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A potential downtown Los Angeles football stadium from the developers of L.A. Live has been gaining momentum over the past few weeks. In an in-depth article, Yahoo! sports takes the idea down a notch:
The problem with the project is the details. Simple details, such as where will fans park in one of L.A.’s most congested sections? How will they tailgate in the parking garages and underground lots that surround the spot? If you’re the NFL, where will you set up shop with all those TV trucks and temporary buildings you need for the Super Bowl?
And the most important question of all for a city and state that sit on the brink of financial collapse: How much will it really cost?
By contrast, the article argues that a competing stadium plan in the city of Industry 20 miles east of downtown doesn’t face nearly as many hurdles.
The piece also cites two sources close to Phil Anschutz, the billionaire called the No. 1 domino in L.A. stadium talks, saying he isn’t part of the downtown plan.
Tim Leiweke, the CEO of Anschutz’s company, Anschutz Entertainment Group, is the one pushing for the downtown stadium. The article cites many people, named and unnamed, who are incredulous at Leiweke’s self-imposed March deadline to get a deal done.
But in my recent Q&A, L.A. Times NFL writer Sam Farmer says the March deadline is there for Leiweke to convince Anschutz to get on board. Leiweke doesn’t need an NFL team by then, Farmer says, but rather “an understanding” from the NFL that it will get one.
The Yahoo! story is one of many today related to the Chargers stadium search. Yahoo! has a second article saying that the Chargers and Oakland Raiders are the only two teams that could move to L.A. realistically soon.
CityBeat has more details on a lawsuit challenging a state law that eliminates limits on downtown redevelopment — a key potential funding source for a Chargers stadium.
A former Chargers real estate consultant has an op-ed in the Daily Transcript arguing that the city of San Diego would make more money from high-rise development than a new football stadium on the proposed downtown site. He thinks the city and team should reexamine putting a new facility on the current Qualcomm Stadium lands.
And last, Qualcomm is underwater, as shown in this stunning picture. Organizers of tomorrow’s Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm say everything will go on as planned.
Please contact Liam Dillon directly at liam.dillon@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.550.5663 and follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/dillonliam.