March 04--Backers of a proposed NFL stadium for the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders filed a ballot initiative in Carson on Wednesday afternoon that is the first step in clearing the way for the $1.7-billion project.
The measure, bankrolled by the teams, would adjust the city's zoning laws to allow the construction of a stadium on the site of a former landfill near the 405 Freeway at Del Amo Boulevard. If organizers gather at least 8,041 signatures from Carson voters in the next 180 days, the measure could be voted on by the public or the Carson City Council.
It's the same playbook run by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke for his proposed stadium in Inglewood at the site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack. If the Carson initiative is passed, it should put both projects on equal footing -- with local approvals in hand -- by summer. Using a ballot initiative skips the lengthy environmental review process.
Organizers of the Carson petition drive say they will start collecting signatures by next week and hope to have 12,000 by mid-April. This should give a clearer picture of just how enthusiastic Carson residents are about the plan.
"The next period of weeks will be really important to determine community support," said Mark Fabiani, point man for the Chargers on stadium issues.
Inglewood's project collected 22,183 signatures in less than three weeks before being unanimously approved last week by City Council members. Kroenke's group says they plan to break ground on their stadium in December.
The NFL has said that no teams will relocate for the 2015 season.
The Carson initiative reveals more details about the proposed stadium. It would be owned by a public authority, to be created by the city of Carson, but the initiative also explicitly states no public money will be used for stadium construction, cost overruns or ongoing operations. Goldman Sachs has agreed to lead an investment group to finance the project.
The 168-acre site could also include team facilities, an NFL-themed museum or entertainment venue, and roughly 12,000 parking spaces, with more planned off-site.
Construction would not begin until a team signed a 20-year lease to play at the 70,000-seat venue, the initiative said.
Project officials say environmental remediation measures at the site are about 70% complete and should be finished within a year.
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