Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park

History

On January 31, 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported that Stan Kroenke, owner of the St. Louis Rams, purchased a 60-acre parcel of land just north of the Hollywood Park site in an area that had been studied by the National Football League in the past and at one point attempted to purchase. This set off immediate speculation as to what Kroenke's intentions were for the site: it was originally planned to be a Walmart Supercenter; however, in 2014, most of the speculation centered around the site as a possible stadium site or training facility for the Rams. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell represented that Kroenke informed the league of the purchase. As an NFL owner, any purchase of land in which a potential stadium could be built must be disclosed to the league. Speculation about the Rams' returning to their home of nearly fifty years had already been discussed when Kroenke was one of the finalists in bidding for ownership in the Los Angeles Dodgers, but speculation increased when the news broke that the Rams owner had a possible stadium site in hand.

Nearly a year went by without a word from Kroenke about his intentions for the land, as he failed to ever address the St. Louis media, or the Hollywood Land Company, about what the site may be used for. There was, however, speculation about the future of the Rams franchise until it was reported that the National Football League would not be allowing any franchise relocation for the 2015 season. On January 5, 2015, the Hollywood Park Land Company announced that it had partnered with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to add the northern 60-acre parcel to the rest of the development project and build a multi-purpose 80,000-seat stadium designed for the NFL. The project will include the stadium of up to 100,240 seats (including standing room-only seats) and a performance entertainment venue of up to 6,000 seats while reconfiguring the previously approved Hollywood Park plan for up to 900,000 square feet of retail, 800,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 new residential and condo units, a luxury 300-room hotel and 25 acres of public parks, playgrounds, open space, a lake and pedestrian, bicycle and transit access. The stadium would be ready by 2019. On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved the stadium plan and the initiative with construction on the stadium planned to begin in December 2015.

The stadium is being built privately, but the developer is seeking significant tax breaks from Inglewood.

Current status

On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved plans with a 5–0 unanimous vote to combine the 60-acre plot of land with the larger Hollywood Park development and rezone the area to include sports and entertainment capabilities. This essentially cleared the way for developers to begin construction on the venue as planned in December 2015.

It was also reported, in early February 2015, that "earth was being moved" and the site was being graded to be prepared for the construction that would begin later in the year.

On July 14, 2016, it was announced that Turner Construction and AECOM would oversee construction of the stadium.

On October 19, 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determined that a 110-foot-tall LB 44 rotary drill rig would not pose a hazard to air navigation, so it approved the first of several pieces of heavy equipment to be used during construction. The stadium design had been under review by the FAA for more than a year because of concerns about how the structure would interact with radar at nearby Los Angeles International Airport. On December 16, 2016, it was reported in Sports Business Journal that the FAA had declined to issue permits for cranes needed to build the structure. “We’re not going to evaluate any crane applications until our concerns with the overall project are resolved”, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. The FAA had previously recommended building the stadium at another site due to the risks posed to LAX—echoing concerns raised by former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

The Rams held the groundbreaking construction ceremony at the future Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park site on November 17, 2016. The ceremony featured NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Rams' owner Stan Kroenke. On December 23, 2016, the FAA approved the large cranes to build the stadium.

Tenants and events

The Los Angeles Rams have committed to moving to the stadium, as NFL approval for their relocation was obtained on January 12, 2016. The approval also gave the San Diego Chargers the first option to relocate to Los Angeles and share the stadium with the Rams, conditioned on a negotiated lease agreement between the two teams. The option was taken by the Chargers on January 12, 2017, making the Chargers the second team in Los Angeles. The option would have expired on January 15, 2017, at which time the Oakland Raiders would have acquired the same option.

On January 29, 2016, the Rams and Chargers came to an agreement in principle to share the stadium. The Chargers would contribute a $200 million stadium loan from the NFL and personal seat license fees to the construction costs and would pay $1 per year in rent to the Rams. The same day, Chargers chairman-CEO Dean Spanos announced the team would remain in San Diego for the 2016 NFL season, while continuing to work with local government on a new stadium. Measure C (the Chargers stadium proposal) did not receive the requisite number of votes required for passage.

On January 12, 2017, the Chargers announced plans to relocate to Los Angeles for the 2017 season, making the Chargers the second tenant at the stadium.

Entertainment district

The stadium and surrounding development around the site include a new entertainment complex with 8.5 million square feet (790,000 m²) of office tower space, including a 6,000-seat music and theatre venue, ballrooms, indoor and outdoor room, a multiplex movie theater, a lake, luxury hotels, high-scale dining, and an NFL Flagship Campus, including the new NFL Network studio and headquarters for the league's digital properties. In addition to Rams and Chargers games, the stadium will host Super Bowl LV in 2021.

Other events

Other possible uses for the stadium and entertainment complex site include the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, a venue in any American bid for the FIFA World Cup, the Los Angeles bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, WrestleManias, boxing matches, NFL Drafts, Academy Award shows, Primetime Emmy Awards shows, College Football National Championships, LA Auto Shows, League of Legend Championships, Miss Universe pageants, Anime Expos, WTA Tours, World Figure Skating Championships, international soccer friendlies, concert tours, Orchestras, community events, movie premieres, film festivals, high school sporting events, Monster Jam rallies, Los Angeles boat shows, flea markets, wedding expos, California political convention and U.S Presidential election debates, LA Comic Cons, Star Trek and Star Wars conventions, E3 press conferences, a natural disaster shelter, Religious rallies, circuses, the Summer X Games, Pro Bowls, and NFL scouting combine, among others.

The stadium also allows other potential NFL opportunities on the complex such as an NFL retail store, an NFL Network studio, the NFL Honors ceremony, NFL Films premieres, other NFL-themed events, a West Coast wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and NFL-themed hotels.

Hollywood Park Racetrack

Hollywood Park, later sold and referred to as Betfair Hollywood Park, was a thoroughbred race course until it was shut down for racing and training in December 2013. The casino remained open, containing a poker card room. The racetrack is to be developed by the Hollywood Park Land Company (a subsidiary of Stockbridge Capital) into a mixed-use residential and commercial site. Most of the complex was demolished in 2014 to make way for new construction. The first new establishment to open service on the site is the new and modern Hollywood Park Casino, which opened on the lot on Oct. 21, 2016.

Rival proposals

On February 19, 2015, the Oakland Raiders, and the then-San Diego Chargers announced plans for a privately financed $1.85 billion stadium that the two teams would build in Carson, California if they were to move to the Los Angeles market. Both teams stated that they would continue to attempt to get stadiums built in their respective cities.

On April 21, 2015, Carson City Council bypassed the option to put the stadium to a public vote and approved the plan 3-0. The NFL approved the Rams relocation on January 12, 2016, with 30 of the 32 owners voting their approval to relocate, effectively ending the Carson proposal.