Los Angeles MLS group planning new stadium
PROJECT: $250-million US venue would be the first open-air pro sports facility built in the city since 1962
LOSANGELES — Major League Soccer’s expansion Los Angeles Football Club plans to build a $250-million US stadium on the site of the old Sports Arena next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The 15-acre complex would also include a conference centre, restaurants and a soccer museum. At its centre would be a 22,000-seat venue, home to the new MLS team when it makes its debut in 2018.
The decision by leadership of the new club was made last week, and the club will formally announce its plans Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The project, costing $100 million more than the team’s projections last year, still needs approval from the Coliseum Commission and Los Angeles City Council. Both panels, along with Mayor Eric Garcetti, have already expressed support for the project and approval is expected by July, the newspaper said.
It would be the country’s most expensive privately financed soccer stadium and the first open-air professional sports venue to be built in Los Angeles since Dodger Stadium in 1962, according to the Times.
Construction would be financed by the team and its ownership group, which includes former Los Angeles Lakers hall of famer Magic Johnson; Mandalay Entertainment chief executive Peter Guber, co-owner of the Dodgers and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors; women’s World Cup soccer champion Mia Hamm and her husband Nomar Garciaparra, a former major league baseball all-star and venture capitalist Henry Nguyen.
An addendum to an existing environmental impact report must be completed, a process that could take up to a year. Demolition of the 56-year-old Sports Arena and construction of the stadium would take an additional two years.
The team said at its introductory news conference in October it would explore stadium sites throughout Southern California, but the Sports Arena location was the only one it seriously considered.
MLS has long favoured the area because of its proximity to downtown and public transportation.
When the club begins play in 2018, the league will have at least 23 teams. It is also exploring expansion to Miami, St. Louis or Sacramento.