be where the 57 and 60 freeways meet. The Los Angeles County site would put it in reach of 12 million people in a 25-mile radius, including in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. A football stadium in City of Industry could mean as much as $400 million in yearly revenue to businesses and bring more than 3,000 jobs to the area, according to John Semcken, a vice president with Majestic...

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Stadium would benefit SGV, region

Sat, 17 May 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: ...This (stadium proposal) will revitalize the NFL in Los Angeles, and I wish to thank Ed Roski and his team for their tremendous foresight, his ownership of the 600 acres, his desire to be a part owner of any NFL team here...

Diana Wood, Hacienda Heights

FOX Business Network Story on the LA Stadium (5/16)

Fri, 16 May 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Clip from FOX Business Network's coverage of the Los Angeles Football Stadium project to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles. Includes an interview with Ed Roski.

LA Business Journal: BALL + MALL

Fri, 9 May 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: Sports and shopping – once disparate activities that now enjoy an almost symbiotic relationship – could each get a shot in the arm from a pair of Southland developments in the works...

...billionaire real estate developer Ed Roski Jr. has turned heads with his ambitious effort to lure a professional football franchise with the promise of a sleek, modern venue. Roski, part-owner of the Lakers and Kings and the driving force behind construction of the Staples Center, is planning to build that stadium in the middle of a 600-acre entertainment destination featuring chain stores, cafes, hotels and more that will draw patrons and tourists every day of the year...

...Roski’s $800-million stadium will feature more than 800,000 square feet of retail and another 160,000 square feet of restaurants. “What we’re trying to do is make this an exciting tourist destination,” Roski said. “If we do it right, when you come as a tourist from Asia ...

Does the Los Angeles Region WANT an NFL Team? ...In a nutshell, yes.

Wed, 7 May 2008 7:00:00 +0000

We've compiled some of the best comments and feedback we've received via our “Get Involved” page.

Examples:

“Best proposal I've seen in the past 14 yrs......let's make this work!!!!!” - Steve S. from Whittier

“I welcome the new stadium and look forward to applying for a position in your organization. Professional football has been greatly missed in Los Angeles and I applaud your efforts in bringing back the sport to Los Angeles.” - Andy Y. from Los Angeles

“Very impressive and this looks like the best proposal so far. The design is lovely and so practical. Even though I live near the beach this location is ideal for the City of Los Angeles and surrounding communities. Wishing you the best success on this project.” -...

NFL draft may leave New York; AEG hopes to land it in L.A. (5/2)

Fri, 2 May 2008 19:06:54 +0000

Excerpt: Even though the NFL hasn't played a game in Los Angeles in almost 14 years, there's a chance the city could land one of pro football's marquee events. The league is considering moving the NFL draft from New York beginning next year, and AEG has had preliminary discussions with the NFL about holding the draft at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in 2009. The NFL's two-year contract with Radio City Music Hall has expired. ....

"If you think about it, for the NFL, is there a better site?" Leiweke said. "It's neutral. The ESPN facilities and studios are right across the street and will be online and broadcasting at that time. We've got 7,100 seats, so we've got a bigger facility than the one they're in today. We have all of the infrastructure around it.

"And most of all, it's fantastic that they have a chance to come back to L.A. and prove that in fact it is a market they care about, and maybe eventually it leads to a team."

Ed Roski, the...

Stadium on KCBS's Sports Central (4/26)

Fri, 2 May 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Clip from KCBS's Sports Central describing the Los Angeles Football Stadium project to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles.

"What They're Saying" about the Los Angeles Stadium

Thu, 1 May 2008 7:00:00 +0000

We've compiled a collection of quotes regarding the Los Angeles Stadium proposal, location, economic impact and design.

Examples:
“If we build it, a team owner will come. We’re going to give something that’s so attractive to a potential NFL owner – and to the League – that they will not be able to turn this down.” - Jeff Marks with Premier Partnerships

“I know Ed Roski. He is a great Angelino and philanthropist. Someone who has made a lot of money making smart decisions. So I certainly don’t doubt when he says that he will do something, that he will do it.” - Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

“For the first time in years, LA football fans should be excited.” - Phil Wallace, LA Observed

Cl...

Roski unveiling his plan for a stadium in the City of Industry, but is the league interested? (4/17)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:00:04 +0000

Excerpt: Convinced he can succeed where so many before him have failed, billionaire developer Ed Roski today will unveil plans for a proposed NFL stadium in the City of Industry, aimed at luring the league back to the Los Angeles area.

NFL executives have already visited the site, which is near the intersection of the 57 and 60 freeways, and have had several conversations with Roski. The league routinely had those meetings with other people interested in developing other football stadiums around Southern California, which has been without an NFL team since the Raiders and Rams left after the 1994 season.

"I think this is important for Los Angeles, for the fabric of the city," said Roski, who along with Philip Anschutz built Staples Center. "The city has done real well without the NFL, and the NFL has done real well without the city. But I think it's important to have a professional football team in Los Angeles."

Roski's proposal is diffe...

Stadium on KABC-TV (Mayor Villaraigosa interview) (4/20)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:03:00 +0000

Clip from KABC's coverage of the Los Angeles Football Stadium project to bring the NFL back to Los Angeles. Includes an interview with LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Are you ready for some football? (4/17)

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: For the first time in years, LA football fans should be excited. Today, Ed Roski unveiled plans for a new NFL stadium in the City of Industry, which he says could be completed by 2011. The stadium designs, which can be seen at http://losangelesfootballstadium.com/, look terrific and it's exactly what this region needs to build in order to bring the NFL back....

