News of the Arroyo
Title: | Pasadena accepts offer on Bowl EIR |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2003-09-09 |
Summary: | September 9, 2003 -- Despite Mayor Bogaard's concerns about exposing Pasadena to uncertainity and costs, the Pasadena City Council unaminously approved an agreement with the National Football League to proceed with a one year environmental review process. |
Author: | Gary Scott, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | Bogaard: NFL deal still risks city PASADENA -- The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to accept the National Football League\'s offer to pay for a study of the environmental impact of rebuilding the Rose Bowl to house an NFL team. But Mayor Bill Bogaard blasted the deal for \"falling disappointingly short\' of expectations, saying it puts city funds at risk and \"casts a cloud of uncertainty for the Rose Bowl considerably longer than I\'d hoped.\' He said he was particularly concerned with a provision that gives the NFL owners six months or more after the environmental impact report is completed to decide whether to bring a professional football team to the Rose Bowl. The agreement says that once the EIR is certified and all permits are approved, the league owners have six months or until their next regularly scheduled meeting, whichever is later, to decide whether to put an NFL team into the Rose Bowl. Councilwoman Joyce Streator said she was surprised to hear Bogaard\'s litany of complaints \"depressingly enumerated\' at the meeting and immediately called for a vote. Bogaard said he supported the plan \"to move the process forward.\' The deal requires the NFL to pay up to $500,000 for the environmental impact report. If the study costs more than that, the city must pay the next $100,000 and then the NFL is obligated to cover up to $100,000 after that. City officials estimate the EIR will cost about $500,000 and will take more than 10 months to complete. The city has 54 weeks to finish the study or it will be forced to reimburse the NFL all of its costs. Pasadena attorney Chris Sutton said that contradicts an earlier council promise not to use public funds for the project. \"I think the greater risk is doing nothing and letting the momentum start in another community that puts our stadium at risk,\' said Councilman Chris Holden. Rose Bowl officials are working with the league to fine tune the proposal and expect to release a draft to the public in the coming weeks. Among the changes called for in the $500 million renovation plan is a reduction in the stadium\'s capacity, the addition of luxury suites and construction of an underground causeway to increase the stadium\'s size. City Manager Cynthia Kurtz said she expects the council to hire an EIR consultant later this month or in early October. The process will allow the public to comment on every aspect of the proposal. Preservationists and residents living around the bowl have already expressed reservations about the plan. The Rose Bowl is one of three sites competing to become home to an NFL team. The others are the city of Carson and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. As each jockey for the NFL\'s favor, it is not clear that any has a dominant lead. The Carson bid stumbled out of the gate after questions were raised over who actually controls the 157-acre parcel under consideration. On Monday, the Los Angeles Coliseum Commission released an EIR for its proposal to rebuild the Memorial Coliseum as an NFL stadium. The plan is to cut the number of seats to 78,000 from 92,500, add about 200 luxury suites and build 40,000 square feet of office space outside the stadium. Gary Scott can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4458, or by e-mail at gary.scott@sgvn.com |
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