Carson Unveils New Stadium Renderings While Inglewood Mayor Plans To Be Ready For NFL
CARSON (CBSLA.com/AP) -- New designs for a proposed NFL stadium in the Los Angeles area include simulated lightning bolts for the San Diego Chargers and a flame honoring late Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.
The thoroughly revamped plans for the $1.7 billion joint stadium proposal by the two teams were released Thursday, just two months after the project was first announced and two days after it received approval from the Carson City Council.
The designs were presented in New York this week to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's committee on possibly relocating a team to greater Los Angeles.
The primary feature of the open-air stadium with horseshoe-shaped seating is a tower that will give off lightning bolts during Charger games. The flaming cauldron is planned during Raider games.
The stadium would also be part of a massive complex that would include a 350-room hotel and at least 10,000 parking spaces. About 850,000 square feet would ultimately be used for commercial space.
The first renderings did not include Raiders input.
Meanwhile, few miles north of Carson, CBS2/KCAL9 Sports Director Jim Hill spoke to the mayor of Inglewood after his annual State of the City speech.
"We're ready [to break ground] on the first weekend of December," said Mayor James T. Butts to Hill. "We're on track for the permitting process, and we expect to be playing football in some iteration September of 2018."
Although the mayor doesn't know which team will move, he wants Inglewood to be ready to greet any team.
"That decision process is in the hands of the 32 owners of the NFL and the commissioner of the league," added Butts. "They'll decide who, if anybody, will be allowed to move. But again, are objective has been to position ourselves, so we're the best alternative if they allow a team to move."
The Inglewood City Council voted unanimously in February to approve a massive development project to lure the NFL back to Los Angeles.