Some skeptics have already spoken up, and questioned whether this could actually become a reality. But Roski's plan is different... Roski has a proven track record of success. He doesn't have to deal with any of the LA city political garbage that helped derail past stadium plans. And his plan is 100-percent privately funded...

...the Los Angeles area took a major step forward today in its effort to bring the NFL back. The Roski plan is far and away the best and most realistic plan that's been proposed since the city's loss to Houston in 1999. It's not on a toxic waste dump in Carson. It'...

Poll: Roski project will bring NFL team to L.A. (4/21)

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: Last week, developer Ed Roski unveiled a proposal to build a 75,000-seat stadium in the City of Industry aimed at bringing a National Football League team back to Los Angeles since the Raiders and Rams left in 1994. But will the plan work? This week's Los Angeles Business from bizjournals poll question asked: Will the Roski stadium project will lure an NFL team to Los Angeles within the next 5 years?

A majority of respondents, 50 percent, said that, yes, the stadium project will bring a team back to Los Angeles. The voting broke down as follows:

Yes - 50 percent
No - 29 percent
Not within 5 years - 12 percent
Not sure - 8 percent

I.E. next stop for the NFL? (4/26)

Sat, 26 Apr 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: Developer Ed Roski's proposed mega-big-time football stadium - and, hence, L.A.'s next best hope for an NFL franchise - isn't in the Inland Empire, but it may as well be. Consider:

Situated in the city of Industry near the 57 and 60 freeways, the stadium would be equidistant from Rialto and the Staples Center, and closer to San Bernardino than LAX. Roski, developer of such Inland Empire projects as Citrus Plaza in Redlands, is bullish on the I.E. as a growth market and speaks in unabashed terms about the opportunities here.

Roski's pitch to the NFL includes the fact that average discretionary income in San Bernardino and Riverside counties is actually higher than in Los Angeles or Orange counties...

Some have hoped - perhaps beyond hope - that the NFL would leapfrog L.A. and set up shop here. Roski's plan is the next best thing.

Goodell discusses Roski's stadium proposal

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: During a meeting at the NFL's New York offices with sports editors from some of the nation's largest newspapers Thursday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell answered a few questions posed by The Times' Mike Hiserman about Ed Roski's new stadium proposal in Industry:

Question: Ed Roski has an $800-million stadium proposal in place and says he's ready to talk to NFL owners. Is the league going to get involved in that at all?

Answer: Yes, we're aware of the site and we're aware of his plans and we take it as a positive step because we've always said that we've got to do it with a new stadium that's going to be suitable for our fans going forward for several years. He's a serious guy. He's a credible man. I've known him for a long time and he's a credible man. He's got an interesting proposal which we'll certainly take seriously.

Q: Does it raise the priority of getting a team back to L.A., the fact that there is a credible proposal out there? <...

Are you ready for some football? (4/22)

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 7:00:00 +0000

OUR VIEW: Developer Ed Roski's plan to bring a football team to a stadium he would build near Diamond Bar has merit.

Excerpt: …an NFL team playing here is at this point the dream of developer Ed Roski Jr., who plans to build a stadium in Industry once an NFL owner agrees to sell him a piece of a team and move it here...

He owns the 600 acres in Industry where he would build the stadium in a scooped-out hill, thereby saving hundreds of millions of dollars in steel-construction cots. He has long-standing relationships with NFL owners, having spent 12 years trying to lure a team to L.A. All three NFL teams in California and four in other states are looking for better and more profitable stadiums to play in.

And critically, the explosive growth of San Bernardino and Riverside counties over the past several years makes the Industry site feasible. Twelve million people live within 25 miles of the site, and that number will continue to grow. The site...

Roski starts search for NFL team (4/21)

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 7:00:00 +0000

Excerpt: Billionaire developer Ed Roski Jr. said Monday he won't build an NFL stadium in Industry unless a team commits to move there and he is allowed to buy into its ownership... Several NFL teams have since contacted Roski, and he has begun reaching out to each of the NFL's 32 franchises in search of a partner...

"I've called most everyone and have received a lot of enthusiasm," said Roski, chairman and chief executive officer of Majestic Realty Co. in Industry and a part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings...

Roski said the NFL always has had three conditions for a Los Angeles-area stadium: location, cost and certainty. He said his proposal meets all three and it is likely to be enticing to as many as seven teams in need of new stadiums... Roski said that what sets this project apart from the past failed attempts in bringing a stadium to Los Angeles is that he owns the land, can find private financing and won't rely on public funding...

The Stadium will be a tailgating "nirvana." (4/20)

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 9:05:00 +0000

Dave at Tailgating Ideas thinks the Stadium would be a tailgating “nirvana…Southland tailgaters should be salivating more over this proposed project more than they would over a rack of slow-cooked ribs..."

Roski ready to make L.A. stadium a reality (4/18)

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 9:30:00 +0000

Excerpt: Billionaire land developer and team owner Edward P. Roski Jr. unveiled his plan for an $800 million, NFL-quality football stadium in the city of Industry on Thursday and declared: "The stadium is a certainty and will be built."

... "This is the first time that we can say to you: We can do it," Roski said.

Roski said the stadium could be finished in time for the 2011 NFL season. He said the Los Angeles area, which has been without an NFL team since the Rams and Raiders left town following the 1994 season, can't hope to attract a new team until a franchise has a new stadium to play in.

"The only way that the NFL will come back to L.A. is to have a stadium that could be built with certainty," Roski said. "It's sort of a Catch-22, but you have to solve one catch at a time."

...Unlike optimistic developers who had hoped to bring a stadium to Los Angeles in the past, Roski owns the land in the city of Industry and would not have...