News of the Arroyo
Title: | Preservationists to City Council: Punt |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2004-10-17 |
Summary: | October 17, 2004 - Sue Mossman and Pasadena Heritage take off the gloves on the Pasadena's bid for National Football League team in the historic Rose Bowl at a forum sponsored by the Linda Vista Annandale Association on Saturday. Besides objections to the new design, the proposal is reeling with recent setbacks relating to other potential sites and the NFL's refusal to accept city guidelines. |
Author: | Gary Scott, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | Saturday, October 16, 2004 - PASADENA -- Calling the latest design proposal to convert the Rose Bowl into a pro football stadium both \"insulting and unacceptable,\' a leading preservationist group on Saturday urged the city to \"stop the madness\' and end its two-year effort to bring a National Football League team to Pasadena. Sue Mossman, executive director of Pasadena Heritage, delivered the message at a neighborhood forum held at the Art Center College of Design. About 50 people, most of them residents from around the bowl, attended. \"We think bringing the NFL here is overkill,\' Mossman said, disputing the contention put forth by some city officials that the 82-year-old stadium, one of only 3,000 National Historic Landmarks in the country, needs an NFL-makeover to survive. If the city continues down this road, she added, \"we have no option but to resist.\' Mossman lamented the fact the NFL rejected an earlier design, unveiled in April 2003, that appeared to garner widespread support in the community, even among wary preservationists. But the NFL threw that design out, saying it did not have the amenities needed to make the stadium profitable. The league submitted its preferred design in August. With almost 1 million square feet of additional space, including a huge clubhouse to serve premium seating, new luxury suites atop the east and west rim of the bowl, and a new concourse encircling the stadium\'s mid-section, the $400 million- plus design has received a cold reception from many in the community. \"There is no question that the design has to be revisited,\' said Councilman Victor Gordo. \"Revisited and revised.\' According to the Pasadena Heritage board of directors, the NFL design is \"stunning in its disregard for the goals of historic preservation and the antithesis of (architect Myron) Hunt\'s original intent for a low- profile stadium in the arroyo.\' The board voted Friday to recommend the city pull out of negotiations and look for other means to make upgrades to the Rose Bowl. The city has already promised a $12 million renovation of locker rooms and other facilities in exchange for a 20-year lease with UCLA. An NFL deal would make that work unnecessary. Pasadena is one of four stadium sites being considered for the possible return of pro football to the Los Angeles market. The Coliseum and the cities of Anaheim and Carson are also in the hunt. The area has been without a team since 1994. Though Pasadena Heritage\'s decision comes as no surprise to local NFL supporters, there are signs the city\'s NFL bid has lost momentum in the past few months. In a recent closed-door session, the City Council cleared the room of all staff members and held an open discussion about the wisdom of pursuing a deal after several unhappy surprises, namely Carson, Anaheim and the scuttled design. \"It seems that every opportunity they get they shoot themselves in the foot,\' Gordo said. Though weary, several council members said they emerged from the session resolved to see the negotiations to their end. \"It would be irresponsible to throw in the towel,\' Gordo said, adding, \"I would suggest to the NFL that it make the decision sooner rather than later.\' The NFL owners have asked all four bidders to submit final project proposals for a possible decision in May. Meantime, the city\'s environmental impact report, which has to be certified before a project is approved, is just getting under way. Richard Bruckner, Pasadena\'s director of development and planning, said a number of alternative designs will be studied, including a no-build option. On Thursday and Nov. 10, the community will have a chance to say which impacts its wants studied in the EIR, everything from traffic to noise to historical preservation. Those meetings will be held at the Rose Bowl. -- Gary Scott can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4458, or by e-mail at gary.scott@sgvn.com . |
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