News of the Arroyo
Title: | Some Unanswered Questions Regarding the NFL and the Rose Bowl |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2003-03-12 |
Summary: | March 12, 2003 -- This editorial reviews the history of the discussions and planning regarding the recruitment of an National Football League franchise to make its home in the Rose Bowl. Until now the public has been largely ignored. It's time for broader discussion of the questions and concerns about the impacts of this proposal. |
Author: | Editorial |
Publication: | Arroyo Seco News |
Content: | WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE ROSE BOWL STADIUM? Background: About two years ago, the City Council was approached by the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) with a request to explore the possibility of an NFL team in the Rose Bowl Stadium. The Council authorized such an action but was clear in stating that no City dollars were to be used in this effort. Since that time, the community has been told repeatedly that while the city would consider a proposal from the NFL, that discussions remain speculative and preliminary. City staff has also taken the position that the proposal should not be considered as part of the Arroyo Seco Master Plan and EIR since the NFL option was an unknown at this point. The facts suggest a different story. Proposals for the \"New\" Stadium In January and February of this year, a \"power point\" presentation showing a number of NFL Rose Bowl \"concept alternatives\" was shown to some community persons by a Kansas City architectural firm which specializes in stadium designs. These alternatives, the community members were told, will be explored more fully in the EIR. While presented as preliminary concepts only, these concept drawings still provided a good idea of what an NFL stadium could be. All the concepts showed a stadium with seating capacity of approximately 65,000-68,000 (the Rose Bowl currently has 92,000) and included a large number of skyboxes and preferred seating. Seating is a big issue. There would be many more luxury seats, but even the least expensive seats in an NFL stadium need to have an excellent view of the field. Therefore, the seats are typically arranged in a more vertical structure, with every seat being \"closer\" to the field. The other major consideration is the approximately 250,000 square feet of new restaurant, lounge, bar, retail, media and museum space which would be part of the new structure. The total square footage of the new stadium (with fewer seats) would be about twice what the RoseBowl is today. On the concept drawings presented, there were only vague indications of elevator towers and ancillary structures that might exist around the perimeter of the bowl, so little is known of what the footprint of the new construction would look like. It seems likely that it will be greater than the current bowl area. The first alternative was the construction of a completely new stadium nearby. This is the alternative that best preserves the historic Rose Bowl (since it would remain as is), but since there is no available space in the Arroyo Seco, this alternative would be highly controversial and is highly unlikely. The remaining alternatives were variations of superimposing a huge new structure on top of the existing Rose Bowl. This structure would be 30 feet to 60 feet higher than the rim of the Rose Bowl today. One concept included lowering the field up to 30 feet from its current level in order to keep the overall structure lower in profile, but the possibility of excavating that deep into the riverbed is highly speculative. According to the concepts presented, it would be virtually impossible to accommodate the kind of seating, amenities, and additional space of an NFL stadium in the current configuration of the Rose Bowl. The resulting \"renovation\", therefore, would actually include massive demolition (80% or more) of the existing stadium or saving more of the original structure but building over the top of it and \"entombing\" it within a new structure that is about twice as big as the current stadium. It is distressing that so few people in the community saw the first set of concepts; certainly there is a lot of interest in what an NFL stadium might look like. Last week, the RBOC reported that it is continuing to work with the architects on refining and improving the concepts, but they couldn\'t predict when the new plans would be available for the community to see. Impacts to the Arroyo Seco There hasn\'t been much discussion at all about all the impacts an NFL stadium would have on the Arroyo. For example: · Roads would have to be reconfigured in the Central Arroyo. · Area H would likely be lost as a children\'s soccer field. · The National Historic Landmark status of the Rose Bowl would be in great jeopardy. · The impacts to the Golf Course, KidSpace, and the Aquatic Center are unknown. · It is certain that a new NFL stadium would impact the thousands of walkers, joggers, and bikers who use the Central Arroyo each day. · What changes would there be in circulation and parking are additional concerns. · The Swap Meet which brings in about 1 million dollars in revenues to the City each year would shut down during construction and might have to find a new permanent location. Cost of the New Stadium The NFL suggests that the costs for the NFL stadium would run between $400 million and $450 million. What additional costs would there be besides just the construction? Who would pay for all the infrastructure and ongoing operations? Ownership of the Stadium If the NFL spends $400 million or more, would it then determine what activities go on in the Rose Bowl? What control would the City of Pasadena have over the Bowl? The Tournament of Roses The remake of the stadium for the NFL would likely take two years or more. The Rose Bowl Game would need a new location for the January 1 event during construction and that alone would have a major impact on the Rose Parade. The reconfigured stadium would have 25,000 fewer seats, which would significantly cut revenues from future Rose Bowl Games. (Seats now sell for approximately $125 a seat.) How would that affect the Tournament of Roses? Who is Paying? The City Council made it clear to the RBOC that no public funds were to be used as it explored the possibility of the NFL\'s use of the Rose Bowl. Recently the Los Angeles Times covered the visit of several Pasadena residents, including City Councilman Steve Madison, to Florida to speak with NFL owners. When the RBOC members were asked last week what kind of expenditures were being made, like travel expenses for the Florida trip, staff time and other direct costs – they responded that the RBOC was spending some public funds, but no number was given. At the same RBOC meeting, the Committee approved expenditures of $150,000 for an EIR and attorney\'s fees. Should we the taxpayers be paying that cost or the NFL? Other locations It has been suggested that the City of Pasadena might seriously consider a new stadium in East Pasadena on land now vacant near Sierra Madre Villa. A new stadium with its own parking could be built to NFL specifications and would be easily accessible to freeways and major boulevards. It would be less costly than reconfiguring the Rose Bowl. EIR Issues There is no doubt that there is an NFL \"project\" since the RBOC approved the initiation of an EIR. Time and again, community members have urged that the Rose Bowl and its activities be made an integral part of the Arroyo Seco Master Plan. Lawyers have made clear that \"segmenting\" the Rose Bowl proposals is a violation of CEQA regulations. When the Arroyo Seco Master Plan process started, this may have been a vague possibility, but now it appears to be much more than that. If done separately, how will the EIR for the Rose Bowl be integrated with the Master Plan EIR? Now is the time to look at this question seriously! Scheduling At last week\'s RBOC meeting, one community person asked twice what the schedule for the project is. The answer was that there is no schedule. For an effort of this magnitude, there must be some sort of schedule. It has been reported in the press that if the NFL is interested, Pasadena is likely to get a proposal in May. What does that mean? Is the RBOC not gathering information in order to be able to respond to such a proposal? What kind of information? When will the City Council receive information? When will the various commissions have time to learn about the possible project? The Role of the RBOC At the RBOC meeting last week, a number of questions were raised by the community – and there were few answers. The RBOC has been asked on numerous occasions to show the \"power point\" presentation to neighborhood groups and the public. The RBOC has been not cooperated. The community has been told that the RBOC will take a proposal to the City Council in May. In the meantime will the project be kept a \"secret\"? Why are there so many questions even the RBOC doesn\'t seem to have answers to? Since this is a public agency, shouldn\'t the community have access to whatever information is available? Is this the way that we do business in Pasadena? +++ |
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