News of the Arroyo


Title:

Rose Bowl moves NFL dreams closer to reality

Subtitle:

Date:

2004-08-23

Summary:

August 22, 2004 - Rose Bowl officials have approved a new design for the Rose Bowl intended to lure in an NFL team.

Author:

Staff Reports

Publication:

Pasadena Star News

Content:

PASADENA - Rose Bowl officials have approved a new $400 million-plus plan to redesign the stadium to house a professional football team.
The board of the Rose Bowl Operating Co. passed the proposal after unveiling it at a public meeting Saturday.

The plan would expand the historic stadium nearly 1 million square feet while adding two four-level towers with 200 luxury suites. Seating capacity would drop from 92,500 to 65,000 and a new ground-level plaza would feature a museum and store.

Rose Bowl officials have courted the National Football League for more than two years in hopes of attracting the region\'s first pro team since the end of the 1994 season, when the Raiders left Los Angeles and the Rams moved from Anaheim.

An earlier renovation plan released last year was rejected by the NFL following concerns that it would cost an additional $60 to $80 million by constructing facilities under the stadium.

The latest design will go before the City Council in the coming weeks and serve as the basis of an environmental impact report if approved. A draft of that report could be completed by January.

The Rose Bowl company can begin negotiating with the NFL once the environmental review is ratified by the city.

Darryl Dunn, the Rose Bowl\'s general manager, said the board\'s action won\'t prevent the city from altering the design.

\"This is just the beginning,\" Dunn said.

Among other proposed changes are two open-air concourses that would rim the stadium\'s middle and upper sections and a reduction in parking by almost 4,000 spaces to 18,000.

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has said the league would decide on a Los Angeles-area stadium site by next spring, and hopes to have a team there by 2008.

Other sites being considered for a new team include the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and a former landfill in Carson.

The new design will be available for public review starting Sept. 1 at the Pasadena Central Library. The city and the Rose Bowl firm also plan additional public meetings.

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