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 The three-member city council of Carson, about 17 miles (27 km)
south of downtown Los Angeles, voted unanimously in favor of the
plan to build the $1.7 billion arena, following a petition drive
paid for by the two NFL teams, both of which previously played in
Los Angeles.
"Football is coming to Carson," new Mayor Albert Robles said at the
meeting, adding that construction could begin as soon as the end of
the year.
A few dozen people, many of whom were clad in Raiders and Chargers
jerseys and waved team flags, packed the meeting, which was
punctuated with chants of "Bring them back!"
Nearly all of the roughly 20 people who spoke during the public
comment portion of Tuesday's hearing expressed support for the
project.
A rival stadium project in the nearby city of Inglewood was
unanimously approved by its city council in February.
The 168-acre (68-hectare) site for the potential stadium in Carson,
located near major freeways, would also host entertainment events
and provide hotel and retail space, according to city documents. An
impact report forecasts the project becoming a "regional
attraction."
The Los Angeles region, the second-largest market in U.S. sports,
has been without an NFL franchise since 1995, when the Rams left
Anaheim for St. Louis and the Raiders returned to Oakland.
The Chargers and the Raiders proposed a plan in February that would
have the two teams share a new stadium in Carson if they fail to
solve problems with their current venues. The funds would come from
private sources.
Both teams have tried for years to reach deals on new stadiums, and
their owners have repeatedly said they were willing to move to Los
Angeles, which does not have an NFL team.
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The Chargers originated in Los Angeles and played there for a year
in 1960 under the American Football League before moving to San
Diego. The Raiders played in the city from 1982 to 1994.
Inglewood's competing stadium plan names St. Louis Rams owner Stan
Kroenke as a developer. That venue would be part of a larger
entertainment, commercial and residential development on 238 acres
(96 hectares) near Los Angeles International Airport.
A third NFL stadium plan, proposed for downtown Los Angeles, was
dropped in March by Anschutz Entertainment Group.
(Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Cynthia Johnston,
Curtis Skinner, Eric Beech and Eric Walsh)
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