News of the Arroyo
Title: | Draft EIR for Rose Bowl renovation project released |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2005-02-05 |
Summary: | February 5, 2005 - A 470-page draft analysis of the impacts of an NFL franchise in the Rose Bowl has been released by Pasadena. |
Author: | Gary Scott, Staff Writer |
Publication: | Pasadena Star News |
Content: | PASADENA -- The city released its analysis of the proposed Rose Bowl renovation project Thursday and, as was expected, the study finds \"significant unavoidable impacts\' in the areas of traffic congestion, noise and historic preservation. The 470-page draft Environmental Impact Report offers the first comprehensive look at the effects rebuilding the 83-year-old stadium would have on the surrounding environment, and asks whether the purported benefits of landing a National Football League franchise outweigh any harm it would do. That is a question the City Council will ultimately decide. In recent weeks, support for the NFL bid on the council has cooled, with Mayor Bill Bogaard making public statements about the difficulties negotiating a deal with the NFL. \"Some of the initial enthusiasm has dissipated,\' Bogaard said Thursday. \"The indications are that the NFL is not in agreement with several of our negotiating principles, but it is all preliminary.\' A majority of the council continues to believe the NFL offers the best option to secure the Rose Bowl\'s future. \"It comes back to three overriding considerations: economics, economics, economics,\' said Councilman Chris Holden, a staunch supporter of the NFL proposal. The release of the report has triggered a 45-day review period during which the public can make its opinion known about the project\'s impacts, and comment on whether they were accurately studied in the report. The project studied in the EIR is essentially the design that was released late last year. It calls for removing roughly one- third of the seats in the stadium, reducing capacity to 65,000. An additional 10,000 seats could be added for special events, such as the Rose Bowl Game. Three levels of luxury suites, 200 total, would be built atop the rim of the bowl and two open air concourses would ring the stadium. About 1.2 million square feet of new and renovated construction would be added to the stadium, including new locker rooms and training facilities, a lounge for club seat ticket holders and a Hall of Fame and team store at the south end of the stadium. Construction would begin in the summer of 2006 and take roughly 32 months to complete. Three alternative projects are also part of the study. The first is no project, the second is the design plan unveiled in 2003 that puts most of the new buildings underground, and the third is much less extensive renovation that would not meet NFL standards. The city hopes to adopt a final EIR in early spring, before the NFL owners next meet to discuss returning pro football to the Los Angeles market. -- Gary Scott can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4458, or by e-mail at gary.scott@sgvn.com . |
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