April 20--The $1.7-billion football stadium being proposed in Carson would bring some big benefits to the South Bay city.
But not without some potentially big costs too.
That's according to reports released over the weekend by the city, where Council members are set to vote Tuesday on whether to put the project up for a public vote or adopt it themselves. The 90-page study, which was performed in lieu of a full environmental review because the project is being proposed through a ballot initiative, details impacts on everything from traffic and air quality to the bottom line of the city's budget.
As part of its agreement with the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders, who are proposing the stadium, Carson could get an estimated $37 million in street improvements around the site, paid for by the team, which also agreed to cover increased police and fire costs for stadium events. And while traffic impacts would likely be greater on the 40 or 50 days a year that big events are held at the stadium, it would likely be less the rest of the year than the large shopping center that was proposed for the site previously.
But the project would require Carson to find 16,000 off-site parking spaces to meet game day demand -- which could hinder development around the stadium, the report points out. It would also imperil about $1.4 million a year in state and federal housing funds because of the loss of 1,550 units planned for the site before the stadium proposal. That money could be kept, though, if city planners are able to find other sites to develop the same amount of housing.
And if just one team occupies the stadium, instead of two, it would be 30 years before rents and taxes are enough to create a net benefit to Carson's budget. But, the report by consulting firm AECOM notes, if two teams occupy the stadium it would almost immediately generate fiscal gains for the city.
A real estate transaction that's key to the stadium deal would also erase $13 million in future payments that the site's current owner, Starwood Capital, will likely owe the city through next year, though the Chargers would cover a $3-million payment due in November.
Carson city officials have generally been supportive of the stadium plan, but two City Council members said last week that they'd wait to digest these reports before deciding whether to adopt the stadium plan themselves -- as council members in Inglewood did in February on St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke's proposed $1.86-billion stadium there -- or schedule a public vote, likely this summer.
Executives with the Chargers and Raiders are due in New York City Wednesday to update NFL owners on their progress.
