Inglewood Mayor Addresses NFL Talk At Town Hall Meeting

INGLEWOOD (CBSLA.com) — Inglewood Mayor James Butts addressed the possibility of an NFL stadium being built in the Los Angeles suburb as he held his semiannual town hall meeting on Saturday.

While saying that there is no deal in place, the mayor said the city would be well-equipped to handle a team.

Speculation has been on the rise since St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke purchased 60 acres of land between Hollywood Park and the Forum nine months ago, and there are reports he has been looking into other nearby properties. The Rams, who have a deep history in Los Angeles, moved to St. Louis in 1994, and are in the last year of a lease at the Edward Jones Dome downtown.

"We have the largest single contiguous block of open land in Southern California," Butts told attendees. "Sixty acres is not enough for a football stadium but if they negotiated something with Hollywood Park Land Development then who know what could happen. I would say that we are very well situated for that to happen if it would happen."

Butts said people he had talked to in the community are interested in having a stadium in the city, but are concerned about traffic. He said traffic is part of the bargain if a city wants more commerce from people in the surrounding area, noting the success that businesses near the Forum are having on nights when events take place there.

Members of Bring Back The Los Angeles Rams were among the spectators at Saturday's meeting.