4 Reasons Raiders, Chargers May Very Well End Up Sharing L.A. Stadium
(CBS SF) -- Former San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns executive Carmen Policy on Monday made public his proposal for a stadium near Los Angeles that would be the shared home of both the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers – the same proposal made to NFL owners last week.
Policy has been hired by the Raiders and Chargers to lead their efforts in building a $1.7 billion, 65,000 seat stadium in Carson.
Los Angeles Stadium Proposal - narrated by Kiefer Sutherland:
Among the reasons Policy says NFL owners should vote to allow the franchises to move to Carson:
Mega-Market
Policy says the NFL would love to have both teams in what would be the largest pro football market in the country, stretching from Santa Monica to the Mexican border.
Policy told the Los Angeles Sport Council and Chamber of Commerce Monday the teams already have a substantial fan base in SoCal.
"18 percent of the Raiders total fan base currently lives in L.A. 23 percent of the Chargers fan base currently lives in the L.A. market." said Policy.
The potential market size is estimated at 22 million people and would eclipse that of New York/New Jersey, according to Policy. "The population in the region, from the standpoint of market size, will increase exponentially."
Location, Location, Location
The Carson site is centrally located between west Los Angeles and Orange County, situated on the 405 freeway right where the 110 intersects and near a third freeway.
The 168 acres of land formerly used as a landfill is in the final stages of cleanup and already graded for the stadium construction. It has room for 12,000 parking spots with another 13,000 within a 15-minute walk.
Killing Two Birds With One Stone
Policy said Carson is the best option for the NFL because it solves two problems at once: two California franchises in the league's oldest stadiums.
While both the Raiders and Chargers are looking for millions in public subsidies in order to help build new stadiums in Oakland or San Diego, the Carson stadium is to be privately financed.
The two-team project would create what Policy called a "financial certainty" for the teams and the league.
Going Back To Hollywood In Style
In the land of show biz, the Carson proposal also includes space for a permanent home for the ever-growing NFL Network - eight acres of rent-free land – as well as room for a West Coast wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Other league projects could also be based on the site.
Meanwhile, aside from all the amenities and modern touches a new stadium is expected to have, the Carson stadium will also be designed to be a Super Bowl candidate on a regular rotation, just as the Los Angeles Coliseum used to be. The stadium's capacity would be increased to 75,000 for a Super Bowl.
A competing stadium proposal offered by St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke in Inglewood would be built on the site of a former horse track and include retail, housing and office space. NFL owners could vote as soon as January on the relocation proposals.
Carlos E. Castañeda is Senior Editor, News & Social Media for CBS San Francisco and a San Francisco native. You can follow him on Twitter or send him an email.